In an unprecedented move, Ofcom has instigated proceedings to revoke the licence of troubled local radio station KCR FM, based in the Knowsley area of Merseyside.
The station has been un-manned for the past month and has now ceased broadcasting.
It is the first action of its kind undertaken by the media regulator.
The station had already received a so-called "yellow card" from Ofcom earlier this year for failing to provide any local news and content in its output following an extended period of automation. It is reported that the station was refused access to its premises in October, leading to the suspension of live programming.
Meanwhile, a reach of just 2,000 from a potential 293,000, a series of different owners since launch and fiscal difficulties have ensured the station’s ultimate demise. KCR finally left the air at lunchtime last Thursday after more than a month of non-stop automated music.
In a statement, an Ofcom spokesman said: "As a result of the continued failure of the licensee to provide the programme service required in its licensed format, Ofcom has commended the statutory procedure leading towards the revocation of the local commercial radio licence for Knowsley."
The station originally launched in 2001 and was relaunched as The Rocket following a purchase by TLRC in 2005. It was subsequently bought by its original owner, Ray Ferguson, who restored the KCR name. Most recently, the station came into the ownership of Southport-based Polaris Media.
