It was a battle between three companies, all of which operate a network of local radio stations in the North of England. UTV proposed Rotherham Radio, with support from neighbouring Peak FM in Chesterfield and The Pulse in Bradford. TLRC have Stray FM in Harrogate and Minster FM in York and applied for the Rotherham licence as Renaissance FM, and the application from the Lincs FM Group had the backing of Dearne FM in Barnsley and Trax FM next door in Doncaster.
In the end it was the support of Lincs FM Group stations which helped Rother FM win the licence for Rotherham, as Ofcom have explained today. No more than 12 hours a week of network programming will be broadcast, and Ofcom explained that the locally based group will bring considerable experience of operating successful smaller stations in similar-sized markets adjacent to Rotherham. They also recognised the realism of the group?s financial projections, the radio experience of its board and the clear recognition that the Rotherham licence would present a different challenge to other nearby markets.
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