One of the two community radio groups in Preston hoping to secure a five year community radio licence has started broadcasting to the city via a 28 day temporary licence. Preston FM will air 24 hours a day till December 9th.
The current RSL marks the 5th time the station has operated over the last few years. It was launched by Mayor of Preston Christine Abraham and hopes to secure a full time licence from Ofcom next year.
Mayor of Preston Councillor Christine Abram said “Preston FM is doing a excellent job and I hope it gets to continue beyond these four weeks. Preston FM is extremely important in keeping kids off the street and promoting community events and businesses”.
The project is led by Prescap (Preston Community Arts Project), with funders including the European Regional Development Fund and the AvenCentral Partnership.
Another group, City Community Radio Preston has just ended a temporay broadcast and has also applied to Ofcom for a five year licence. It is likely only one group will be successful, if Ofcom feels the city is in need of a community radio station at all. Preston's new commercial radio station Proud FM is expected to start broadcasting within the next 12 months.
Photo shows Cllr Mrs Christine Abram, Mayor of Preston, starting the first song to be played on Preston FM's Autumn broadcast – Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl. The mayor is pictured with Di Cuming, chief executive of Prescap, and Richard Lace, Preston FM project manager.