Yorkshire Dales station Fresh Radio has received a bashing in its local newspaper regarding its survival, but station manager Julian Hotchkiss is confident the station has a bright future.
The Craven Herald reported most of its presenters walked out in the middle of last week, leaving non-stop music for 20 hours a day.
In March, a winding-up order for Fresh Radio Ltd was announced in the London Gazette, but owners Laser Broadcasting told the paper a new company had been formed and there was no question of the station not continuing.
However, Hotchkiss told RadioToday.co.uk he has a strong team at Fresh who are all committed to the station: "All of my team live within the area and know and love it – you can’t deliver credible local radio unless you eat sleep and breathe the patch you cover and my team are right under the skin of our community."
He continued: "We are renegotiating contacts with some of our presenters, but Fresh Radio continues to grow and deliver to our listeners, both on air and in the events that we are involved with. And we have plans to develop Fresh further.
"Fresh Radio has had a turbulent and unstable life over the past 10 years since its launch – scratching around to keep its head above water. But it will succeed and build on an incredible listener loyalty. I am certain Fresh Radio will be here for many years to come."
