Celador Radio Broadcasting has applied to Ofcom to change the format of one of their recently acquired Bristol station Star Radio.
The request wants to move Star from a "soulful 30-50 year olds station" to "an easy listening service for the 40+" age group.
The new format, if approved, would give Star Radio a similar sound its sister stations in Hampshire, broadcasting as The Breeze. Celador is also asking for the removal of the requirements to provide specific programming for the area's multicultural communities.
The request has gone to consultation, and Ofcom is inviting responses by November 17th.
Star Radio (Bristol) was originally licensed, as Kute FM, by the Radio Authority in 1999 as a small-scale local commercial station for Bristol. The station majored on soul and soft rock, with a significant daytime speech content, and was committed to providing specialist programming for Bristol’s multicultural communities (in particular, the city’s Afro-Caribbean community).
But the station launched in November 1999 as The Eagle, and soon changed its name again, to Star FM (subsequently Star Radio).
Celador made no mention of a change of name, should the application be successful, and will still be required to provide at least 10 hours per weekday of local programming.