Three community licences awarded in West

Three stations in Wiltshire and Somerset have been awarded 5-year community radio licences by Ofcom.

Fantasy Radio in Devizes, Frome FM in Frome and WCR in Warminster are the first stations to be approved from the third round of licensing in the sector.

Fantasy Radio will provide an entertaining, educational and informative service for the community of Devizes and surrounding villages. The people behind it have been running RSLs since 1995, with the last finishing only a couple of weeks ago. Station Directors Phil and Tom Dawson told RadioToday.co.uk: “It’s fantastic to finally get the go-ahead from Ofcom after all this time. We can’t wait to get started broadcasting to Devizes 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.”

Frome FM will broadcast a local community service focussed on serving the tastes and interests of people who live and work in and around Frome. The project has been going since 2008 with a smartphone stream launching two years ago.

And WCR Community Radio will broadcast a local community service for the people of Warminster and the surrounding area. There will be a particular focus on serving the over 35s and 16-20 age groups. The station started life in April 1996 and was set up by Barry Mole and Mark Barnes.

Ofcom begun accepting applications for the South West and Wales regions earlier this year and more regions will follow over the next few years.