XS Wales runs out of money and closes

Neath and Port Talbot’s community radio station XS has ceased broadcasting.

The station ended live programmes at 2pm on Tuesday December 13th and turned off its transmitters a day later after a “large unexpected demand from HMR&C” arrived.

Director Ian Hickling told RadioToday.co.uk: “We received a very large unexpected demand from HMR&C today which almost totally absorbs our remaining funding and therefore leaves the Directors no alternaitve but to close the operation. It is anticipated that the Licensee, Neath Port Talbot Broadcasting CIC will go into immediate voluntary liquidation to avoid the risk of trading in insolvency.”

The station started life as a project in 2003 and went on to win a community radio licence and start broadcasting as Afan FM. It was aimed at 11-25 year olds and later re-branded to XS Wales on January 7th 2011. It broadcast on 97.4 and 107.9 FM.

Ian added: “We are resolved to think of this as the completion of a very successful project which has run its course.” Its five year licence was due to expire in four months time.

XS joins a long list of other community radio stations which have closed in recent years, or are facing closure due to lack of funds and restrictive operating environments.