13 apply for new Community Radio licences

Ofcom has received 13 applications to run community radio stations in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and the North East of England.

The latest round of applicants includes proposed new stations in the Yorkshire Dales, previously home to the independent station Fresh AM – now merged into Harrogate’s Stray FM.

Dales Radio aims to serve the Yorkshire Dales and is led by original Yorkshire Dales Radio and Stray FM founder Chris Parkin, whilst Radio Skipton is Chaired by former BBC Radio 1 Controller Johnny Beerling.

A new station is proposed for Barrow-in-Furness called Cando FM. Barrow is another area which has seen the closure of a commercial radio station, in the past.

Other applications include Zetland FM, run by Jeremy Gartland, previously of Stray FM and Great North Radio, and Radio Scarborough, headed by BBC Radio York presenter Jerry Scott.

The full list of applications are:

Blue Jay FM/Indigo FM (South Kendal area)

CandoFM (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria)

Dales Radio (Yorkshire Dales)

Derwent FM (Malton, Norton and the Ryedale area of North Yorkshire)

Eden FM (Penrith and surrounding area, Cumbria)

Koast Radio (Ashington and surrounding area, Northumberland)

Palace FM (Redcar, Cleveland)

Radio Northumberland (Bedlington and south east Northumberland)

Radio Scarborough (Scarborough, North Yorkshire)

Radio Selby (Selby and surrounding Selby District Council communities)

Radio Skipton (Skipton, North Yorkshire)

Synergy (South East Northumberland)

Zetland FM (Redcar and East Cleveland)