Ofcom awards extra transmitters to community radio stations

Ofcom is currently assessing 127 applications from community radio stations requesting an improvement or an extension to their coverage areas.

So far, a number of radio stations have been granted further frequencies or higher power, and the regulator says the work is nearing completion.

We’ll update this list once all the requests have been made public, but for now, here are the changes approved so far:

Extra relay transmitters have been agreed for:

• Cambridge 105 (Cambridge) to serve Cambourne
• Forest FM (Verwood) to serve Ferndown
• GTFM (Pontypridd) to serve Aberdare and surrounding areas
• Bishop FM (Bishop Aukland) to serve surround areas
• Erewash Sound (Ilkeston) to serve Long Eaton and surrounding areas
• HCR FM (Huntingdon) to serve Warboys and surrounding villages
• Zack FM (Forest Heath District) to serve Mildenhall and Newmarket
• Môn FM (Anglesey) to serve parts of north Gwynedd
• BFBS Edinburgh (Edinburgh barracks) to serve Glencorse Barracks
• WCR (Wolverhampton) to serve parts of South Staffordshire
• Eden FM (Penrith) to serve Penrith, Appleby and Kirkby Stephen and the surrounding rural area with a significant increase in the licensed area. A second relay to serve Carlise was not agreed

Extra power has been granted to:

• Deveron FM to serve Portsoy and Turriff
• Link FM (Parts of Sheffield) to serve all of Sheffield
• Uckfield FM (Uckfield) to serve more surrounding villages
• Gateway 97.8 (Basildon) to serve the surrounding areas
• Park Radio (Diss) to serve Diss, Harleston and Eye and surrounding villages in the Lower Waveney Valley
• Black Diamond (East and central Midlothian) to serve Midlothian
• Alive Radio (Dumfries) to better serve surrounding villages
• Radio Ashford (Ashford) to serve the surrounding villages
• Bolton FM (Bolton) to serve surrounding areas of Bolton via a transmitter site move and power increase
• First FM (OX4 area of Oxford) to serve all of Oxford
• Endeavour Radio (Boston) to serve the surrounding areas
• Lincoln City Radio (Lincoln) to serve the surrounding villages

And coverage improvements have been agreed for:

• Akash Radio (Leeds)
• Pendle Community Radio (Nelson)
• Ribble FM (Clitheroe)
• Sine FM (Doncaster)
• Tone FM (Taunton)
• Beverley FM (Beverley)
• Future Radio (Norwich)
• Hermitage FM (Coalville)
• Hitmix Radio (Newcastle under Lyme)
• Inspire FM (Luton)
• Salford City Radio (Salford)
• The Cat (Crewe and Nantwich)
• Unity Radio (Central Manchester)
• Youthcom Radio (Worcester)
• Ambur Radio (Walsall)
• Black Cat Radio (St Neots)
• HFM (Market Harborough)
• Susy Radio (Redhill and Reigate)
• Wycombe Sound (High Wycombe)
• Wythenshawe FM (Wythenshawe)
• Belfast 89FM (Belfast)
• Castledown FM (Tidworth/Ludgershall, Wiltshire)
• Radio Panj (Coventry)
• Amber Sound 107.2 FM (Ripley)
• Awaz FM (Glasgow)
• Black Country Radio (Stourbridge)
• Chelmsford Community Radio (Chelmsfordv
• Drive FM (Derry/Londonderry)
• In2beats (Bedford)
• North Manchester FM (North Manchester)
• PCRFM (Peterborough)
• Penistone FM (Penistone)
• Radio Verulam (St Albans)
• Revival FM (Cumbernauld)
• Seaside Radio (Withernsea)
• SFM (Sittingbourne)
• TCR FM (Tamworth)
• TD1 (Galashiels, Scottish Borders)
• The Eye (Vale of Belvoir)
• Wey Valley Radio (Alton)
• Your FM (Stockport)
• Andover Radio (Andover)
• Angel Radio (Isle of Wight)
• Exmouth Air Radio (Exmouth)
• Kennet Radio (Newbury and Thatcham)
• Phonic FM (Exeter)
• Rhondda Radio (Rhondda Valleys)
• shmuFM (Aberdeen)
• Voice FM (Southampton)
• Witney Radio (Witney, Oxon)