News story about the award by UK media regulator Ofcom of licences to fifteen more community radio stations, written by Grant Goddard in June 2005 for The Radio Magazine.

1. NEWS: OFCOM LICENSES
FIFTEEN MORE COMMUNITY
RADIO STATIONS
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
June 2005

2. News: Ofcom Licenses Fifteen More Community Radio Stations Page 2
©2005 Grant Goddard
Ofcom has awarded fifteen more five-year community radio licences, bringing
the current total to twenty. Four of these stations are participants in the pilot
access radio experiment that has been running since 2002.
'Unity 24' provides a service for deprived communities, particularly Asian and
ethnic minority communities, in Southampton. 'Skyline Community Radio'
serves the villages of Hedge End, Botley and West End in Hampshire.
'Express FM' provides access to school, college and university students in
Portsmouth to make their own programmes. 'Angel Radio' serves an audience
aged over 60 living in Newport, Isle of Wight. 'Awaz FM' serves Asian
communities in central Glasgow. 'VIP OnAir' provides programmes for blind
and partially sighted people in the West End of Glasgow. 'Sunny Govan Radio'
gives “a voice to people who are seldom heard” in the Govan area of Glasgow.
'Revival Radio' broadcasts locally-produced programming from a Christian
perspective to Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintiloch. 'Radio Faza' is run by the
Asian Women’s Project in Nottingham to empower individuals within the South
Asian community. 'Faza FM' provides a platform in Nottingham for issues of
concern to the Muslim community. 'NBC Live' is aimed at the African
Caribbean community in Nottingham. 'Radio Ikhlas' targets the Asian (mainly
Pakistani) community in the Normanton area of Derby. 'Takeover Radio'
serves children and young people in Leicester. 'Harborough FM' provides a
community service for residents of Market Harborough in Leicestershire. 'The
Eye' broadcasts to the rural community of the Vale of Belvoir from Melton
Mowbray in Leicestershire.
Diane Reid, director of the Community Media Association, said: “The
community media sector is growing fast. These radio stations have huge
potential to make a real difference to the lives of the people in their
communities. Programmes are made by and for local people who will at last
have a voice.” Javed Sattar, Awaz FM project director, said: "The success over
the last three years, along with this exciting announcement, assures me on
behalf of everyone that Awaz FM will go from strength to strength in building
on the good work it has with its community it serves.”
Ofcom says it will complete its evaluation of applications in areas involved in
the pilot scheme by early autumn. It will then complete its evaluation of areas
not involved in the pilot scheme by late autumn.
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'Fifteen More Community Radio Stations', #689, 22 June 2005]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk