Five stations apply for Midlands community radio

Five Asian applicants are vying for a community radio licence in the Midlands area.

Earlier this year, Ofcom invited interested parties to submit their applications for an AM community radio licence in the UK (except London). Out of the 11 applicants, two applied for an Asian radio station in Birmingham, while the other three in Leicestershire and Nuneaton.

The applicants are as follow:

Indus Radio, proposed to broadcast to the Pakistani and Kashmiri communities in Birmingham, will broadcast shows in Urdu, Punjabi, Potohari, Pushto, Mirpuri and English, thereby reaching most of this community. In some instances using a community language such as Pushto will not just cater for the people who have come from the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province of Pakistan, it will to a great extent reach the Afghani community living in the Birmingham area.

Panj Baani Radio aims to provide broadcast services to the South Asian community in particular Panjabis (Hindu, Sikh & Muslims) living in and around the Leicestershire.

Panj Pani Radio aims to address the needs, tastes and interest of the Asian and local community of Nuneaton and Bedworth by providing news, views, information, education and entertainment and by encouraging community participation.

Radio Central proposes to serve the British Pakistani, Urdu, Punjabi, Mirpuri, Pashto, Saraiki and Sindhi speaking communities in Birmingham.

Radio Seerah will serve the diverse Muslim and wider community of Leicester. There is a community of Guajarati, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Arab, Somali, Turkish, Pashto and Malaysian. This community lives in Leicester within the 5 kilometres radius of where we wish to broadcast Radio Seerah from. Although these communities live across Leicester they are mainly located in the following areas: Spinney Hills, Highfields, St Mathews, Charnwood, Evington, Evington Valley, North Evington, Thurnby Lodge, Belgrave, Leicester City Centre, and Humberstone.

Ofcom is expected to award the licence to the winning applicant in early 2017.