Ofcom processing applications for final round of community radio stations

Media regulator, Ofcom has announced that it currently processing applications for a final round of community radio station proposals.

The news comes after the ongoing success of such radio stations being accessed by UK listeners. A statement from Ofcom said, “Community radio stations are fuelled by the work and enthusiasm of volunteers. They reflect a wide range of cultures and interests, and provide a mix of locally-produced content including news, information and discussion.”

During 2019, Ofcom agreed to improve the quality of the coverage of 63 community radio stations, and extend the coverage of 33, bringing the benefits of community radio to a wider audience than ever.

The statement added, “We are now processing applications for new community radio licences and expect to make awards to successful stations by the end of March 2020.

This will be the last round of community radio licensing on FM or AM for the foreseeable future, as we will shortly begin licensing new local digital radio stations that will use cutting-edge ‘small-scale DAB’ technology, pioneered by an Ofcom engineer. We expect to invite applications in 2020.”