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• Consults on simplifying community stations’ ‘Key Commitments’

Ofcom has yetserday announced the award of four new community radio licences in Norfolk and Essex.

Licences have been awarded to:

Harbour Radio (Harbour Radio Ltd)
Contact name: Neville Moore 
Phone: 01493 923 877 
Email: harbourradiogy@outlook.com
Website: www.harbourradio.co.uk

Harbour Radio will be a community radio service for the borough of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Colne Radio (Colne Radio Community Interest Company)
Contact name: Jerry Davis
Phone: 01206 808 455
Email: studio@colneradio.com
Website: www.colneradio.com

Colne Radio will serve communities along the River Colne in north eastern Essex, centred on the town of Wivenhoe, near Colchester.

Chelmsford Community Radio (Chelmsford Community Radio Community Interest 
Company)
Contact name: Hal MacLean 
Phone: 0845 867 7035
Email: hal.maclean@clsystems.co.uk
Website: www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

Chelmsford Community Radio will provide a locally-focused service for the general population of Chelmsford and the surrounding area.

Funky SX (The Funky Academy Ltd)
Contact name: Miles Shrimpton
Phone: 07581 875 875
Email: miles@funky.sx
Website: www.funky.sx

Funky SX will provide a rhythmic-based music service to young people (under 35s) in Southend-on-Sea.

Community radio services are provided on a not-for-profit basis and focus on delivering specific social benefits to a local area or a community of interest. More than 200 community radio stations are broadcasting in the UK.

Community radio licences are awarded for a five-year period.

A statement setting out the main determining factors for the award of the community radio licences referred to above can be found on the Ofcom website.

'Key Commitments' in community radio licences

Separately, Ofcom has yetserday announced a consultation looking at how community radio services' 'Key Commitments' could be simplified. Community radio licences include broadcasting and community commitments to ensure the character of service is maintained for the duration of the licence.

Ofcom is proposing to adopt a new approach, simplifying how these commitments should be set out in each licence. Ofcom believes this will ensure the core elements of a community radio licence continue to be delivered, while allowing greater flexibility for services to make best use of their resources and respond to changing circumstances.

Ofcom welcomes views on its consultation, which closes on 21 October 2015.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. In addition to the licence awards detailed above, Ofcom considered one further application, but decided not to award a licence to the following group:

• Coastal Radio (Coastal Radio Community Interest Company), Great Yarmouth.

2. Applications for community radio licences are being invited on a region-by-region basis. Further details can be found on the Ofcom website at: http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/community-radio/apply-for-licence/