Moorlands Radio
 | |
| Broadcast area | Staffordshire Moorlands |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 103.7 MHz |
| First air date | 7 November 2009 |
| Format | Community radio |
| Audience share | unknown |
| Owner | Moorlands Radio Ltd |
Moorlands Radio is a community radio station based in Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands, England. It was granted the full-time licence in the second round of community radio licensing by broadcast regulator Ofcom in February 2008.[1] The station is now on air serving the rural Staffordshire Moorlands and covering the main towns of Leek and Biddulph.[2]
It is funded through a combination of grant funding from local authorities and charities; and revenue from the sale of advertising to local businesses.
History
The Moorlands Radio project was founded by a group of local enthusiasts in 2003, led by established presenter Tony Mullins. From 2003 to 2007, the station undertook three Restricted Service Licence broadcasts of 28 days each in duration.[3]
The full-time station was launched by founder Tony Mullins at 10:03 on Saturday 7 November 2009 and has a five-year community radio licence.
Programming
Moorlands Radio broadcasts a full daytime and evening schedule of programmes 7 days a week. Daytime programming is generally aimed at a mainstream audience and features popular music from the 1960s to today with local news, interviews with local personalities and interactive features.[4]
Evening programmes are specialist in nature, and include shows focusing on Northern Soul, classical music, dance music and folk music. Presenters of these shows, along with most of the staff of the station, are volunteers.[5]
Notable presenters
From the station's launch in 2009 until a few months before his death from cancer in early 2011, a daily programme was presented by local radio stalwart Sam Plank.[6]
From the station's launch as an RSL station in 2003 and its full-time service from 2009, ex Radio Caroline and commercial radio presenter / voice-over Steve England helped setup the station, presented various shows, and produced all of the station's IDs and Jingles.
Ex BBC Radio Northampton, BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio Stoke presenter Mervyn Gamage presented the breakfast show from 2003 until 2010 and worked for a period of time as manager.
Verity Hilton formerly of BBC Radio Stoke, and Signal 2 presented various programmes on the station and worked for a period of time as manager.
The breakfast programme is presented by Doug Wood, a local personality with over thirty years of radio experience on Signal Radio among other stations.[7]
Tony Mullins (formerly of Amber Sound FM, High Peak Radio, Erewash Sound, Focal Radio and numerous other stations), is the founder of Moorlands Radio; he continues to be involved as the presenter of the Saturday Breakfast show.
Vicki Norton (formerly of Dearne FM and Silk FM presents the station's daily drivetime programme.
Gary Shenton (formerly the Editor of the Leek Post & Times and Editor/Director of Your Leek Paper) is the station's local news editor and presents sports bulletins on the breakfast show).
Notes
- ↑ Ofcom: Four community radio licence awards, February 2008: http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/community-radio/current-licensees/awards/feb08/
- ↑ Ofcom community radio licence CR-161: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/Community/cr161.htm
- ↑ Moorlands Radio: The story so far. http://www.moorlandsradio.co.uk/about/the-story-so-far/
- ↑ Moorlands Radio: Programmes. http://www.moorlandsradio.co.uk/programmes/
- ↑ Moorlands Radio: Volunteering. http://www.moorlandsradio.co.uk/volunteering/
- ↑ Radio Today: Tributes to Stoke's Sam Plank. http://radiotoday.co.uk/2011/02/tributes-to-stokes-sam-plank/
- ↑ Radio Today: Moor breakfast for Doug Wood. http://radiotoday.co.uk/2010/08/moor-breakfast-for-doug-wood/