IPSWICH could have a new radio station by next year, The Evening Star can today reveal. Ofcom, the Office of Communications and radio licensing body, has announced it will advertise a licence for a new commercial station in the town in June this year, with the deadline for bidders for the licence in the autumn.
IPSWICH could have a new radio station by next year, The Evening Star can today reveal.
Ofcom, the Office of Communications and radio licensing body, has announced it will advertise a licence for a new commercial station in the town in June this year, with the deadline for bidders for the licence in the autumn.
The winner of the licence will be announced later this year paving the way for the station to start broadcasting in 2006.
The licence is offered for a service designed to cover the town of Ipswich and the surrounding area, which may include Woodbridge and Felixstowe.
Ofcom will not approve transmission proposals, which would deliver unacceptably strong signals.
Ipswich Local Radio (ILR), a consortium run by Ipswich businessmen and radio experts, has today announced its plan to bid for the new radio licence.
ILR has been running a campaign for a new radio licence for the Ipswich area for the last 3 years.
Peter Barnes, ILR chairman, said: "This is the news we have been waiting for. We have a tremendous consortium with a great mixture of local knowledge and radio experience. What is more they are all local people who know the area.
"We know that the people of Ipswich want and need a true local station with a music policy close to Radio Two, but also giving local news and information a priority.
"Its programming plans are for a true local station that specialises in local news and information. "Its music policy will primarily reflect the tastes of the 30 plus age group which currently is not catered for locally."
ILR has already run two short-term broadcasts with the first in August 2003 followed by a second broadcast in April 2004.
Ofcom intends to use the 102.0 MHz frequency for the new service.
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