Calon FM

Last updated

Calon FM
Calon.56e53de.png
Broadcast areaWrexham and surrounding areas
Frequency 105 MHz,
Online
Programming
Format Community
Ownership
OwnerWrexham Community Broadcasting
History
First air date
1 March 2008
Links
Website calon.fm

Calon FM is a community radio station serving Wrexham and surrounding areas. [1]

Contents

The station is owned and operated by Wrexham Community Broadcasting and broadcasts from studios at the Wrexham Enterprise Hub in the city centre with its transmitter atop Tŷ Pawb. [2]

Calon FM was first launched as a RSL radio station, originally covering events at the 2005 Wrexham Science Festival on 87.7FM. [3] In 2006, the station was granted a 5-year community radio licence. The station officially launched on Saturday 1 March 2008 on 105FM in Wrexham after a short period of test transmissions.

Calon FM was based on the campus of Glyndŵr University on Mold Road, initially based above a recording studio before moving into the Centre for Creative Industries (CCI). Currently, they are based out of the Wrexham Enterprise Hub.

Calon FM's output consists of music, features, sport, talk and specialist programming produced and presented by volunteers. The station also aired weekly programming in Welsh and other languages. [4] [5]

Asides its primary transmission area, the station can also be heard through much of the central areas of Wrexham County Borough, and parts of southern Flintshire.

In August 2017, Calon FM began carrying live commentaries on Wrexham A.F.C. matches throughout the football season [6] The station's live coverage ended after two seasons. [7]

In its original incarnation, Calon FM also won a number of industry awards, including the Wales category in the Radio Academy Nations and Regions Awards twice in a row, in 2013 and 2014. [8]

Temporary closure and revival

On 31 December 2020, it was reported Calon FM would close, following a decision by Glyndŵr University to withdraw its support. The university provided funding and studio facilities to the station since its launch. [9]

In a statement, directors said the long-term financial position of the station's owners, Calon Communications Ltd, was left untenable as a result of the withdrawal, despite being able to raise additional income through advertising and sponsorship. [10]

A Glyndwr University spokesperson said it had spent more than £1 million on staff, equipment and indirect costs for studios and professional services. [11]

In a later statement, the station's volunteers criticised the board of directors for the decision and announced they were forming a rescue plan to retain the FM licence and resume broadcasting. [12]

Calon FM ceased broadcasting at midday on Wednesday 20 January 2021.

Following a tender process involving three separate groups, the station's assets were handed over to its volunteer staff, who intend to relaunch the Calon service under the ownership of a new community interest company, 'Wrexham Community Broadcasting'. [13] The group launched a campaign to secure funds to resume broadcasting. [14]

On 8 October 2021, Calon FM announced it had resumed broadcasting after the original licence was transferred by OFCOM to the station's new owners. Test transmissions, including some presenter-led programming, were broadcast ahead of a soft launch of the station on Monday 11 October 2021. [15]

Wrexham Community Broadcasting is also part of Wrexham DAB Ltd, a consortium which applied for a small-scale DAB multiplex in its broadcast area. [16]

It was the only applicant in North Wales when bidding closed, [17] and in May 2022, OFCOM announced the consortium had been awarded a SS-DAB licence. [18]

Related Research Articles

Chorley FM was a radio station based in Chorley, Lancashire, England. The station was created by volunteers back in 2001 to broadcast a special two week licence in conjunction with the Midsummer Festival which was located on Botany Bay near the M61.

Phoenix FM is a community radio station serving the areas of Brentwood and Billericay, United Kingdom on 98.0FM and online, covering an area of over 140,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresh Radio</span> Former radio station covering Yorkshire and Lancashire, in England

Fresh Radio was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the Yorkshire Dales in northern England on two medium wave (AM) frequencies and three FM frequencies. It was also heard online via the Fresh Radio website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorlands Radio</span> Radio station in Leek

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. The station serves the rural Staffordshire Moorlands, covering the main towns of Leek and Biddulph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital radio in the United Kingdom</span>

In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital radio networks, with about 500 transmitters, three national DAB ensembles, one regional DAB ensemble, 48 local DAB ensembles and an increasing number of small-scale DAB ensembles broadcasting over 250 commercial and 34 BBC radio stations across the UK. In London there are already more than 100 different digital stations available. In addition to DAB and DAB+, radio stations are also broadcast on digital television platform as well as internet radio in the UK. Digital radio ensemble operators and stations need a broadcasting licence from the UK's media regulator Ofcom to broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swindon FM</span> Radio station

Swindon FM was a local DAB radio station broadcasting to the English town of Swindon between 2003 and 2006, after making two trial FM broadcasts in 2001 and 2002. The station stopped broadcasting in May 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nation Radio Wales</span> Regional radio station in Wales

Nation Radio Wales is a regional radio station, broadcasting to south and west Wales on FM and across Wales on DAB. It is owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting and broadcasts from studios near the St Hilary transmitter on the outskirts of Cowbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic Music Radio</span> Radio station in Glasgow

Celtic Music Radio is a Community Radio station in Scotland, broadcasting to the Greater Glasgow on 95.0 FM, Edinburgh on DAB+ and also worldwide via the internet. Celtic Music Radio is a Scottish Charity, registration number SC041172.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mearns FM</span> Radio station in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Mearns FM is a community run radio station based in Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns. There are transmitters in Laurencekirk, Inverbervie, Stonehaven and Portlethen leading to a coverage area stretching from St Cyrus to Aberdeen. The studio is located in Stonehaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GLOSS FM</span> Radio station in Thornbury, Gloucestershire

GLOSS FM was an online community radio station in the United Kingdom, broadcasting to Thornbury and District, South Gloucestershire. Its strapline is "Your Local Station". It originally started broadcasting to the South Gloucestershire area on 19 April 2010. It was an extension of Thornbury FM, a smaller station broadcasting to just Thornbury which had started on 19 November 2005. In November 2009, the station relocated its transmitter which increased its coverage area. After an open competition GLOSS FM was chosen as the station's new name in order to be more relevant to all listeners. GLOSS FM legally broadcast under the terms of Ofcom's Restricted Service Licence regime until the spring of 2011. This restricted the station to a maximum of two 28-day broadcasts per year in addition to its webcasts which were broadcast continually. In this year the station closed after an unsuccessful licence bid for a permanent FM frequency which was rejected by Ofcom due to "no suitable FM frequency available" in the area - an assertion which they have since indicated is not correct. After a 6 year break and several attempts to restart it, the station re-launched on 29 July 2017. The station rebranded to Thornbury Radio in November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashdown Radio</span> Community radio station in East Sussex, England

Ashdown Radio is a community radio station in East Sussex, broadcasting from transmitters in Uckfield and Crowborough. It is owned by Ashdown Radio Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Voice (North Devon)</span> Radio station in Barnstaple

The Voice is a local radio station serving North Devon, and based at studios in Barnstaple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Wirral</span> British local radio station

Radio Wirral was a community radio station serving Liverpool, the Wirral Peninsula, the North West, North Wales and West Cheshire.

Tone FM is a community radio station based in Taunton, Somerset, broadcasting to Taunton and the surrounding area on 107.8 FM, 24 hours a day. It was granted a community radio licence by Ofcom in April 2012, with its first broadcast on Thursday 28 February 2013 presented by Darren Daley, who was the station's manager. Being a nonprofit organisation, Tone FM's presenters are all volunteers with guests sourced from the local community. The Tone FM studios are situated on the first floor of the historic Market House, in the centre of the County Town.

QUAY-FM is a VHF-FM broadcasting station on the island of Alderney. It holds the only Community Radio licence in the Channel Islands which was granted in February 2014 to the Alderney Broadcasting Company, a Registered Charity in Guernsey.

This is a list of notable events in the timeline of digital audio broadcasting in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beyond Radio</span> Radio station in Lancaster and Morecambe

Beyond Radio is a local radio station based in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The parent company was awarded a Community Radio broadcast license by Ofcom in 2014 and launched at 10:35 am on Saturday 30 July 2016 (the time 10:35 was chosen to reflect the station's FM frequency. Following an online social media poll the first track played was 'The Boys Are Back in Town' by Thin Lizzy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YO1 Radio</span> Local Radio station in York and Selby, England

YO1 Radio is a community radio station based in York, England. It broadcasts local news, weather, travel and information alongside music from the 1980s to the present day. It broadcasts to the city of York on 102.8 MHz FM, in Selby on 90.0 MHz FM with transmissions areas in parts of North Yorkshire on DAB+. It takes its name from a district of the YO postcode area covering central York.

LDC Radio is a community radio station based in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, with a dance and urban music format. Its studios are based in Leeds city centre. Its name is an abbreviation of Leeds Dance Community Radio.

Select Radio is a London-based radio station, broadcasting on 94.4 FM to London and online, playing primarily house music. The station first broadcast as a pirate radio station in 2003, for many years on 99.3 FM before moving online. It applied for a legal licence in May 2019 which it was awarded with a community radio licence by Ofcom in May 2020, and commenced broadcasting in November 2021. Select Radio extended its broadcast area to include Norwich on DAB+ in April 2022 and Brighton on DAB+ in August 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Ofcom - Calon FM coverage area: retrieved 11 September 2008
  2. ↑ Calon FM back at the heart of the community, calonfm.com, retrieved 9 October 2021
  3. ↑ Ofcom - Nine community radio licences awarded Archived 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine : retrieved 11 September 2008
  4. ↑ Calon FM - shows: retrieved 11 September 2008
  5. ↑ Ofcom statement - Calon FM key commitments Archived 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine : retrieved 11 September 2008
  6. ↑ Wrexham AFC commentary comes to Calon FM, Calon FM, 16 February 2017
  7. ↑ Wrexham AFC Commentary Now Exclusive To Mixlr, wrexhamafc.co.uk, 25 June 2019
  8. ↑ Calon FM wins prestigious Radio Academy Award Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine , glyndwr.ac.uk, 25 November 2013
  9. ↑ Wrexham’s Calon FM facing closure after 13 years, RadioToday, 31 December 2020
  10. ↑ Wrexham’s Calon FM facing closure after 13 years, RadioToday, 31 December 2020
  11. ↑ Wrexham’s Calon FM to close after 13 years, LeaderLive, 8 January 2021
  12. ↑ Volunteers plan to save Wrexham station Calon FM, RadioToday, 19 January 2021
  13. ↑ Community radio station could return in Wrexham, RadioToday, 10 May 2021
  14. ↑ Calon FM set to return to the airwaves with members of local community urged to get involved, wrexham.com, 10 May 2021
  15. ↑ Ofcom - Calon FM coverage area: retrieved 11 September 2008
  16. ↑ Calon FM joins partnership to apply for Wrexham multiplex, RadioToday, 19 August 2021
  17. ↑ Applications for small-scale DAB round two published, RadioToday, 17 September 2021
  18. ↑ Small-scale DAB Round 2 licence winners announced by Ofcom, Radio Today, 12 May 2022

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.