QUAY-FM

Last updated

QUAY-FM 107.1
Broadcast areaAlderney (Channel Islands) and territorial waters.
Frequency FM: 107.1MHz
DAB
Programming
Format Mixed (Local information/soft adult contemporary)
Ownership
OwnerAlderney Broadcasting Company Limited
History
First air date
28 July 2000 (2000-07-28)
Former frequencies
87.7 MHz
Technical information
Power 50 Watts. [1]
Transmitter coordinates
 49°43′24″N2°12′1″W / 49.72333°N 2.20028°W / 49.72333; -2.20028
Links
Webcast stream.quayfm.gg:1071/live
Website www.quayfm.gg

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. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The scheme under which community radio stations were established in the United Kingdom by Ofcom originally did not apply to the Channel Islands, each of which has separate legal systems. Further legislation was needed in order to enable the establishment of community radio stations in the Islands.

After representations from the QUAY-FM volunteers who had been operating an twice-yearly RSL and from the Government of Alderney, [5] this was enabled by the extension, by Order-in-Council of the relevant parts of the UK's Communications Act, 2003 to the Bailiwick of Guernsey. [6]

Applications were invited by Ofcom in December 2013 [7] and closed in March the following year. This application round resulted in a licence being granted to ABC, which is incorporated in Alderney as a company limited by guarantee (company number 1899). It was the only applicant within the Bailiwick, no applications having been received from either Guernsey or Sark. Its charitable status was recognised in 2023 under The Charities etc. (Guernsey and Alderney) Ordinance.

History

The station was founded in the summer of 2000 by a number of volunteers, several of whom had backgrounds in BBC Radio, Independent Local Radio (ILR) in the UK, and university radio., [8] including professional broadcasters Johnnie Fielder and Colin Mason. Presenters on the original RSL service included local hotelier Steve Collins [9] and former University Radio Essex presenter Nigel Roberts.

The station was originally authorised to transmit on 87.7 MHz FM under a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) issued by the then UK Radio Authority. It broadcast only for one month, during the peak summer vacation period, to cover Alderney Week. In 2004, a regular Christmas broadcast period was added.

The station equipment was kept available for possible use in times of civil emergency and was activated during the extreme weather conditions of the winter of 2010 (it was nicknamed "SNOW FM" locally, although the familiar QUAY-FM identity was used on-air).

Since early 2015, the station has broadcast year-round under a Community Radio Licence issued by Ofcom (the successor licensing body to the Radio Authority). [10]

Live, year-round transmissions were commenced at 7:00 a.m. on 12 February 2015 with the first transmission being made by Tim Butler, one of the original presenters of the RSL broadcasts in 2000, as presenter of the Early Morning Show. [11] Tim became Station Manager in January 2023 and served in that position until his death on holiday in Egypt in March 2024 [12]

During the COVID-19 lockdown period, QUAY-FM once again became a vitally important part of the Island's emergency planning measures, with President Wm Tate (President of the States of Alderney) making daily broadcasts to update islanders on the situation during the emergency powers lockdown and in the period following during which restrictions were gradually eased.

QUAY-FM started broadcasting on the Channel Island DAB+ local multiplex on 1 August 2021, and by this means DAB coverage of Sark, Guernsey and Jersey was added in addition to the FM service from Alderney. The new digital service was, shortly afterwards, complemented by a local Alderney DAB+ transmitter operated by Alderney Broadcasting on behalf of the licencee which broadcasts the whole of Channel Island multiplex to Alderney. Alderney's DAB transmissions are delivered as part of a joint project between Alderney Broadcasting and Tindle Radio.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel Islands</span> Archipelago in the English Channel

The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy. Although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands as it is for the other Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies are neither members of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor part of the European Union. They have a total population of about 171,916, and the bailiwicks' capitals, Saint Helier and Saint Peter Port, have populations of 33,500 and 18,207 respectively.

BBC Radio Northampton is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Northamptonshire.

BBC Radio Guernsey is the BBC's local radio station serving the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Jersey</span> Radio station in Saint Helier

BBC Radio Jersey is the BBC's local radio station serving the Bailiwick of Jersey.

Channel 103 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the island of Jersey on 103.7 FM and DAB+ digital radio.

A UK Restricted Service Licence is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. Licences are granted by the broadcasting authority Ofcom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tindle Radio</span> Radio group in the British Isles

Tindle Radio is a media company which owns commercial radio stations and a DAB multiplex business in the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland. It has its head office in Farnham, Surrey, shared with Tindle Newspapers.

<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.

In the United Kingdom, community radio refers to a system of licensing small, micro-local, non-profit radio stations, which started in 2002. In its early days, the pilot scheme was known as access radio. New legislation paved the way for this additional tier of radio, starting in 2005, and hundreds of community stations have since been set up. Unlike commercial radio licensing, which is generally advertised to cover a specific region, community radio stations are usually limited to broadcast areas smaller than commercial or BBC local stations, nominally within a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) radius of their transmitter.

<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">Calon FM</span> Radio station in Wrexham

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nation Radio South Coast</span> Radio station

Nation Radio South is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting on 106 MHz & 106.6 MHz FM, on DAB on the South Hampshire and Bournemouth multiplexes across the South Coast of England and on DAB+ across a limited area on the Portsmouth small scale trial multiplex. The station is owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island FM</span> Independent Local Radio station for Guernsey

Island FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting across the Bailiwick of Guernsey on 104.7 FM and 93.7 FM in Alderney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Exe</span> Radio station in Exeter

Radio Exe is an Independent Local Radio station based in Exeter, Devon, England.

<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.

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

Soleil Radio is a commercial radio station broadcasting to the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm on DAB+ digital radio and in Jersey on 107.7FM.

References

  1. ↑ "UK and Ireland FM Transmitters" (PDF). Frequency Finder UK and Ireland. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Alderney Broadcasting Company LBG". Guernsey Registry.
  3. ↑ "Alderney Community Station Given Radio Licence". BBC. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "New Radio Station for the Channel Islands". Radio Today. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "BILLET D'ETAT FOR 19-07-2006".
  6. ↑ "Channel Islands to get first community radio station".
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ Roberts, Nigel. "About QUAY-FM". QUAY_FM. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Alderney's memories of King of Diddy Men". guernseypress.com. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ofcom Awards First Community Radio License in the Channel Islands". 12 June 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "QUAY-FM starts year-round broadcasting from today". 12 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "QUAY-FM's Tim Butler killed in car crash in Egypt". 26 March 2024.
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.