The Superstation Orkney

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The Superstation Orkney
Superstation Orkney logo.PNG
Broadcast area Orkney, Caithness
Frequency 105.4 MHz, Online
Programming
Format Commercial
Ownership
OwnerIndependent
History
First air date
4 September 2004 16 November 2014
Technical information
Transmitter coordinates
58°59′16″N3°01′32″W / 58.9879°N 3.0256°W / 58.9879; -3.0256
Links
Website The Superstation Orkney

The Superstation Orkney, also known as just The Superstation, was a commercial radio station, broadcasting to Orkney and Caithness. Until its closure in November 2014, the station was Orkney's only independent radio station, and broadcast 'a broad range of popular and contemporary music'. [1] The station also broadcast local news bulletins on the half-hour and national news from Sky News Radio on the hour.

Contents

The Superstation broadcast on 105.4 FM from the Wideford Hill transmitter [2] near Kirkwall and online via the station's website.

The station also offered free courses in radio production and presentation. [3] [4]

History

Restricted Service Licence

The Superstation began broadcasting under a three-month trial Restricted Service Licence awarded by Ofcom on Saturday 4 September 2004, from the MV Communicator, berthed at St Margaret's Hope. The station was expected to launch earlier in the week, but could not due to not being linked to the Wideford Hill radio transmitter which serves Orkney. [5] The licence expired and the station ceased broadcasting at around 7pm on Tuesday 23 November 2004.

Radio licence

After The Superstation's RSL expired, the station applied to Ofcom for a radio licence. Ofcom's Radio Licensing Committee granted Superstation Orkney the licence on 5 September 2005. [6] The station resumed broadcasting under its radio licence on Monday 14 January 2008 at 12:00 GMT [7] with a show co-presented by Dave Miller & Ryan Woodman.

Closure

At midday on Sunday 16 November 2014, The Superstation ceased broadcasting under its community radio licence, having announced its closure online with just two hours' notice. The station's founder, Dave Miller, said a lack of public funding and dwindling advertising revenue during its later years had forced the community interest company which owned The Superstation to cease trading. [8]

Former presenters (before closure)

Former programming

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References

  1. http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/radio/community/archive/superstation.pdf Community Radio License Application Form - The Superstation Orkney - Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  2. http://tx.mb21.co.uk/mapsys/google/hitlist.php UK Broadcast Transmission - The "Hit List" - retrieved 2010-08-15
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20080116053340/http://www.thesuperstation.co.uk/courses.htm Courses - retrieved by archive.org on 2008-01-21.
  4. http://www.thesuperstation.co.uk/courses.htm Courses - "The courses have now finished" - retrieved 2010-08-15
  5. http://www.orcadian.co.uk/archive/2004/archive36.htm "Last-minute setbacks delay launch of Orkney's first commercial radio station" - Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  6. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/tlproc/ctyraawa/communr210905/ "Ten community radio licence awards: September 2005" Accessed: 2008-01-14.
  7. https://www.webcitation.org/5UqRDXocE?url=http://www.thesuperstation.co.uk/news.htm - "The Super Station Orkney are happy to announce our full program schedule will launch on Monday 14th January 2008 at midday" - Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  8. Superstation Orkney ends community radio broadcasting, RadioToday, 16 November 2014