Rescue bid to save radio licence

Community station could be born

A NEW community radio station could replace defunct Oak 107 following a rallying call from existing broadcasters.

Bosses behind Cross Counties Radio are looking to team up with organisations and individuals keen to keep a radio licence in Hinckley.

Cross Counties chairman and operations manager David Harris Boulter said they didn’t want to make false promises but were hopeful of at least attempting a rescue bid to save the licence for the local area.

It was gained only after five years of lobbying during the late 1990s in a head to head competition between Cross Counties and Fosseway - the forerunner of Oak 107.

David said: “Fosseway radio ultimately won the battle but through a series of mergers and the re-sale of the licence for the Hinckley area, the community ultimately lost last week after the announcement that Oak 107 had gone into receivership.

“There is a now a very seriously high risk that Ofcom could revoke the licence or not approve any operators who may step forward with the capital required to get the licence back up and running. Having a radio licence for any community is not a right but is a privilege.”

He said Cross Counties, along with its management organisation The Sunflower Community Radio Association, was devising a community-based radio model which could plug into the original licence.

However, any successful bid to operate a radio station again would be dependent on the approval of regulator, Ofcom.

David said Cross Counties was interested in fulfilling any lost advertising campaigns for local businesses as a goodwill gesture.

He added: “We also now need to hear from any local residents or businesses who would like to get involved, whether from a financial support point of view, or just to help and support the possibility of getting this local radio licence back to the local community of Hinckley, Nuneaton and the surrounding area - and most importantly, owned by and within the local community with a group of trustees, so this can never happen again.”

Anyone wanting to help can call Cross Counties Radio on 0116 326 3000. Advertisers can contact Cross Counties on Smartphone at www.crosscountiesradio.co.uk