Backwards step to lose Spirit FM

I must agree with Gary Shipton that the loss of Spirit FM is a backwards step for the community, sadly part of an on-going decline of local radio.

Local commercial radio was initiated in the mid-70s with Capitol Radio and LBC serving the London area. The stations were termed Independent Local Radio (ILR).

Country-wide expansion brought us Radio Mercury from Crawley in the mid80s, a very popular station that was replaced by Heart in 2010. ‘ILR’ is now an obsolete term - nearly all commercial radio stations are not independently run and the main local connections are the transmitter sites. There are two major radio chains - Global and Bauer, with studios mainly in London. And sadly, their efforts can be less than innovative - ‘Greatest Hits Radio’- the name says it all. However, all is not entirely lost, with the increase of community radio stations, run by volunteers on a notfor-profit basis. A majority of towns in West Sussex are now served by these stations. I am a volunteer for Susy Radio (103.4FM) which covers Redhill, Reigate, Horley and Crawley, with fringe reception in North Horsham (also online, susyradio.com). Recently, the coronavirus epidemic has resulted in a huge listener response. This highlights the value of retaining and strengthening local radio, to inform and educate on important local matters, especially in crisis situations. STEFAN WORONIECKI Dickins Way Horsham