Ofcom announce the last award in Round 3 of licensing Scottish Community Radio

Ofcom, the UK regulator of broadcasting and telecoms, announced on Thursday 14 February 2013 the award of a community radio licence to TD1 Radio (Borders Community Radio & Media Ltd.) for a service in the central Borders of Scotland.

TD1 Radio will provide a community radio service catering for people living and working in Galashiels, Tweedbank, Melrose and Selkirk. 

Licences are awarded for a five-year period from the start of 'on-air' broadcasting. Awarded licensees have two years in which to get 'on-air' from the date of the licence award or the licence award may be withdrawn.

Community radio services are provided on a not-for-profit basis focusing on the delivery of specific social benefits to a particular geographical community or a community of interest.

This is the last award in Round 3 of Community Radio Licensing in Scotland which began on 1 April 2011 when Ofcom announced that there was to be a Round 3 of Community Radio licences after a four year interval in licensing. The invitation to apply for a broadcasting licence came in response to significant interest expressed by individuals and community groups across the UK wanting to take to the air and provide services for their local community.

Ofcom invited applications for licences for Round 3 in in Scotland on 16 November 2011 with a closing date on Tuesday 14 February 2012.

The first licence to be awarded by Ofcom in this new Round 3 was on 29 May 2012 when An Radio/An Rèidio (Uist Radio Ltd) was awarded an FM licence to serve the Scottish Outer Hebrides islands of Berneray, North Uist, Baleshare,Grimsay, Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay.

 

On 17 July 2012 Ofcom awarded FM licences to: Camglen Radio (Healthy n Happy) to cover Cambuslang and Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire; Celtic Music Radio (Celtic Music Radio Limited) to cover the central Glasgow area and Sound of Mull Radio (Sound of Mull Radio SCIO) serving the Isles of Mull and Iona.

Celtic Music Radio is a station for those with an interest incontemporary and traditional Scottish music and song. It currently broadcasts on 1530 kHz AM across Glasgow, but as a result of this licence award the station can move onto the more popular and better quality FM waveband and as a licence condition, will be required to return the AM/MW licence.

Ofcom made licence awards on 18 September 2013 to the following applicants: Crystal FM (Penicuik Community Education Association) to serve the Penicuik area of Midlothian and another licence was awarded to East Coast FM (East Coast FM SCIO) to cover Haddington and surrounding areas of East Lothian.

Ofcom announced a large batch of awards on 15 January 2013 to: K-Town FM (K-Town FM Ltd), Kinglassie and surrounding area, Fife; KYFM (KirkcaldyCommunity Radio), Kirkcaldy and surrounding villages in Fife; Nevis Radio (Nevis Community Radio Ltd), Fort William and surrounding area of the Scottish Highlands and islands; Irvine Beat FM (Irvine Beat FM SCIO) will serve and cover the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire including the districts of Fullarton, Harbourside, Redburn,Vineburgh, Springside and Castlepeak; KCR (Keith Community Radio Ltd), parts of Moray including Elgin, Buckie and Keith and Deveron FM (Deveron FM Ltd) covering and serving Banff and Macduff in Aberdeenshire.

And the last licence on 14 February 2013 went to TD1 Radio based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

There are 13 new licence awards across Scotland made by Ofcom in response to Round 3 of Community Radio Licensing bringing the total Ofcom CR licences in Scotland to 31 less one licence when Celtic Music Radio does switchover from AM to FM. There are also five 'community radio operated' stations along the West Coast and Highlands of Scotland which have an Ofcom Commercial Radio licences (ILR) which pre-dates Community licences. 

About SCBN

The Scottish Community Broadcasting Network (SCBN) was established in the autumn of 2007 with an aim to support community radio projects in Scotland.

The Scottish Community Broadcasting Network current membership works together to provide support, advice and guidance to communities who are interested in community radio and media. Working on shared issues such as funding, practice sharing and training the group raises awareness of the important role of community radio in Scotland's communities and to explore alternative ways of broadcasting effectively to communities of interest and geographical communities.

In Scotland and throughout the UK, community radio stations are licensed by regulator Ofcom (Office of Communications) which is based in London and has a small branch office in Glasgow.

Ofcom defines community radio as licences for small-scale, not-for-profit radio stations operated for the good of members of the public, or of particular communities, and in order to deliver social gain. The licenses are awarded by Ofcom following a formal application process. Not all applicants are awarded a licence to broadcast.

This SCBN website lists radio stations on-air that hold an Ofcom Community Radio Licence. The list includes the station name and its broadcast frequency, coverage area and some information on the service provided and general contact details.

Other very small-scale commercial radio stations in Scotland licensed by Ofcom that hold ILR (Commercial radio) licenses but in all other regards are community radio stations, are also listed.