Arqiva has announced a further batch of 12-year Total Broadcast Contracts for new FM commercial radio stations.
In Cornwall, Atlantic FM will be broadcasting to the county from mid 2006. The Banbury licence was won by The Bear, part of the CN Group of smaller stations, and will provide a locally focused service in and around the town. 99.9 Radio Norwich, backed by the Tindle Group, will be focusing on the city of Norwich. The second Solent licence, won by CanWest-backed Original 106 FM, will provide an ?adult alternative? service aimed at the 40-59 year age range from transmitters on the Isle of Wight, in Bournemouth and in Winchester. Torbay and the surrounding area will have a full local service from Palm FM, a station wholly owned by the London Media Company, whose other interests include Sunrise Radio and the Time FM branded stations.
Paul Eaton, head of broadcast radio at Arqiva, said: ?This latest batch of new stations will increase the diversity of local radio in these areas. As always we?ll put our full weight and reputation behind getting them on-air by understanding exactly what they want at launch and then building an on-going relationship for the future.?
In addition, more long-established stations have recently switched to Arqiva transmission packages: The Bear in Stratford-on-Avon (CN Group), Peak FM in Chesterfield, 107.7 The Wolf in Wolverhampton and Tower FM in Bolton (all UTV Radio), and Win FM in Winchester (TLRC).
Chris Hurst, group managing director for ILR at UTV Radio, praised the support received from Arqiva: ?We now own a broader range of stations and have had great help from Arqiva in achieving improved coverage as part of our ongoing investment in local radio.?
In a Total Broadcast Contract, Arqiva provides a fully outsourced transmission service, including ownership and maintenance of the transmitter system and responsibility for the studio-to-transmitter link. Prime transmission sites and innovative antenna designs are often key factors in maximising coverage while meeting licence conditions.