Ofcom is to fully re-advertise the FM and AM analogue licence for the Yorkshire Dales with Skipton area, currently held by Fresh Radio Limited, in January 2009.
Ofcom only fully re-advertises a licence if the existing licensee does not submit a declaration of intent to re-apply for the licence, suggesting Fresh Radio has yet to inform Ofcom if it plans to continue broadcasting after the current licence expires on May 3rd 2009.
Fresh Radio's parent company Laser Broadcasting is currently in administration, with local management looking after the day-to-day operation of the station. It currently broadcasts using a network of five FM and AM transmitters from Skipton.
Applications for the licence will be invited next month, with a closing date set for April 2009. In line with Ofcom's published policy, the re-advertised licence will be granted with an expiry date of 31 December 2015 or for a five-year period, whichever constitutes the longer period.
In addition, Ofcom has announced a change to its planned timetable for the re-advertisement of other local analogue commercial radio licences.
