Ofcom today announced the award of the new FM local commercial radio licence for Durham.
The new radio station for Durham will be owned by The Local Radio Company, which also operates Sunderland's Sun FM and Darlington's Alpha 103.2.
It runs 25 other local radio stations of similar scale to Durham FM, employing more than 300 people.
It will provide "a friendly, locally involved radio station aimed particularly at 25 to 54 year-olds, focussing on local news, information and issues relevant to life today in and around Durham and featuring the best music from the past four decades and today."
The licence is for a service to cover the city of Durham and the surrounding area which has an adult population (aged 15+) of around 160,000. However, the exact coverage will be determined by the location of the transmission site and other technical characteristics. The proposed frequencies are subject to international agreement on radio spectrum usage.
Ofcom expects Durham FM to begin broadcasting at the earliest opportunity and no later than two years from this award date.
Full story in The Northern Echo tomorrow.
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