A NEW radio station could be on the air by next summer, after Ofcom announced the winner of a commercial licence.

BTN FM has been awarded a 12-year licence to broadcast to Northallerton, Thirsk and Bedale.

The station is now looking for premises in Northallerton and will soon be recruiting for presenters and advertising staff.

BTN - or Bedale, Thirsk, Northallerton - FM beat off competition from Hambleton Radio and Northallerton FM to win the licence.

The station is part of The Local Radio Company plc, which also owns York-based Minster FM, Darlington's Alpha FM, Harrogate's Stray FM and Scarborough's Yorkshire Coast Radio.

Ofcom estimates that the new station could go out to more than 30,000 people.

BTN FM project manager Brian Lister said: "It was a very hard fought campaign to get the licence. I think we were realistic in what we promised.

"It is a small area, so we are going to support it from our neighbouring stations. They will be able to supply programme material and advertising.

"It is quite small in commercial licence terms - it is one of the smallest commercial licences in the country - but it is a good little patch.

"We are hoping to have a studio in the town centre of Northallerton, with a small dedicated staff producing one or two programmes a day live in the town.

"We would expect people to tune in when they want to know what is going on in their town, and we will be playing music from the 60s right through to the present day.

"We want people to be able to come in to the station and talk to us, and the people who run the station should be local, well-known characters."

Hambleton Radio had promised that local news, features and information would form an essential part of their output, while Northallerton FM, part of Garrison Radio at Catterick Garrison, promised a full talk and music station, targeting 20 to 60-year-olds.