Radio Revolution 'within weeks'

Tuesday, 28 September 2021 01:00

Salisbury’s local radio station has been cleared to serve a larger audience in south Wiltshire and west Hampshire than anticipated.

Salisbury Radio based on Endless Street has been given the go-ahead from the government’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) to broadcast from a new digital transmitter in the city.

Coupled with two other digital transmitters covering the north and south of the area, this gives the station that shares the mantra ‘Love Salisbury’ a potential audience of almost 190,000 people.

The coverage area will not only include the fair city of New Sarum, but also Amesbury to the north and Downton and Fordingbridge to the south.

“It is worth the wait,” says station Managing Director David Harber. “This specific clearance from Ofcom gives us a clearer signal and a much better coverage area.

“This means within weeks we will be able to better serve the people who live, work and play in the area, as well as more pairs of ears for our advertisers’ marketing spend.

"The radio revolution has begun”.

The radio station which has been available on digital devices since the demise of Spire FM will now have a potential audience much greater than its predecessor which moved out of Salisbury earlier this year to become part of a national network.

Breakfast show co-host and Head of News Beth Doherty says, “We’ve loved getting involved in events like the Salisbury Hospice Firewalk which raised £30,000 and the Salisbury Music Awards.

“We are now all hands to the deck to get involved in and promote many more activities around the area and be more easily available in cars driving around the area.”

At a time when many radio stations are becoming part of UK-wide networks with no, or limited, local content, Salisbury Radio is proud to be locally owned and run, with backing from the founding fathers of the city's first commercial radio station.

Spire FM which launched in 1992 served a measured potential audience of 131,000 people.

Engineering works on the transmitters and studios is already underway and station management are poised to officially announce a launch date, with accompanying promotional activities in partnership with local businesses in the coming weeks.