This from the Orcadian newspaper on 5th May:
The planned return of Superstation Orkney has been put back to the end of the year. The man behind the venture, Dave Miller, had hoped that the radio service would return to the airwaves this summer.
However, he told The Orcadian this week: To put the record straight, most community radio stations that obtained licences at the same time as we did from Ofcom will not be on the air until 2007. At the moment we are slightly ahead of schedule and hoping for a full-time return November or December, 2006.
Mr Miller is working alongside transmission suppliers, SBS, and media regulator, Ofcom, to find a suitable transmission site to give maximum coverage for the station over Orkney.
He was awarded a community radio licence for five years by Ofcom in September, 2005.
"Due to the massive amount of support we had during the trial broadcast we have been selected to advise the Department of Culture and Media in London on community radio and how it should work," he added.
Support was shown by the people of Orkney during the station's three month stint in 2004, when the team broadcast from the radio ship, mv Communicator, harboured in St Margaret's Hope.
The ship has since been sold to Orkney Ferries boss, Andrew Banks, for scrap. "We will be broadcasting from land," Mr Miller added.
Set-up costs are estimated to be £348,000, with a total of £237,980 outgoings in the first year, according to the application submitted to Ofcom. Half the first year costs of £124,000 are expected to come from European social funds with £20,000 from government enterprise through Learndirect Scotland and Support Training and £144,000 from on-air advertising and programme sponsorship.
The Ofcom application says the station took in just under £30,000 in local advertising revenue during the three-month trial broadcast in 2004.
The station could employ as many as six, full-time, paid staff.
Superstation Orkney will provide a full news service reflecting local matters of interest, with a broad music programme proposed to appeal to a range of listeners aged between 15 and 55. Weather, shipping reports, road conditions, ferry crossing, arts and entertainment events and community group details will all be featured. |