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Ivel FM delighted at radio station victory

From the archive, first published Thursday 13th Mar 2003.

YEOVIL and the surrounding area will get a new local radio station by the end of the year - after Ivel FM last week won the licence to hit the airwaves.

The Radio Authority announced on Thursday that it had awarded the broadcasting licence to Ivel FM after fighting off stiff competition from Merlin FM, Mirage FM and YDRfm.

Ivel FM promises a friendly station aimed particularly at the 25 to 64-year-old age range focusing on local news and information and featuring the best music from the last four decades.

Station chairman, Yeovil accountant Clive Brown, said: "We want to thank all the local people who supported our application as we couldn't have achieved this without their help.

"We found a great demand for a station just tailored to the needs of Yeovil, South Somerset, Sherborne and the surrounding areas and we now have the opportunity to bring that idea to life.

"Now we are looking forward to the exciting challenge of getting ready to go live before the end of this year."

Chief executive of the Radio Authority, Tony Stoller, said: "The Yeovil licence is the 150th new local analogue licence award made by the authority since we began in 1991 which is an achievement to be proud of.

"The authority has licensed new stations at an average of more than one per month throughout its life - more than doubling the size of the radio industry and allowing a range and diversity of radio services to develop across the UK."

Ivel FM is backed by specialist local radio company Radio Investments Ltd who operate similar stations around the country including those in nearby Dorchester, Shaftesbury and Warminster.

Members of the Ivel FM team include Martock-based James Richards who is currently manager of the Shaftesbury-based Vale FM station and he will act as launch director. Ivel FM also received support from local businesswoman Christine Haigh, formerly of Orchard FM, Yeovil Town FC chairman John Fry and local retailer Alan Newberry.

Prior to submitting their programme plans to the Radio Authority, Ivel FM undertook detailed research into the listening habits and wishes of local people.

The station will now produce locally based programmes from studios in Yeovil with two transmitters giving crystal-clear stereo reception across an area stretching from Chard and Ilminster in the west to Sherborne and Castle Cary in the east.

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