MFR helps north community station find place on airwaves

MORAY Firth Radio has helped a north community station to launch their own channel.

After a "long and technical" process, Caithness FM now has its own dedicated space on the airwaves, from a frequency of 106.5 FM. The station can now broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be looking for some new presenters.

Caithness FM will officially begin broadcasting on 106.5 FM from 2pm this Saturday, January 18.

Up until this switch-over people in Caithness have been able to listen to Moray Firth Radio (MFR) on the 102.5 FM frequency until 7pm most evenings, when Caithness FM began broadcasting, ultimately changing radio station for the listener.

MFR will continue to use the 102.5 FM frequency and listeners in Caithness will be able to tune into both MFR and Caithness FM at any time of day.

Part of Bauer Media Scotland, MFR has been working with the team at Caithness FM on the switch-over process since their community radio license was awarded by Ofcom in January 2018, with MFR absorbing the costs.

The move follows similar successful MFR projects to launch Keith Community Radio and Speysound in the Cairngorms National Park on their own frequencies.

MFR content director David Walker said: "This year, MFR will celebrate 24 years of broadcasting across Caithness on 102.5 FM. We’re hugely proud to support our friends at Caithness FM with their own frequency, enabling them to better serve their dedicated listeners.

"It’s been a long and technical process with a dedicated Bauer Media engineer working alongside the team at Caithness FM to offer listeners in the area their choice in radio channel."

Jackie Johnson, company secretary at Caithness FM said: "Caithness FM first broadcast in October 1993 on a temporary licence, using equipment borrowed from MFR, so the station has really been part of our journey over the past 20 years.

"We’ve been working hard with the team at MFR and Bauer Media to ensure everything would be technically correct ahead of launch on Saturday, January 18. Myself and the whole Caithness FM team would like to thank the team at MFR for all their support.

"Our programming will now start at 6pm every evening, finishing at 11pm, with MFR continuing to be broadcast on our new frequency outwith these times. Having our own channel will provide us with more opportunity to broadcast live from events and get out and about in the community.

"The switch provides the opportunity to extend our programming, which we hope to do in the future, though we’ll need some more presenters – so if you fancy joining the Caithness FM team, please get in touch."

Former MFR managing director Thomas Prag was instrumental in setting up a number of community radio stations across the Highlands, operating on MFR’s licence and using their frequencies. These stations paved the way for community radio in the UK and were on air several years before Ofcom began offering community radio licences.

Mr Prag added: "Caithness is the last of the stations I helped set up in the 1990s to move to their own airwaves – it’s a surreal and special moment for me.

"Local people like local chat, so it’s fantastic to see the commitment from Bauer Media, MFR and Caithness FM in continuing to deliver this to a community who are clearly engaged in such output."

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