Lochbroom FM was a radio station based in Ullapool, Wester Ross in the Highlands of Scotland that broadcast 1995-2020 and which was Britain's smallest radio station.
| Broadcast area | Wester Ross |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.8 MHz, 102.2 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Community info & mixed music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Community owned via Wester Ross Radio Ltd |
| History | |
First air date | 1995 |
Last air date | 2020 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
The station now broadcasts as 'Radio Wester Ross' across the area after a rebrand to unite the broadcast areas of Two Lochs Radio and Lochbroom FM.
A community radio association was formed in 1994. They broadcast in 1995 using a three-month temporary commercial radio licence from a small tin shack with a transmission radius of 20 miles.[1] A further two-month licence let them broadcast in 1996, and then a full eight-year licence came into operation at the end of May 1997.[1]
A purpose-built station was proposed, which was to be funded through a variety of grants.[2] In 1996, it was announced that they had secured £45,000 of lottery funding towards the purchase and fitting out of a new building.[3]
Lochbroom FM launched on 23 May 1997. It broadcast on 96.8 MHz and 102.2 MHz.[4] The studio opened in September 1998.[5]
In 2012, the station started to use neighbouring commercial station Two Lochs Radio as its sustaining service.[6][7] In 2020, broadcasting regulator Ofcom formally transferred the Lochbroom FM licence to Wester Ross Radio Ltd, the company that also holds the Two Lochs Radio licence.[8]
The station rebranded to Radio Wester Ross on Monday 29th April 2024.
References edit
- ^ a b Stephinson, Ken (15 September 1997). "Play it again, Hamish". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ^ "A radio move to the tune of #100,000". The Herald. 6 January 1998. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ Bruce, Keith (29 June 1996). "Theatre gets biggest Scots award as art college head calls for lottery cash to solve funding crisis Curtain rises on £4.3m". The Herald. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Analogue Radio Stations > Lochbroom FM". www.ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "New LochBroom sweeps in". The Herald. 1 September 1998. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "West coast community radio stations join forces". The Scotsman. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Lochbroom FM shares all output with 2LR". Radio Today. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Radio broadcast update March 2020". www.ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021.