Unity 101 Community Radio, formerly Unity 24, takes to the air in Southampton on a five-year licence from Thursday December 8, broadcasting on 101.1 FM. The multicultural radio station previously only broadcast on short temporary licences, and by internet streaming.

Another licence has been awarded to Skyline Community Radio, which will cover Hedge End, Botley and West End, and stations in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight also gained community licences in June. Since then the total number of licences awarded by Ofcom up and down the country has grown to 55.

"The community media sector is growing fast. These radio stations have huge potential to make a real difference to the lives of the people in their communities. Programmes are made by and for local people who will at last have a voice." says Diane Reid, Director of the Community Media Association (CMA), which has been campaigning with its members for more than 20 years for community station licences. Their ambitions were realised last year when the Community Radio Order was passed.

The stations represent a new tier of broadcasting, and are owned and run by local people who are usually volunteers. They enable communities throughout the UK to use the medium to create new opportunities for regeneration, employment, learning, social cohesion and inclusion - as well as cultural and creative expression.

Unity 101 provides practical training in radio presenting, including information & communication technology, production, voice coaching, script writing, equipment operation, research and journalism. Many of its volunteers have few or no formal qualifications and lack relevant work-based skills. Unity 101’s training programme gives volunteers many new transferable skills, and builds their self-esteem and confidence.

"Unity 101 Community Radio is about having a positive impact on the life of its volunteers and listeners. It’s about having fun but at the same time addressing serious deprivation and exclusion issues," says the person behind the station, Project and Station Manager Ram Kalyan 'Kelly'. He has dedicated the past three years on a voluntary basis to Unity 101.

"There are 65 people involved altogether, with 40 active trained volunteers. They are from all backgrounds and age groups. Our youngest volunteer is 13 and our oldest is 72. I also have trained 32 more people from public and voluntary sector organisations to host their own 'Community Hour' daily programme."

Volunteers who are involved with broadcasts rate the experience highly: "I was very excited and very surprised at how welcomed we were, because we always had an image of broadcasting being a bit stiff and quite difficult to get in.  But we were so enthusiastically welcomed by the team when we came in," commented one.

And another: "Speaking on the radio has given me a lot of confidence… it has been a great experience.  You don’t have an audience in front of you but the whole of Southampton is listening and it has been a huge boost to my confidence."

Meanwhile Skyline Community Radio is preparing to broadcast from the Hedge End Youth and Community Association centre in St Johns Road. "We aim to provide the borough of Eastleigh with a radio service it can be proud of, and that is totally different from what you will hear on any other station in the area."

Judge for yourself, if you're in the reception area, when Skyline kicks off its broadcasts on January 7 2006, on 102.5FM

Links

Unity 101 Community Radio

Skyline Community Radio

Community Media Association