About Radio Warrington

The new name for Radio WORM                        (Warrington's Online Radio Media) 

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Will  Radio Warrington be available to listen to on my radio?

Radio Warrington (under the name Radio WORM) recently applied to Ofcom for a community licence to broadcast on FM. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful for the following reasons.

1. Limitation of available FM frequencies for this area.
2. Programmes not considered to be different enough from existing local radio stations.
3. Not enough revenue streams from non-commercial sources such as grants and charity funding.(Only 50% of our earnings are allowed to come from radio advertising)

We will therefore apply for an RSL licence which will allow us to broadcast on FM for a maximum of 28 days, twice a year. We will use these temporary licences to demonstrate demand for a truly community based radio station for Warrington.

We will also re-apply for the next round of Community Radio licences.

Why have we set it up?

We believe there is a need for a different kind of radio station which focusses on local sports, local music and local people. We have deliberately steered away from mainstream programming to cater for members of our community that require other content.  Having been operating as a not-for-profit company with unpaid presenters for well over a year with a 24-hour unbroken service, we believe that this proves a strong commitment to the community rather than maximizing financial gain.

How can local people get involved?

We are very keen to get more local people involved so we have now built  a community studio with better public access so that we can involve more people and improve our training facilities. Now that this Community Studio is in place we are able to offer

• Work Experience
• Training for local radio presenters
• Training for audio production 
• Training for local radio news journalism
• Involvement in our many outside broadcasts 
• Facilities for local musicians to record their music for broadcast
• Access for all members of the community  to produce programming which would not otherwise be made or broadcast by local radio stations but is nevertheless important to the Warrington community.

Who are we? 

We are radio presenters or enthusiasts and supporters of Community based local radio who all live in Warrington and feel that over time, the commitment of  local radio towards the community has been diminished in favour of maximizing profit. We intend to focus more on the people of Warrington by getting involved with community events, local charities and providing a radio service that serves the community better.

We believe that it is possible to provide a radio station with strong links to the needs of the community but still sound professional.

What music do we play?

We play well known songs by well known artists, ranging from the 60's right up to date and we play a far larger variety of musical styles. Our music library does not suffer from the constraints of other local radio stations who choose to select from a much smaller music library. We currently run 6 specialist shows that feature music that has been popular in Warrington over the years.

Importantly we also integrate a lot of these specialist genres into our daily output to keep it interesting. As most of us work in the bars and clubs of Warrington we are made well aware of the music that is popular in the town and have applied this to our playlist.

How is Radio Warrington different?

We have intentionally set about serving members of the community by producing programming which other stations have chosen not to make. For example, Warrington has one of the largest  Rugby League teams in Super League, the Warrington Wolves. During last season, we carried out FULL MATCH commentary on all home games and had a Rugby League phone-in. During this season we will continue to carry out FULL MATCH commentary at all Wolves home games and hope to cover some away games as well when funding will allow. No other local radio station even carries live match reports (except the BBC). We will also cover all other sporting teams in our area as resources allow.

We already have an outside broadcast vehicle which we have been using to do dozens of live shows from all over the area, visiting schools, local events &businesses. 

We intend to present discussion programmes on a regular basis with local people discussing local issues. We also intend to present a regular live showcase of local music.

All of our programming output comes from our studios in Warrington (including evenings and overnight) with none of it piped in from other parts of the country. We believe that all of this makes us different from what is being offered by other local radio stations.

We will also begin a programme of training for broadcasters. In the past, new presenters would get their experience by broadcasting on late evening or overnight slots. With many radio stations now taking a central network feed during these hours, the opportunities for new broadcasters to practice their craft are rare. Radio Warrington has many experienced presenters who will train these potential broadcasters and then allocate the necessary air-time to practice and learn.

How will we serve the community better?

Warrington is a large town with almost 200,000 residents and there is always plenty going on. Unfortunately very few of these events are publicised on local radio or other media. Radio Warrington currently promotes any event in Warrington that it is made aware of and invites all local organisations and charities to forward details of these events to us (See the What's On section under News &  Events on this website).

Equally there is a lot of musical talent in this area and we hope to be able to showcase this in a better way. We will be doing many outside broadcasts in the Warrington area talking to as many local people as we can. Given the resources we will support local charities, especially those which help people with confidence or communication difficulties.We also work closely with the local colleges and universities to offer up and coming broadcasters real radio experiences. We already operate a local news service provided by local students which can be heard hourly during the week, and have conducted interviews with local Councillors, charities and public figures during peak listening hours.

How does Radio Warrington make its money?

Most commercial radio stations make their money by running adverts. Radio Warrington is a not-for-profit organisation and does not run adverts. We make our income by providing sound, staging and entertainment for local businesses for conferences, promotional activities and product launches. We have applied for local funding to allow us to build new studios which will facilitate access for all members of the community.

How can people currently listen?

Anyone with internet access can hear Radio Warrington by going to www.radiowarrington.co.uk

We can also supply a small sender which plugs into the loudspeaker or headphone socket of a computer to receive the signal on any nearby radio (See FM Sender on this website). Alternatively we can arrange to have an extension loudspeaker installed at home or in the workplace. If you have a Tannoy system in your workplace, you can easily connect it to Radio Warrington.

If you have wireless internet you can buy an internet radio (also known as WiFi radio) which picks up from your wireless internet box and allows you to listen to thousands of internet radio stations across the world (including Radio Warrington)

STOP PRESS

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