Scottish community radio

Scotland has played an important role in the success of community radio and is home to some of the UK’s first community stations.

Glasgow’s Awaz FM and Sunny Govan Radio, as well as Revival Radio in Cumbernauld were among the first 15 stations to be awarded a licence back in 2005.

The Superstation in Orkney was granted a licence later that year and remains the most northerly community station in the country.

There are currently 18 community stations broadcasting across Scotland and from tomorrow (16 November) you will have the chance to join them.

Licence applications

Over the next three months Ofcom will be accepting applications for community radio licences in Scotland.

Read more about community radio stations and the application process

Ofcom began this third wave of community radio licensing earlier this year after more than 270 individuals and community groups across the UK expressed an interest in starting up a station.

Applications have already closed in south west England and Wales and following Scotland the process will move on to Northern Ireland in the first half of 2012, followed by north east England and Cumbria later that year.

Applications will open in Yorkshire and the Humber and north west England in the first half of 2013, followed by the West Midlands, East Midlands and the east of England in the second half of 2013.

The process will then conclude with south east England in the first half of 2014.

Diverse mix

Community radio stations typically cover a small geographical area with a coverage radius of up to 5km, are run on a not-for-profit basis and reflect a diverse mix of cultures and interests.

To date 228 community radio licences have been issued, with around 11 million people now able to tune into community stations across the UK.

ParentPort: Working together for media standards