Erewash Sound licenced to continue FM broadcasting until 2030

Erewash Sound, which is run on a non-profit making basis, has been granted permission to continue broadcasting on FM until 2030.

Although originally set up in late 2004, and following a Summer 2005 trial broadcast and three years exclusively on the internet, Erewash Sound launched on FM on a full time basis on 6th March 2010 and has continued to broadcast from studios in the heart of the community, on the site of the former Bennerley School site in Cotmanhay, near Ilkeston, ever since.

A community interest company run almost entirely by volunteers, and led by a team of non-executive Directors, the radio station expanded to a second FM frequency in October 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and in its time on-air, has collected a number of accolades including 14 Community Radio Awards and a string of business awards too.

Erewash Sound is licenced by the broadcast regulator OFCOM to provide a community oriented output but it is only able to exist through the support of businesses taking up advertising and commercial and corporate sponsorship, and otherwise, through grant funding, fundraising and in-kind support.  The radio station offers free publicity to fellow non-profit making groups, organisations and charities. Radio station staff have frequently been told that footfall to local events has increased because so many listeners hear their key messages on-air and/or read about them on the news pages of the website. 

The accredited Erewash Sound Academy continues to give valuable communication and life skills to scores of individuals, many of whom have improved their personal circumstances and well-being, opening up new opportunities. Additionally, more than 30 people who went through the Academy before taking to the air with the radio station have since moved on to paid careers in the media industry, on BBC and commercial radio as well as television.

Ian Perry is the Press and Publicity spokesperson and put together the successful application to OFCOM, before receiving confirmation in mid-November that the radio station had been licenced to continue broadcasting for another five years.

He said: “It gives us tremendous pride to regularly receive feedback from people across Erewash who tell us how much they value our service, particularly those who live alone and do not see many people from day-to-day and even week to week.  So very many people also particularly value our local content that is simply not available from any other local broadcaster in the same way or at all.

"To them, we’re a friend in the same room, so the fact that permission has been granted for Erewash Sound to continue broadcasting until March 2030 is something we’re very pleased about and we feel sure that they, along with the scores of local community groups and charities who benefit from our service, will be equally delighted.”

“We’d like to offer our sincere thanks to all of our advertisers and sponsors, past, present and future in helping to make sure that Erewash Sound has remained on the airwaves for the best part of the last 15 years.  

"However, the costs of providing a 24 hour genuinely local radio station are considerable and we simply cannot continue to provide our service without the ongoing support of local businesses and organisations, and those members of the public who support us in a multitude of ways, financially and otherwise.  

"We would therefore encourage anyone interested in backing a genuinely community led and orientated service to contact us or visit our website to take advantage of so very many opportunities that doing so can present.” 

Speaking on behalf of the rest of the board of Directors of Erewash Sound CIC, Paul Briggs said: “It is very positive news that OFCOM judges the station to be well managed and have great output worthy of another five years.  This is something that we should all be proud of. Something so good for the community cannot afford to be lost.”

Advertising and sponsorship information can be found here, corporate sponsorship can be found here and information on how members of the public can easily support Erewash Sound can be found here.