Moorlands Radio is a community radio station based in Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands, England. It was granted the full-time licence in the second round of community radio licensing by broadcast regulator Ofcom in February 2008. The station is now on air serving the rural Staffordshire Moorlands and covering the main towns of Leek and Biddulph. It is funded through a combination of grant funding from local authorities and charities; and revenue from the sale of advertising to local businesses.
History
The Moorlands Radio project was founded by a group of local enthusiasts in 2003, led by established presenter Tony Mullins. From 2003 to 2006, the station undertook three Restricted Service Licence broadcasts of 28 days each in duration. The full-time station was launched by founder Tony Mullins at 10:03am on Saturday 7 November 2009 and is currently on its second five-year community radio licence from Ofcom. On 16 April 2016, Moorlands Radio moved into new studio facilities at Leek Community Fire Station. The last show from their old studios was presented by station founders Tony Mullins and Mervyn Gamage. The transmission from the Stockwell Villas studio ended at 10am, at which time broadcasts switched over to a feed from the new studios.
Programming
Moorlands Radio broadcasts a full daytime and evening schedule of programmes 7 days a week. Daytime programming is generally aimed at a mainstream audience and features popular music from the 1960s to today with local news, interviews with local personalities and interactive features. The daytime schedule features local news every hour on the half hour with national news from Sky News Radioon the hour. Breakfast and Drivetime both feature regular traffic and travel updates. Evening programmes are specialist in nature, and include shows focusing on classical music, folk music, local Staffordshire bands, rock music and dance music. Presenters of these shows, along with most of the staff of the station, are volunteers.
Notable presenters
From the station's launch in 2009 until a few months before his death from cancer in early 2011, a daily programme was presented by local radio stalwart Sam Plank. From the station's launch as an RSL station in 2003 and its full-time service from 2009, ex-Radio Caroline and commercial radio presenter Steve England helped set up the station, presented various shows, and produced all of the station's IDs and jingles. For 5 years, ex Signal Radio presenter Doug Wood presented the breakfast show. Ex BBC Radio Northampton, BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio Stoke presenter Mervyn Gamage presented the breakfast show from 2003 until 2010 and worked for a period of time as manager. He continues to be involved as he co-presents the Saturday Morning breakfast show with Tony Mullins. Verity Hilton, formerly of BBC Radio Stoke and Signal 2, presented various programmes on the station and worked for a period of time as manager. Tony Mullins, is the founder of Moorlands Radio; he continues to be involved as the presenter of the Saturday Breakfast.
Transmission
Moorlands Radio transmits with an ERP of 50 watts from a transmitter site in the village of Biddulph Moor. Its broadcast footprint extends to the target areas of Leek and Biddulph and its signal also reaches the town of Congleton in neighbouring Cheshire.
