SEAHAVEN FM 96.3

Our really local radio station!

By Andy Gilbert

Local Community Radio met Local Community Website on Tuesday 25th October, when Seahaven FM's Garry Broom interviewed Our Newhaven editor Andy Gilbert. In case you've never tuned in to Seahaven FM, here's the story behind the station.

When 'local radio' started in the UK back in the 1970's, we had BBC Radio Brighton, and that station covered the coastal area from Worthing to Seaford. I think it did so very well, but it later became Radio Sussex and then joined with Radio Surrey. With each change, real local coverage became more diluted and our area was soon a rarely visited backwater. What was needed was something truly local and, with the opening up of FM frequencies, we were about to get our wish with the arrival of Seahaven FM.

Seahaven FM is a community radio station, set up in early 2008 to provide "Genuinely Local Radio" to the communities in the area in East Sussex from Seaford to Peacehaven. It currently broadcasts a wide range of material, 24 hours a day and, in doing so, probably has more live broadcasting than any other comparable local radio station. You can listen to the station on 96.3 FM and also via its website at www.seahavenfm.com.

Seahaven FM was one of the 48 would be radio stations in the South East region of the UK that applied to the regulatory body Ofcom in November 2008 for a full time Community Radio licence, having already made some Restricted Service Licence broadcasts earlier in the year. The station's application was successful and was awarded the licence, and this was announced on its Internet broadcasts at 09:09 on the 8th September 2009. It took a further 16 months to complete the legal and practical work in order to launch the station full time on FM. The station started broadcasting on 96.3 FM on the 9th January at 12:00 noon and the full time schedule from 7am on Monday the 10th of January 2011.

As a not-for-profit Community Radio station, Seahaven FM is staffed largely by volunteers. In fact none of the presenters you hear on air are paid to do their shows - they all give up their time fitting them in around their normal jobs. Some of the people you hear on air also help with the running of the station along with a strong team of admin volunteers. If you can help out, they’d love to hear from you!