A new local radio station has been set up by the owners of the original version after the demise.
Salisbury Radio managers and broadcasters previously with Spire FM are currently broadcasting a ‘test transmission’ ahead of their planned digital radio launch in the early summer. The station manager said it would ‘broadcast and provide an ethos and atmosphere of ‘We Love Salisbury’.
Station Manager Craig Hicks said: “Our partners have been awarded a government-issued licence to bring local digital radio to South Wiltshire and West Hampshire and we are excited to be in the final planning phase to ensure our beautiful city gets the benefits of a locally-owned and run radio service.”
Salisbury Radio is supported by the founder of Spire FM, Chris Carnegy who launched the station as ‘The Spirit of Salisbury’ in 1992. The station was bought by Bauer Media group and turned into a quasi-national service ‘Greatest Hits Radio’ in September, last year. No programmes are broadcast for the city, or from their old City Hall studios.
“We are moving into and building new state-of-the-art studios in the High Street”, said head of sales Debbie Edwards. “Having a city centre location and being accessible to people is really important to us. We have been astonished by the huge level of support as details of our plans began to emerge.
“We are grateful to the tens of thousands of people who are already listening to us on smart speakers and to the local businesses who have put their trust in us to provide a quality local radio service.”
Salisbury Radio plans to provide at least two local radio services to be carried on the new Small Scale Digital Audio Broadcasting (SSDAB) Multiplex which was awarded to company partners Muxcast One, early in February.
Managing director David Harber said: “Launching a new business during the lockdown has been somewhat tricky on occasion, but as Debbie says, the support we have received from local businesses, the local authorities and the staggering number of weekly listeners we’ve already gathered, proves we’re absolutely on the right track.
“All the team here have had first-hand experience of the huge variety of benefits that local radio gives in and around the city. We are looking forward to continuing that tradition of being a champion of all that’s great in Salisbury.’
“As listeners will experience as we head towards our official launch in the coming months, here at Salisbury Radio, We Love Salisbury.”