Westport’s community radio project has taken a huge leap forward this week with the approval, subject to contract, by the Broadcast Authority of Ireland (BAI ) of an FM broadcast licence for West Coast FM.
Station manager Stephen O’Brien says he is delighted at the development. “We have worked very closely with the BAI on our application and we at West Coast FM are very happy with this news. The licence is approved in principle and we will now be working with the BAI to agree a contract, a schedule of programming, and a frequency.
“This is great news for all our volunteers, sponsors, and listeners,” he added. “We’re already providing local programming via our website, we’ve got chat, music, news and reviews programmes every week, and we’ve built up an archive of podcasts. This news means that soon we will be able to provide this on every radio in Westport.”
Councillor Christy Hyland, Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, said: “This is a great news for Westport and I congratulate the team at West Coast, they’ve put a lot of work into getting the station up and running and already it is providing quality programmes to listeners in Westport and all over the world via the internet. The station will celebrate and record all that is good about Westport and help support the local economy.”
Currently West Coast FM is available on the internet via its website www.westcoastfm.com with programming live from 6pm to midnight Friday to Monday. For more information on sponsoring programming, volunteering or about the station call 098 24000.
