Carlisle’s new community radio station CRFM has officially launched today – and is promising to bring fun back to the airwaves and give local people access to its programmes.
After a five-year battle to get on air – delayed by Covid and a search for transmitter sites – it was appropriate that presenter Ken White chose as the station’s first song Starship’s ‘Ain’t Nothing Going to Stop Us Now’.
CRFM Radio went live from Unit 43 at the Carlisle Enterprise Centre under the frequency 102.7 FM.
The not-for-profit station is evoking the spirit of Carlisle’s first independent station, CFM, and legendary Cumbrian broadcaster John Myers after which it has named its studios.
John’s wife, Linda, was there with his family to cut the ribbon to open the studios. She was not alone in feeling emotional at seeing the giant picture of her late husband in the studio and said: “John would have loved this, he really would.”
Station manager Darrell Thomas said CRM would give locals and community groups access to the airwaves so they can speak to people’.
He added: “There are lots of voices in our community that do not have a platform and we are going to give them that as well as showcasing budding talent which at the moment has nowhere to go.
“We’ll feature bands, concerts and have a party night. We want to bring the fun back into radio.”
“John Myers helped with the original application and could see that Carlisle needed its own station again,” he said.
Former city mayor Steven Bowditch, chair of CRFM’s trustees, said CRFM was important ‘to give Carlisle a sense of identity that it is in danger of losing now that it does not have a city council’.
CRFM has a mix of presenters including Paul Braithwaite, Joe Costin and Val Armstrong who all worked at BBC Radio Cumbria.
Former 911 singer Lee Brennan will also present a show and there will be regular slots every week for new talent and community groups.
