July 20th 2006 - OPINIONS SOUGHT BY RADIO STATION (East Grinstead Courier)

BY JON BENNETT

A COMMUNITY radio station for the East Grinstead area started asking people on Monday what they would like to hear on the town's airwaves.

Representatives from Meridian 102.1 FM will be in the town library until tomorrow (Friday), handing out questionnaires and listening to the public's opinion.

The station, which will broadcast on a 15 watt transmitter, is preparing for a one-month pilot starting on November 24 and running until Christmas Eve. Their consultation process will end on September 17.

The project was formed after Dr Peter Furze, chairman of Talking News based at East Court, interviewed Lee Quinn in February of this year about the East Grinstead Football Club, which Mr Quinn was trying to raise the profile of.

Managing director of the new station Mr Quinn said: "Peter went away and about four weeks later he rang me and said he had been talking to people he knows and they would be happy to put some money in to get it started." During the pilot period they hope to be on-air from 6am to 12midnight every day and Mr Quinn hopes to include live sports broadcasts, talk shows and live feeds from the local nightclubs on a Friday night.

It is an ambitious project but Mr Quinn thinks he has the right people to deliver it. The management team includes specialists in IT, music, licensing issues, broadcasting and technical aspects of broadcasting.

Mr Quinn said: "Everything we have got so far is in house." Dr Furze, the station's technical operations director, said there was definitely a market for the project.

As well as a questionnaire asking people what they would like to hear, which can be found at www.meridianfm.com, there is one for prospective employees of the station, both part-time and volunteer, and one for local businesses.

Mr Quinn said: "We are looking at recruiting more than 40 staff now." The recruitment process has started and interviews will run from September 1 to 30 with training thereafter, headed by director and company secretary Sue Hull, until November 24.

After the pilot period is over it is hoped the community station will gain a full licence to broadcast in 2007. For the pilot they will be running on a restricted radio licence. Funding for the project will include sponsorship from local businesses.

Additional money could come from a grant from Ofcom or lottery money if the station managers decide to apply for it.