107 Meridian FM facts for kids
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| Broadcast area | East Grinstead, Forest Row, Lingfield, Crawley Down, Felbridge |
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| Frequency | 107, FM Online |
| Programming | |
| Format | Community |
| History | |
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First air date
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December 2006 (Restricted) March 2010 (Full-time) |
| Links | |
| Website | meridianfm.com |
107 Meridian FM is a community radio station. It broadcasts to the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex, UK, and the areas around it. A community radio station is run by local people for the local community.
History of 107 Meridian FM
This radio station is a non-profit organisation. This means it does not aim to make money. About 100 people volunteer their time to help run the station.
The station first broadcast for 28 days in December 2006. This was under a special permit called a restricted service licence. They had two more short broadcasts in May and December 2007.
At first, Meridian FM could only broadcast twice a year with this special licence. But in July 2009, Ofcom gave them a full-time community radio licence. Ofcom is the UK's regulator for communications. This meant they could broadcast all the time. While waiting to start, the station streamed its shows online. They also worked hard to raise money for new equipment.
In February 2010, Ofcom checked and approved the studios and broadcasting gear. Then, on March 1, 2010, at 7 AM GMT, 107 Meridian FM officially started broadcasting. You can listen on 107 MHz FM. The station also broadcasts online, so people all over the world can listen.
Ofcom approved the station's licence to continue broadcasting until 2020. In early 2020, their licence was renewed again until 2025.
The first studios were in East Court Mansion. This building also housed the East Grinstead Town Council offices. In January 2010, the studios moved to the Jubilee Community Centre on Charlwoods Road.
The station's name comes from the Greenwich Prime Meridian. This is an imaginary line that runs through East Grinstead. The radio station is not connected to the TV channel ITV Meridian.
The station gets its money from different sources. These include membership fees, donations, and advertising. Local and national businesses also sponsor shows.
Awards and Recognition
107 Meridian FM and its shows have won several awards. These awards celebrate the best in community radio.
- In 2016, "The Business Show" won a Bronze Award. This was for Community Radio Show of the Year at the Community Radio Awards.
- In 2017, Lila Bellamy won a Bronze Award for Young Person of the Year. This was also at the Community Radio Awards.
- In 2018, "Spirit of Wildfire - A Festival for Radio" won a Bronze Award. It was for Live Event or Outside Broadcast of the Year at the Community Radio Awards.
- From 2018 to 2020, "Leader's American Pie" was a runner-up. It was voted Best Radio Show by readers of Americana UK magazine.
News and Information
Meridian FM provides important news and updates for its listeners.
- Every hour, there is a national news bulletin. This news is provided by Radio NewsHub.
- The station also shares local news and weather updates.
- You can hear travel information to help you get around.
- They also tell you about local events happening in the area.
