| Broadcast area | Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.9 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk and Music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Community Radio |
| History | |
First air date | 3 September 2007 |
| Links | |
| Website | Islands FM |
Islands FM is a not for profit, non-profit distributing community radio station. It launched at 2 pm on 3 September 2007, and broadcasts to 2,100 residents of the Isles of Scilly. In 2008 the station (in its former incarnation as Radio Scilly) was featured on the BBC2 programme An Island Parish.
Radio Scilly changed its name to Islands FM on 1 February 2020.
Technical
It broadcasts on FM on 107.9 MHz from the existing radio mast by the Coastguard Tower at Telegraph on St. Mary's island. Currently, BBC Radio Cornwall transmits from there on 96 MHz. Tests show that all of the Isles of Scilly can be covered from this site, and the transmitter output power is 100 watts vertical polarisation, although the station is licensed for up to 200 watts mixed polarisation.
It is one of the world's smallest radio stations, due to the small number of residents on the islands, and the fact that reception beyond islands is very limited (reception is possible in St. Just in Cornwall). Its licensed service area population is slightly larger than that of the UK's smallest licensed station Two Lochs Radio which broadcasts to an official service area population of just 1,681.[1]
Funding
The radio station is funded in part by a local weekly lottery, licensed by the Council for the Isles of Scilly. It costs £1 a week to enter and there is a weekly prize of £1000. The number of players is limited to 2,000 each week. Any money remaining after the prize has been paid goes towards the cost of running the station or to local clubs or organisations that request a grant.[2]
References
- ^ Ofcom official format document for Two Lochs Radio at: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
- ^ http://www.scillylottery.com
External links