- NIOCOM
-
NIOCOM 
Type Private Industry Broadcasting Founded 2002 Headquarters Cheshire, UK Products Local Radio Website [1] NIOCOM is a company which operates radio stations in the North West of England.
History
NIOCOM's founder, David Duffy, started in broadcasting with Essex Radio in the mid 1980s. In 1990s he joined forces with Phil Houltby to bring together a consortium to secure the commercial radio licence for Warrington - Wire FM. After Wire FM was sold to The Wireless Group in 1999, David returned to work in the technology sector and Phil in the construction marketplace.
In 2004 David & Phil applied for and won the licence to establish and operate community station Cheshire FM, which serves the towns of Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford in Cheshire. David's company, Niocom Ltd, acquired Merseyside's Dune FM in Southport in June 2008 after The Local Radio Company put it up for sale. In January 2010 Niocom saved Central Radio in Preston, Lancashire after UTV Radio threatened to close the station and hand back the licence to Ofcom.[1]
On 2 February 2010, Ofcom granted permission for Central Radio to co-locate with sister station Dune FM in Southport. Programme management, programming, production, administrative, engineering and management resources were shared between the two stations, but the imaging was retained for each brand and the news provision remained editorially independent for each area.[2]
In December 2010, Dune FM was sold to Southport Radio Limited and in June 2010 Central Radio was sold to UKRD.
Niocom continues as a broadcast media company providing interim management cover, crisis management, business rescue, restructuring and turnaround services. They also provide independent radio station appraisals helping radio station owners reduce costs, renegotiate contracts and structure a business plan. They act as a private and confidential intermidiaries to help radio station owners sell their radio stations to qualified buyers and help buyers find radio stations which fit their portfolio requirements.
References
- ^ "NIOCOM acquisitions". http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.5523.17. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
- ^ "Co-location article on Radio Today". http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.5591. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
External links
Categories:- Radio broadcasting companies of the United Kingdom
- Radio stations in the United Kingdom by owner
- Media in Lancashire
- Media in Preston
- Media in Cheshire
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
