Utopia FM

Infobox Radio station
name = Utopia FM


area = Sunderland, UK
branding =
airdate = 1997
frequency = 87.7FM (originally 107FM then 102.4FM)
format = Student Radio
power = 25w
erp =
owner = University of Sunderland
website = [http://www.utopiafm.net/ utopiafm.net]

Utopia FM is the radio station based at the University of Sunderland in North East England. It began life in November 1997 as Radio Utopia a two week short term broadcast under the (then) Radio Authority's Restricted Service Licence (RSL) scheme. The station was part of a regional arts festival called "Visions of Utopia" and the station reflected the scheme and carried various programmes tied-in with the scheme, such as "The Quakies" a programme produced by children from the former pit village of Quaking Houses in County Durham. Radio broadcasting predated this by several years, with student programming on the community station Wear FM, which closed in 1995 and is now the more commercial station Sun FM. The station was low powered but still proved valuable as a training ground for new broadcasters. Programmes were broadcast from studios in the Forster Building, formerly used by Wear FM, with a transmitter on the roof.

The station was rebranded the following November as "107 Utopia FM" and developed a more formatted sound and joined the "Student Broadcast Network" (SBN) bringing news, national programmes and a 24 hour service to the station. Utopia returned in September 1999 for the first ever freshers broadcast and again proved its value for students and volunteers. The station largely draws volunteers from the University's large undergraduate media courses but has also been part of wider community radio programmes with projects in County Durham, Washington and Sunderland.

During the following years Utopia took to the air more and more and now broadcasts twice a year. In 2002 Utopia began broadcasting on the 102.4FM frequency. In 2003 the station began to use new studios in the £11m Media Centre at the St. Peter's Campus, when media teaching moved there that year. The old studios have now been demolished and the building us now used to teach courses run by the University'sSchool of Education and Lifelong Learning. However, the site has been retained as a transmitter site with a digital link across the city to The Media Centre. The move also facilitated the recording of sessions in The Media Centre's new radio and television studios.

Later in 2003, Utopia FM enjoyed it's greatest success at The Student Radio Awards, collecting 3 silver awards, with Duncan Wallace (Best Male), Jonathan Wood (Best Newcomer) winning individual prizes and the station itself winning silver for Best Marketing.

Volunteers from the station have not only succeeded in gaining recognition in the annual student radio awards: successfully in securing multiple nominations in the annual student radio awards, with a Gold and a silver in 2004 and three bronze awards in 2005 and a bronze in 2003; they have gone onto a variety of jobs including local radio presenters; BBC Radio 1 producers; News Editors and the Vice-President of a major international imaging company.Fact|date=May 2007 [http://my.sunderland.ac.uk/web/support/radio/about_us/j_alumni?about_us]

By 2006 the station had refound its new music roots and began branding as "Sunderland's New Music Radio Station" and had held three live music showcasing local bands.

When the UK media regulator Ofcom announced a plan to issue Community Radio licences, work began at the station to apply for a Full Time licence. This application [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/tlproc/applications/nneapps/] was made in early in 2007, with a decision expected by September 2007.

In September 2007, Ofcom awarded Utopia FM a full-time 5 year Community Radio licence. [ [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2007/09/nr_20070912 Ofcom licence awards September 2007] ] The full time station aims to be on the air in early 2009, although RSL broadcasts are still planned for May and September 2008. [ [http://www.radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.2443.4 Radio Today news article] ] [ [http://www.commedia.org.uk/news-amp-press/news-items/four-new-community-radio-licences-awarded-to-stations-in-scotland-and-the-north-east/ Community Media Association news article] ]

In the spring of 2007, Utopia switched broadcasting frequencies from 102.4FM to 87.7FM.

External links

* [http://www.utopiafm.net/ Utopia FM website]