Good morning Colchester! The Army will be going radio ga ga if the garrison's station is allowed to move to an FM frequency.

Plans - Colchester Garrison Radio presenter Andy Luckman. (40180-2)

Colchester Garrison Radio has applied for a community radio licence and if approved by media regulator Ofcom, listeners will be able to tune in "off the wire".

Managing director Mark Page hopes a bigger audience will be attracted with a better quality of signal and sound.

"If this is approved, the station will be more healthy and popular. It will still be very much Army radio-operated, but people will be able to eavesdrop on the Army community. It may give us the opportunity to expand, with people being able to listen off site."

Ofcom has had seven applications in Essex and 192 nationally. The move will allow groups to become small-scale community radio broadcasters.

It expects to make decisions on those awarded a community radio licence during the first half of 2005.

Published Thursday, December 23, 2004

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