By Alex Murray
Members of the DemonFM board have voted to not renew their OFCOM Licence this morning (Tues Oct 9), meaning that the station will no longer broadcast on FM Radio from the beginning of the next academic year.
The Demon Board voted seven against four against the renewal of the licence.
The current licence will expire at the end of this academic year.
De Montfort University, De Montfort Students’ Union and the Demon Media Board had all been discussing the pros and cons of remaining a community station, but a vote by the Demon Board means that the licence will not be renewed.
The recently remodelled DemonFM studio, which will no longer broadcast on FM frequencies.
Speaking before the announcement of the vote, Charlotte Lingham, Head Of Marketing and Communications for the station, explained what the changes would be if the station were to not renew their licence.
Ms Lingham said: “DemonFM is coming to the end of their 2nd term and 10th year with a community radio licence. Legally, a station cannot have more than three terms, so that means it’s time to decide if we want to apply for our 3rd and final term with the licence.
“The community OFCOM licence allows the station to broadcast on the FM frequency 107.5 FM.
“It also means that we have presenters and DJs who are members of the community. These members mostly take evening and weekend slots, but not exclusively. Having this OFCOM licence also means that we have to abide by the laws of OFCOM, which help to protect the general public and our listeners.”
The station did ask for opinions, with members being able to voice their opinions in the students’ union. These opinions were passed on to the board, before they voted on their final decision.
However, the board have now made their decision on the renewal of the licence. This means that the community members who currently broadcast on the station will no longer be able to after this year.
Although the move had been criticised by some, the decision will open more opportunities for DMU students. More slots will now be available for students to broadcast on the station, helping them to develop their skills on the mic and the desk.
The move will continue to be scrutinised by some. However, the board have finally made their key decision that will shape the future of the station for the next few years.
Leicester Community Radio are very keen to try to transfer the license so the FM frequency can be kept for the community – Ofcom have confirmed that if the license is handed back then it will not be readvertised for at least 4 years and the frequency will sit empty. LCR have offered Demon free access to the resource for the full 5 years and all existing DJ’s/presenters slots. Ofcom and the Community Media Association have suggested a way this can happen, it’s all down to Demon FM now if they are prepared to let the community take on the license.