GTFM is a

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...

station serving

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vil ...

in south Wales. The station broadcasts locally on 107.9 FM in the Pontypridd, Taf Ely and lower Rhondda areas, 107.1FM in Aberdare and 100.7FM in Mountain Ash. The station is also available online via the station's website, from studios and offices on Pinewood Avenue in

Rhydyfelin Rhydyfelin (, ''Mill Ford'') is a large village (originally known as Rhydfelen) and part of the community of Pontypridd Town, about two miles to its south east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is on the eastern bank ...

, near

Pontypridd () (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...

. The station was started in 1999 by the local Glyntaff Tenants and Residents Association as a community project run by local enthusiasts. In partnership with the University of Glamorgan, it launched a full-time station GTFM 106.9 under an Access Radio experiment and following full evaluation was licensed as the first community radio station in Wales under OFCOM's changed rules in 2006. The station's OFCOM license commits it to: *65% music, 35% speech in daytime *60s to present music in daytime, a range of specialist music styles in the evenings and at weekends *Content mostly in English with some Welsh language programming *Live broadcasting at least 12 hours a day on weekdays, 11 hours on Saturdays and 8 hours on Sundays *All of content is produced in the station's studios except the Cardiff City Phone In which is produced at the University of South Wales The station is also expected to provide training, encourage volunteering and deliver other social gains to the local community. According to a local MP,

Chris Bryant Christopher John Bryant (born 11 January 1962) is a British people, British politician and former Anglican priest who is the Chair of the Committees on Commons Select Committee on Standards, Standards and Commons Select Committee of Privileges, ...

, GTFM is the most popular local station in the area.

Programming

The majority of GTFM's output consists of locally produced programming including hourly local news bulletins, peak time travel updates and regular sports coverage, plus local features & interviews and specialist programming at evenings and on weekends. The station also broadcasts Welsh language programmes three days a week alongside a weekday news bulletin from 3pm simulcast from

BBC Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru is a Welsh language radio network owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts on two stations across Wales on FM, DAB, digital TV and online. The main network broadcasts for hours a day from ...

. National bulletins from

Sky News Radio Sky News Radio is the radio arm of Sky News, owned by Sky UK. It has been operating since June 1999, providing a news bulletin service for UK commercial radio stations operators across the UK and for a number of English-speaking radio stations ar ...

in London are also broadcast during off-peak hours.

References

External links

Official website
* {{coord missing, Rhondda Cynon Taf Community radio stations in the United Kingdom Radio stations in Wales Radio stations established in 1999 Rhondda Cynon Taf 1999 establishments in Wales