QUAY-FM is a VHF-FM broadcasting station on the island of Alderney. It holds the only Community Radio licence in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

which was granted in 2014 to the ''Alderney Broadcasting Company'' (a non-profit organisation, limited by guarantee). The scheme under which community radio stations were established in the United Kingdom by Ofcom originally did not apply to the Channel Islands, each of which has separate legal systems. Further legislation was needed in order to enable the establishment of community radio stations in the Islands. After representations from the QUAY-FM volunteers who had been operating an twice-yearly RSL and from the Government of Alderney, this was enabled by the extension, by

Order-in-Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

of the relevant parts of the UK's Communications Act, 2003 to the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Applications were invited b
Ofcom
in December 2013 and closed in March the following year. This application round resulted in a licence being granted to the Alderney Broadcasting Company Limited, a non-profit company incorporated in Alderney, limited by guarantee (company number 1899) which was the only applicant within the Bailiwick, no applications having been received from either Guernsey or

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of ...

History

The station was founded in the summer of 2000 by a number of volunteers, several of whom had backgrounds in

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

independent local radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2003, ...

(ILR) in the UK, and

university radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produce ...

. The station was originally authorised to transmit on 87.7 MHz FM under a

Restricted Service Licence A UK Restricted Service Licence (often called an RSL), is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. Licences are granted by the broadcasting authority Ofc ...

(RSL) issued by the UK's

Radio Authority Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

. It broadcast only during the peak summer vacation period, including Alderney Week. In 2004, a regular Christmas broadcast period was added. The station equipment was kept available to be activated in times of civil emergency, which happened once during extreme weather conditions in the winter of 2010 (which was nicknamed "SNOW FM" locally, although the familiar QUAY-FM name was used on-air). Since the start of 2015, QUAY-FM has broadcast year-round under 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 popula ...

Licence issued by Ofcom (successor licensing body to the Radio Authority). Live, year-round transmissions were commenced at 7:00 a.m. on 12 February 2015 with the first transmission being made by Tim Butler (who was one of the original presenters on the very first RSL broadcasts in August 2000) presenting the Early Morning Show. During the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

pandemic of 2020-2021, QUAY-FM became a vitally important part of the Island's contingency measures, with President Tate making daily broadcasts to update islanders on the situation during the emergency powers lockdown and in the period during which restrictions were eased. Started broadcasting on the Channel Island DAB+ local multiplex on 1 August 2021 although the local transmitter is not due to start until later in the summer.

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.quayfm.gg Companies of Alderney Radio stations in Guernsey Community radio stations in the United Kingdom