OFCOM have announced that the local Ballymoney community radio station, FUSE FM, have been granted a further five year licence extension.
This licence will allow the radio project to broadcast to Ballymoney and the surrounding area up until at least July 2025.
A spokesperson from OFCOM said: “Just to confirm, FUSE FM’s licence has been confirmed for extension.”
The concept of FUSE FM (For Ulster Scots Enthusiasts) began in 2007 when the Ulster Scots Agency launched the community radio project.
The Ballymoney group began with an initial 14 days, broadcasting with nothing more than a transmitter and a ‘load of CDs’ from the Orange hall in the town.
The year after, and up until 2014, the group broadcast twice a year, 28 days at a time, moving to different locations until finding a permanent home within the Ullans Centre in 2009.
It was all change however when in 2013 OFCOM awarded FUSE FM Ballymoney a full time licence, which began just under two years later on July 6th 2015.
Two moves later and the station now broadcast from two modern purpose built studios out of the newly named FUSE Centre – Ulster Scots Community Hub, with a volunteer base of around 30 volunteers.
The station broadcast on 107.5FM and online via fusefm Ballymoney.com
