Eclectic is awarded an FM Licence!
South London's airwaves will soon be home to the fresh, new sound of young talent as Reprezent hits the FM dial...
Reprezent FM will reach out to over 160,000 13 - 25 year olds and see hundreds access broadcast and media training. The station's parent company, not-for-profit group Eclectic Productions, was awarded the coveted licence after plans were given the green light by media regulator Ofcom this week.
Aaron, 17, has been presenting his own show online for a year. "This is about giving young people the chance to represent themselves and get involved in something positive. Everyone hears the bad things, but Reprezent is about our music, our culture, and what we can bring to society," he says.
The station will also bring young people closer to authorities, including the police, through discussion shows and phone-ins. Commander David Zinzan, who heads up territorial policing across Reprezent's coverage area, backed the push for an FM licence. "The Borough Commanders see this as a real opportunity to have direct communication with young members of their communities, which, in the past, has been notoriously difficult," he says.
Commander Zinzan is one of many supporters the station has gained since its online launch in 2008. Schools, councils, businesses and youth groups will be celebrating as Reprezent becomes the first FM station programmed solely by young people in South London.
The station is a real boost for young people at a time when youth groups have one eye on cuts to services. Funding has already been secured for the station to work with 300 young people over the next year as Reprezent continues to broadcast online. The FM station will be launched in 2011 and more information, as well as a chance to get involved, will be available on the station's website.