Community Radio for Brighton by Earshot, the sound production and training organisation based in Brighton announced that it will be leading a submission to OFCOM for a community radio licence in Brighton for 2005. Following the success of Radio Reverb that broadcast for 15 days in May this year. Earshot has brought together a number of organisations and individuals to assist with the preparation of an application to OFCOM.

Earshot will seek to develop a radio station which meets the various interests of the community. It is intended that the community radio station should provide benefits which extend beyond broadcasting: training, empowerment, regeneration and off-air communication between community groups will form a vital part of the radio station operations. The station will be funded by a mixture of sponsorship, grants and donations. An innovative model has been planned which makes use of a number of satellite studios based in communities and schools around Brighton. The model will facilitate access to the airwaves, particularly for those who are unable to travel to a central location.

Karen Cass, Earshot's director says "When Radio Reverb was on FM in May we were overwhelmed by the response we received from the people of Brighton and Hove. Over 150 people were involved on-air in just 15 days and we received a huge volume of texts, emails, letters, and phone calls urging us to make Radio Reverb full-time. And what is even more amazing is that even without the FM licence, the enthusiasm of the people involved with Radio Reverb continues."

Radio Reverb is currently operating out of Earshot's studio and broadcasts live on University Radio Falmer every Saturday. The members hold weekly meetings and raise a small amount of funds through the sale of t-shirts and with events such as monthly roadshows at the Prince Albert pub in Trafalgar Street. Radio Reverb's membership is still growing and Earshot has the capacity to support it.

Earshot sees the application for a full-time licence as a necessary next stage in the development of community radio in Brighton, "The response we have had to Radio Reverb is a real reflection of the sea-change in attitudes toward 'community' in Brighton. It's not the dirty word it was in the 80s and 90s. People are rallying around the mutuality and co-operative spirit offered by community radio and this has included a number of local businesses as well as community groups and individuals. Community radio offers a way for people to express their diverse interests and cultures while at the same time working together with a shared interest."

For further information and interviews call Ellie at Earshot on 323 040 or write to Earshot, 170 North Street, Brighton BN1 1EA or email: info@earshot.org.uk.