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Press release / FromeFM gearing up for FM License during major cycling event

Press release issued for Frome community radio station, Frome FM

Frome’s online community radio station has applied for an FM license, to cover Britain’s biggest live sporting event this year

FromeFM hopes to gain a temporary license to be on air during the Frome stage of the Tour Of Britain Cycle Race, in September.

The race includes 96 of the world’s top cyclists and in 2008, the South West stages attracted some of the race’s biggest crowds.  This year, Frome will provide the start for one of the West Country stages, which will end in Bideford.

“For the first time, the South West has been awarded with two stages of the race, so this is quite something for Frome” said Phil Moakes, FromeFM’s programme director.

“As the whole race will also be broadcast on national television, it’s a great opportunity to put the town on the map.”

He continued:

“Mendip District Council has helped us with a £2000 grant towards the costs of obtaining the licence needed and we’d like to thank the Mendip councillors and especially Katy Graham, Frome’s Regeneration Officer, for helping us get this off the ground.

“We are also looking for additional sponsors to support our community station and in turn, benefit from this fantastic opportunity for exposure.”

The Frome stage will start from the Market Yard Car Park on Thursday 17th September, leaving at around 10.00am.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the start and the whole race will be featured on ITV.

FromeFM is also hoping to obtain a license to cover the Frome Carnival in September.

“If we can stretch the budgets we may be able to cover the Carnival on FM radio as well as the Cycle Race.  The Carnival is an important part of Frome life and we’d like to do as much as we can to help promote it” added Mr Moakes.

FromeFM broadcasts 24 hours a day on the internet at www.fromefm.co.uk. New material and programmes are added every week and the station’s growing popularity means over 1,000 shows are downloaded each month by people in Frome and beyond.

To become involved, or become a FromeFM Community Sponsor please contact Phil Moakes on 07968 726196.

Notes to editors:

About the Tour of Britain

The Tour of Britain is the UK’s biggest professional bicycle race and a centrepiece of the British sporting calendar, attracting over a million spectators to the roadside in 2008, and hundreds of thousands more on television and via the internet.

Every year some of the world’s top cyclists compete on British roads for the right to wear the yellow jersey.  Over the past five years, Olympic, World and Commonwealth Champions have ridden The Tour of Britain, alongside stage and jersey winners from all three Grand Tours.

The race has proved successful for British riders too, with Mark Cavendish, Roger Hammond and Olympic Gold Medallist Paul Manning all winning stages in recent editions of the race.

96 of the world’s top cyclists will once again be taking on the challenge of The Tour of Britain in 2009.  The Tour of Britain mixes the very best ProTour, Professional Continental and Continental teams with the top domestic teams, which includes a Great Britain team in the race.

The South West, scene of some of the races biggest crowds in 2008, has two stages in 2009, with Stage Six taking the riders across Exmoor as they pass from Somerset into Devon, on their journey from Frome to Bideford.