2ND January 1995
Background to Coastline FM
During the period from December 1995 until August 1994 three RSL stations operated In the Folkestone and Dover area. These were Shepway Sound with RSLs in Folkestone In December 1993 and August 1994 and White Cliffs Radio with an RSL in Dover In May 1994. These RSL broadcasts created an awareness of local broadcasting in the area and set the seeds for the inclusion of Folkestone and Dover on the Radio Authority Working List of areas to be considered for small-scale licences.
Those early RSLs brought together a mixture of radio professionals and absolute beginners. For the majority of the broadcasting crews it was their very first taste of real broadcast radio. Over the period of these early RSL broadcasts In Folkestone and Dover a subgroup of the more professional presenters became increasingly more and more frustrated at the lack of professionalism shown by other members of the group.
In the autumn of 1994 two important changes occurred. in September 1994 John Ellis (the licence holder of the White Cliffs Radio RSL and co-founder of the South East Radio partnership) left the group to take up a position in Bahrain and the following month the Radio Authority announced that the Folkestone and Dover area was to be Included on their Working List for future small-scale licences.
These events were the catalyst which led a group of members and former members of the Shepway Sound and White Cliffs Radio groups to set-up a new radio group. The aim of which was to apply for the forthcoming local licence for the Dover & Folkestone area. It was realised at this time that a much greater degree of professionalism was needed if the group was to progress and several new members with professional radio experience were added to the group. The result was the formation of Coastline FM.
Copyright East Kent Radio Ltd 2004