About Us
A Short History of BigglesFM
BigglesFM started in 2002 with a broadcast to coincide with the Biggleswade Carnival, from studios in an old hayloft in Biggleswade. The idea was conceived by Alan Waring who has always had an interest in radio, and managed to find a team of local volunteers with an interest in music. The aim was to provide an alternative to an area that is poorly served on the FM band, playing lots of old records, some that time has forgotten, and some of the best new music. A range of local businesses were contacted, they liked the idea of a local community based radio station and funded the broadcast.
Things went so well that the team just had to do it again sometime soon. The studio was relocated for the Christmas 2002 broadcast, as the hayloft had no heating and Alan did not fancy sitting doing the Breakfast Show from there at six o'clock on a December morning!
Local interest grew and BigglesFM returned in the summer of 2003, again timed to coincide and promote the various events associated with the Biggleswade and Sandy Carnivals, again from the new studio location just outside Biggleswade.
Things grew bigger and the team were receiving emails when they were off-air asking when they would be back on. BigglesFM returned in the summer of 2004, again timed to coincide with the Biggleswade Carnival and Sandy Summer Festival. Due to local demand the team returned for a Christmas 2004 broadcast, and this time they tried simulcasting over the internet and gained new listeners in different corners of the world.
After a well-deserved break spent finding loads more music, new and old, BigglesFM returned in November 2005 for a 28-day broadcast right up until Christmas Day.
Further 28-day broadcasts have since followed twice a year, one in the summer and the other at Christmas in 2006 and 2007.
Building work started in early 2008 to construct a brand new purpose built studio, this excellent facility was used for the first time in the summer of that year.
In the autumn of 2008 OFCOM invited applications in our area for a full-time Community Radio licence, we spent a couple of months completing the 40-plus page application form and in April 2009 it was announced that our application was successful. A target was set to have the full-time radio station up and running within two years.
In September 2009 OFCOM issued us with our brand new frequency of 104.8FM, we will be on the new frequency when we return to the airwaves in November 2009 with our fourteenth broadcast to the area.
Information
BigglesFM operates on a low power Restricted Service Licence (RSL) granted by OFCOM for a maximum of 28 days.