Golden oldies hit the city airwaves (From Oxford Mail)

Golden oldies hit the city airwaves

THEY say the oldies are the goodies – something a station returning to the airwaves this week is aiming to prove.

David Duffett, left, and Paul Ewers at Oldies 89.9FM radio station in Brill

Oldies 87.9FM is a community radio station broadcasting from Brill, near Bicester, across Oxford and the surrounding villages.

It broadcasts for 28 days each year and is currently hitting the airwaves for 14 days over Christmas and into the New Year.

Station manager Paul Ewers, 64, said: “This is our 15th broadcast since we started in December 2004, and it’s been great so far, people have responded really well.”

The station, which costs about £200 a day to run, is funded by local businesses and other sponsors.

It is based at the Brill Sports and Social Club, which lets the station use its facilities for free.

About 15 volunteer presenters run the shows until January 8, and again in August.

Mr Ewers said: “We play music from the 1950s up until 1989, but nothing newer than that. So we play the occasional album track, things like that.

“And then we also read out community announcements for the locality and there’s all sorts of idle chat in between.

“We are now really hoping to get a full-time community licence so we can broadcast throughout the year.”

Meanwhile, OX4 U, based on Oxford’s Blackbird Leys estate, will be taking to the airwaves early next year after finding a permanent home in November.

It will provide a mix of music and community news 24 hours a day from the Blackbird Leys Community Centre.

Mr Ewers said: “We applied for a permanent licence at the same time, but unfortunately we were turned down.

“I think OX4 U will survive because it’s covering Blackbird Leys and other areas.

“But an awful lot don’t. Since community radio was introduced in the early 2000s there have been 200-plus stations introduced.

“And many of them have failed.”

But despite that, Mr Ewers remains confident that one day Oldies FM will become permanent.

He said: “The downfall of this at the moment is that you build up an audience over the weeks and then have to switch off.

“Making it permanent would change that.

“You often find that villages are more interested in local radio because they can identify with it and it involves people they know.

“That’s my aim really, to get the everyday man on the street on to radio.”

To find out more or listen to the station online visit brilloldies.com