NIOCOM
Encyclopedia
NIOCOM is a company which operates radio stations in the North West of England.
In 2004 David & Phil applied for and won the licence to establish and operate community station Cheshire FM
, which serves the towns of Northwich
, Middlewich
and Winsford
in Cheshire
. David's company, Niocom Ltd, acquired Merseyside
's Dune FM
in Southport
in June 2008 after The Local Radio Company
put it up for sale. In January 2010 Niocom saved Central Radio
in Preston, Lancashire after UTV Radio
threatened to close the station and hand back the licence to Ofcom
.
On 2 February 2010, Ofcom granted permission for Central Radio to co-locate with sister station Dune FM
in Southport. Programme management, programming, production, administrative, engineering and management resources were shared between the two stations, but the imaging was retained for each brand and the news provision remained editorially independent for each area.
In December 2010, Dune FM
was sold to Southport Radio Limited and in June 2010 Central Radio
was sold to UKRD.
Niocom continues as a broadcast media company providing interim management cover, crisis management, business rescue, restructuring and turnaround services. They also provide independent radio station appraisals helping radio station owners reduce costs, renegotiate contracts and structure a business plan. They act as a private and confidential intermidiaries to help radio station owners sell their radio stations to qualified buyers and help buyers find radio stations which fit their portfolio requirements.
History
NIOCOM's founder, David Duffy, started in broadcasting with Essex Radio in the mid 1980s. In 1990s he joined forces with Phil Houltby to bring together a consortium to secure the commercial radio licence for Warrington - Wire FM. After Wire FM was sold to The Wireless Group in 1999, David returned to work in the technology sector and Phil in the construction marketplace.In 2004 David & Phil applied for and won the licence to establish and operate community station Cheshire FM
Cheshire FM
Cheshire FM is a community radio station serving the towns of Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford in the English county of Cheshire, from its studios in Winsford, and can be heard on 92.5 FM.-Background:...
, which serves the towns of Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
and Winsford
Winsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. David's company, Niocom Ltd, acquired Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
's Dune FM
Dune FM
Dune 107.9 is a radio channel which broadcasts from Southport, covering the town and the surrounding borough of Sefton as well as a large part of neighbouring West Lancashire.- Origins :...
in Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
in June 2008 after The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company is a British media company, originally based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, that owns ten independent local radio stations in the UK...
put it up for sale. In January 2010 Niocom saved Central Radio
Central Radio (Preston)
Central Radio was a British Independent Local Radio serving the Preston, Leyland and Chorley areas of Lancashire.The station launched on 25 September 2008, having changed its name prior to launch from Proud FM, derived from Proud Preston on the city shield to Central Radio in order to better...
in Preston, Lancashire after UTV Radio
UTV Radio
UTV Radio is a UK media company, and owner of several radio stations in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is a growing branch of UTV Media....
threatened to close the station and hand back the licence to Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
.
On 2 February 2010, Ofcom granted permission for Central Radio to co-locate with sister station Dune FM
Dune FM
Dune 107.9 is a radio channel which broadcasts from Southport, covering the town and the surrounding borough of Sefton as well as a large part of neighbouring West Lancashire.- Origins :...
in Southport. Programme management, programming, production, administrative, engineering and management resources were shared between the two stations, but the imaging was retained for each brand and the news provision remained editorially independent for each area.
In December 2010, Dune FM
Dune FM
Dune 107.9 is a radio channel which broadcasts from Southport, covering the town and the surrounding borough of Sefton as well as a large part of neighbouring West Lancashire.- Origins :...
was sold to Southport Radio Limited and in June 2010 Central Radio
Central Radio
Central Radio may refer to;* Central Radio , a radio station based in Preston, Lancs, UK* Central 103.1 FM, UK based radio station serving Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire* 93.3 Central FM, radio station based in Malta...
was sold to UKRD.
Niocom continues as a broadcast media company providing interim management cover, crisis management, business rescue, restructuring and turnaround services. They also provide independent radio station appraisals helping radio station owners reduce costs, renegotiate contracts and structure a business plan. They act as a private and confidential intermidiaries to help radio station owners sell their radio stations to qualified buyers and help buyers find radio stations which fit their portfolio requirements.