Radio Cardiff is a community radio station serving Cardiff, the capital city ofWales. It broadcasts on a terrestrial frequency of 98.7 FM and streams online via the website and TuneIn, and was formerly called Beats FM. Since October 2016 Radio Cardiff also transmits through an app for smartphones and tablets which is free to download. The station was launched on 31 October 2007 by John Lenney M.B.E. and has established a unique role in the life of Cardiff. It is the only community radio station in the City, and has a specific remit to broadcast music and features of interest to the Welsh Capital's diverse population. The station's mission statement is "to deliver a diverse range of music with shows that break the mould of traditional radio".
Studios
Radio Cardiff's main studio moved from the Meanwhile House to two containers outside the building, aiming at providing more accessible services to presenters and guests who have special needs. Currently the station runs 3 studios - 1 main live studio and 2 back-ups, often used for pre-recording shows or producing voiceovers.
News Service
Hourly national updates as well as weekday sports, business and entertainment updates are provided by Radio News Hub. Radio Cardiff's news team present local news & weather bulletins Monday to Friday between 7:30am and 6:30pm.
Programming
Radio Cardiff delivers programming intended to heighten cultural awareness and to spread information that is relevant to its target communities, and to offer listeners a wide variety of shows that demonstrate the station's commitment to provide a distinctive and local alternative to commercial and mainstream BBC output. Over 100 volunteers are regularly involved in creating content for the station, providing distinctive community-oriented programming which has an estimated weekly reach of 26,365. The station showcases the rich cultural diversity of Cardiff, and provides training opportunities for members of its target audience. It broadcasts content that is popular and relevant to a local and specific audience which can often be overlooked, and it plays music that reflects the multi-cultural heritage of the City, which has one of the longest established BME communities in the UK. The cultural heritage of these communities is reflected in its station music policy, which includes:
Radio Cardiff's schedule is a mix of music shows blending Soul, Reggae, Jazz, Blues and other genres that reflect the City's diverse multi-cultural population; together with Cardiff news and community interest programmes on topics such as local history, mental health & wellbeing; cultural identity, women's issues; arts, science and community sports.
Former Logo
2011-2017
Governance
The operating licence for Radio Cardiff is held by Safer Wales. Radio Cardiff is steered by a management committee made up of local people and broadcasters. The Head of Station now is Donna Zammit.
