Atlantic FM Website

Well as we all know Cornwall tends to take a while to get to grips with electronic advances, I have been down here (oppose to up-country Kat before you ask) all my life and getting post on time has sometimes seemed a major step forward. It is therefore refreshing to see that local radio stations are now embracing the internet.

Atlatic FM is Cornwall's newest radio station having launched in July 2006 and is the countys second commercial radio station, the other being Pirate FM. Currently the station has a 3.9% market reach in terms of listeners within the county, a fair way behind both Pirate FM who are on 14% of the market and Radio Cornwall who sit on 36%.

The problem that any business faces in Cornwall is how to become part of the Cornish way of life. It takes many years to do it and many business do not have the finances to float themselves while they establish themselves. I think Atlantic FM have done their homework and their internet service is proof of this.

Although they have not gone into producing internet television they do provide an entertaining set of podcasts including the Atlantic Report and the Pirates Podcast. The Atlantic Report covers the last 7 days news and would appeal to the Cornish ex-pats who subscribe to the West Briton in their thousands each week just to keep up to date with what is happening in Cornwall.

Due to the poor job market many people leave Cornwall to earn a living, but people from the Duchy are normally proud of their heritage and like to keep in touch. With a weekly news podcast these people can keep up to date with news from this end of the country and also save on the subscription costs that would be needed in recieving the West Briton or The Packet.

What I am really trying to get at is why compete for a small market audience in a county of 500,000 when you can gain thousands of listners from outside the region, ones who are not heavily attatched to one particular organisation.

I am involved with the other podcast, the Pirates Podcast, and last year it was recieving over 1000 downloads a week. Currently no other radio station in Cornwall produces a podcast devoted to the countys best rugby side, why not I ask myself.

In the last two weeks the Pirates official site recieved 48,000 hits, most of them from outside the county. As the team are not an elite club they do not get any real television coverage yet there are thousands out there who would love to have a regular service keeping them up to date and free of charge.

I see Atlantic FM's future as as a bright one if they pursue every angle they can to reach the thousands living outside of the county. Pirate FM and BBC Cornwall have had a huge head start so why spend huge amounts of money trying to take their listners when you can simply create your own.

I don't feel the station will ever use internet television however, mainly due to cost. I do think that providing some transmitted coverage of local events would help them to become more unique but with Tindle backing them, mainly a newspaper organisation, I cannot see that happening.

P.S. Out of interest and I hope that somebody can answer me this but when a license is granted by Ofcom I understand it is on certain conditions, i.e how many live hours you are broadcasting and your content. If that is the case anyone employed in the future are not only going to have to be good presenters but also very IT capable.