Forge FM
Forge FM was a youth-led community radio station and educational charity in Sheffield in the 1990s. Run by volunteers, the station brought together a wide range of specialist music shows and speech-based programming with the aim of involving all members of the community, the first of its kind in the city.
History[edit]
Originally the Radio and TV Society (RTVS) formed in 1991 at the Sheffield University Students Union (SUSU), the name Forge was chosen through a competition prior to the first 28-day RSL broadcast in October 1992. A second broadcast was made from the Union in October 1993.[1]
In 1994 the Student Union withdrew their support following reports that Forge's activities were no longer student orientated. The organisation moved to a new home in Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter.[2] Forge was now an independent entity comprising a registered educational charity (Forge FM, charity number 1039396) and a registered company (02825116 Forge FM Trading Ltd).[3] Funding from grants was used to run a series of courses in radio production. The long-term goal of the organisation was to become a full-time community radio station for Sheffield.[4]
Forge continued to produce annual 28-day broadcasts and also collaborated with the Northern Media School at Sheffield Hallam University to produce broadcasts for the Sheffield Children's Festival as Festival FM.
The long-term goal was never realised – in 2000 The charity was removed from the Charities Register[5] and the trading company was dissolved.[3]
Successors[edit]
- Forge Radio – The current student radio station at The University of Sheffield
- Sheffield Live – a full-time community radio station broadcasting to Sheffield
Notes[edit]
- ^ Darts, Sheffield University Students' Newspaper 1991 to 1994 Bib Id 949986
- ^ Darts Issue 665 2 November 1994 Bib Id 949986
- ^ a b "Company Details; Forge FM". Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
- ^ Sheffield City Press Vol XIII Issue 1 6–19 October 1994
- ^ "About the register of charities". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2021.