Rutland Radio

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Rutland Radio

Broadcast area	Rutland & Stamford
Frequency	97.4 MHz, 107.2 MHz
First air date	December 13, 1998
Format	Contemporary
Owner	Lincs FM Group
Sister stations	Oak FM
Webcast	64 kbit/s

Rutland Radio is a Independent Local Radio station broadcasting since December 1998 from Melton Road in Oakham broadcasting to Rutland on 107.2FM (Manton) and Stamford on 97.4FM (East Casterton).

The station is owned by the Lincs FM Group, based in Lincoln. Nottingham University graduate Graham Wright is the features editor; he is also the afternoon presenter on the station. Rob Persani has the morning programme from 6am - 12pm. Ellie Leech presents lunchtimes between 12 and 2pm, Graham Wright hosts drivetime from 2pm through to 8pm and James Martin has the evening programme from 8pm - 12am. Lincolnshire's Sally Elkington has the half-hour farming programme from 7am on Sunday. Rutland's weather forecasts are quite accurate, being provided regularly by MOD meteorologists at RAF Cottesmore.

One third of Rutland's lowly population tunes in each day, though it does have the advertiser-friendly tourists in the warmer months visiting Rutland Water to entertain as well. Birdwatching Bill Oddie has dropped in. Leicester Sound has a more formulaic music policy, than the broader appeal of Rutland Radio.

It received the licence from the former Radio Authority to broadcast to Rutland on June 4 1998 (the same day as licences were awarded to the two nearby stations that have now become Oak FM). The group of licences had been loosely advertised en-masse, and two stations were proposed for the area. It turned out to be (initially) three. Although eight stations had applied for the licence by February 3 1998, only Rutland Radio had submitted proposals for Rutland - the other seven were for Leicestershire. Rutland had only come back into existence a year before the station commenced.