Vale of Glamorgan Broadcasting was formed in early 2006 in response to local demand for a community radio station for the Vale of Glamorgan (as defined by the local authority electoral boundaries). New team members with specific skill-sets have joined the group as our proposals have developed. On air, our radio station will be known as Bro Radio.

All of the company's Directors live in the community Bro Radio intends to serve, and have wide ranging and broad networks across the community. Two Directors also run their own charities, four run their own businesses and four have extensive radio broadcasting experience.

Bro Radio believes that the key to its success is the loyalty of its audience. During the initial planning stages for the radio station, the views and opinions of interested parties, potential programme makers and listeners were sought, and the results analysed. The initial research indicated that a diverse range of locally produced and relevant programming was required. This includes programmes specifically targeting the Vale of Glamorgan’s farming community, discussions on local politics, in-depth coverage of local sport, local news and information, upbeat content and programmes which convey a feeling that the radio station is part of, and belongs to, the residents of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Some of the findings of our research are listed below:

87.1% of respondents believed the station should offer quality local news.

81.3% believed that local information was important to the station.

71.9% thought that community news and features should be prominent on air.

92.2% believed that community radio would be a valuable addition to the area.

Existing radio stations purport to speak to the community they serve. Few, in reality do so with any great conviction or effect. Be they national networks, or local or regional ILR stations, few pay more than lip-service to the area Bro Radio aims to serve. It is our intention to truly be the “Voice of the Community“, and to give an over-looked and (culturally and financially) diverse area an opportunity to engage with the world at large. Our aim is to act as an engine of social and economic regeneration for an area that constantly “slips beneath the radar“ in Cardiff, London and Brussels when consideration is given to the economic and social stimulation of so-called “deprived“ areas. Bro Radio will be inward and outward looking, stimulating social pride and economic ambition in the area served. Speaking for the people of the Vale of Glamorgan, featuring the people of the Vale of Glamorgan, this Community Radio station aims to provide locally-focused, locally-generated programming that will inspire a new beginning for an area once so vibrant and wealthy, but is now rife with financial and social disparity.

Since plans for Bro Radio were conceived and subsequently revealed to the Vale of Glamorgan’s county, town and community councils, the local police and fire services, local businesses and educational establishments, a vast amount of support and positive feedback has been received by our board of directors. Many respondents have asked why it has taken so long for the Vale of Glamorgan to be given an opportunity for a community radio station to be established, as it is widely perceived that the county is underserved by the area’s existing “Cardiff-centric” and “music oriented” programme providers. A high proportion of respondents feel that a community radio station will bring several benefits to the Vale of Glamorgan, including access to airtime for local charities, fire safety campaigns, police “Crimestoppers” features, publicity for council events and schemes, in-depth coverage for local sports teams and access to affordable airtime for small businesses.

One particularly noticeable response from a local sports club states: “We currently receive no publicity on radio for any fixtures at adult, youth or child level. We expect to have over 20 teams playing next season following our link-up with the Barry Comprehensive School, so a local radio station covering the club’s activities would be a welcome initiative”.

One of the main objectives of the Bro Radio project is to offer our diverse community a two-way conduit for the exchange of information and ideas in order to create a greater degree of social awareness and identity. One means of satisfying the requirement for social gain will be to establish a process for the de-mystification of the medium. Public accessibility is of utmost importance to Bro Radio. A radio station run “for the people, by the people “ is our primary objective.

It is also our intention that the Radio station will enable far greater dissemination of localised sales and advertising information than is currently the case via existing commercial broadcasters and the print media. The current relatively high cost of advertising, together with the lack of a localised focus in the established media precludes most local enterprises from advertising. A more locally focussed radio station will overcome this by being less expensive, and more locale-specific. This in turn, will help stimulate the local economy which is distinctly lagging behind most other areas within South East Wales. Surveys of potential local advertisers have established that they perceive such a need, and would welcome the commercial opportunities such a service would provide. Stimulation of the local economy is a vital element of our plan to deliver social gain. We aim to provide a locale-specific programme output by means of a more closely defined news service, a great deal of locally-gleaned and locally relevant information slots, specific features on local issues, a general on-going programme of features and documentaries ( often provided by the community itself ) and regular debates on the major issues. The latter has been welcomed by the voluntary sector, political parties and the elected bodies as a means of creating a community dialogue.