About Phonic FM
Phonic FM is the on-air name of Exeter Community Radio, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales, number 05979408. Our registered address is Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS.
Exeter Community Radio’s directors are:
- Dr David Treharne (chair)
- Edgar Coate
- Patrick Cunningham
- Paul Giblin
Ofcom, the communications regulator, has granted Phonic FM a community radio license to broadcast to Exeter on 106.8FM until February 2023. Our license number is CR000118BA/2. You can download Phonic FM’s key commitments and coverage area from the Ofcom website.
Phonic FM evolved from a radio station set up in 2003 to support Exeter’s annual Vibraphonic Festival, the brainchild of David Whitlock who developed the festival as part of his cultural portfolio with Exeter City Council. Vibraphonic FM ran for one month each year, previewing festival for two weeks then covering the festival events for a second two weeks. In 2007, using the experience gained from our festival broadcast success, Exeter Community Radio Ltd was set up to bid for a full time licence from Ofcom which was then granted in late Autumn of that year.
The leap from Vibraphonic to Phonic was made in early 2008 when the annual Vibraphonic Festival radio station broadcast under the new name. Phonic FM went on air on 15 February 2008 and covered the Vibraphonic Festival until 15 March but, instead of waking up to the lonely hiss of static at the end of that period, listeners were able to stay tuned to Phonic FM.
Our output is largely music, both live and recorded, focusing on those tunes and genres you won’t often hear on mainstream radio.
We support the arts (in the widest sense) in and around Exeter. We also seek to publicise events as well as encouraging innovation and participation. In the years it has been on-air, Phonic FM has supported a vast array of artists, events and musical styles.
We are committed to encouraging participation and are always seeking new approaches to both content and output. If you’d like to get involved, please contact membership@phonic.fm detailing your ideas, experience and skills.
Find out how you can support Phonic FM here.
Phonic FM is a member of the Community Media Association.
Header photo by Venetia Norrington.