'It brings tears to our eyes': Treasured community radio station Express FM celebrates 20th birthday
The city’s longest standing community radio station - Express FM - is celebrating twenty years of broadcasting across Portsmouth.
Co-founded in 2006 by Cheryl Buggy and Chris Carnegy, Express FM was among the first UK community radio stations to be awarded a full five-year licence by the regulator, Ofcom, and now broadcasts 24/7 from its studios in Winston Churchill Avenue.
The cherished service is provided by a diverse team of 60 active volunteers who contribute to almost 120 hours of original locally-produced programming per week, all with extensive knowledge of the city and committed to public service.
Cheryl said: “I started as a teacher and I loved it but some of my friends said there was a radio station opening at the local radio. I rang up and it just so happened that the chief executive answered and I just said ‘I’ve got some ideas’ and I went to see him and that was the start of my radio career. I had to learn everything from scratch but I thought I was in heaven because I was being paid to talk and play music.
“I did that for quite a long time and then I went to the BBC and then I left radio to write and I met Chris at Ocean Sound and we got some funding to do a radio project at schools and it was really successful and really interesting to see - we wanted to expand on that because we could see that radio is a great vehicle to help people develop confidence. Then Ofcom started to offer community radio licenses which was a new concept in the UK so we decided to go for it and every five years our license has been renewed, and it has just been renewed for ten years.”
The station has become renowned for its popular fan-led Pompey football coverage among a range of locally-focused programming, including outside broadcasts from events such as Victorious Festival, the Great South Run and Southsea Food Festival.
Cheryl added: “We don’t change because the reason we set it up is just as important as it was 20 years ago and I think what is nice about celebrating 20 years is we are good at cheering on the city but this is an opportunity to celebrate something ourselves and for other people to say ‘we really appreciate you’ and that is really nice to hear and that’s the bit that brings tears to our eyes and we can look back rather than always looking forward.
“We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of volunteers over the years and quite a few have come out with good careers in radio and media - We have done some amazing projects and Express FM is all about celebrating the city and shouting from the rooftops about all of the incredible people and all of the amazing things happening. There’s enough people moaning and I wanted to eclipse that by looking at all of the amazing things instead.
To celebrate the station’s birthday on March 20, the founders visited Express, with Cheryl featuring on the breakfast show alongside presenter, Ian James, where they spent the morning looking back at the radio’s achievements over the years.
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Chris Carnegy, co-founder and company secretary, said: “The fantastic thing about Express FM is the way it sparks enthusiasm. Connecting a community is a special thing to do, and we’ve been so lucky to have shared our journey with thousands of listeners, dozens of volunteers, and many partner organisations”.
“We now have over 60 volunteers and an awesome staff team providing great radio that is inspiring, educational and of course entertaining across the city of Portsmouth. Express FM has become the gold standard in community radio in the uk through hard work, dedication and our amazing talented people.”