Award-winning Chesterfield radio station closes after less than eight months on air

Chesterfield Radio announced last night that it would cease broadcasting.

Paul Wragsdale a director of the station, posted on its Facebook page: “It's with extreme sadness that I have had to come to the decision to close the radio station down.

“As of midnight, the station will cease broadcasting and the group and page will be closed within the next two weeks.

“It hasn't been an easy decision to make as the whole team have worked extremely hard behind the scenes to make the station a success with your help along the way.

“Due to the ongoing cost of keeping the station on air and the understandable reluctance of businesses to invest in advertising given the lengthy restrictions due to the Covid pandemic it's been increasingly difficult to keep the station sustainable.

“I know this will be a blow to quite a few people who have taken the station to heart and have been heavily involved through on and off air activities and that's what has made this decision even more difficult to reach but, health and wellbeing have to be taken into account and I don't feel I am able to carry on with this amazing project.

“Thank you all so much for your support and love.”

Community radio honour

The internet broadcaster, run by volunteers and based at The Stables at Staveley Hall, hit the headlines last September, shortly before it began broadcasting, when it was forced to apologise after wrongly reporting former Bolsover MP Dennis Skinner had died on its Facebook page

However, it proved a success when it started broadcasting in October, and in February was named best community radio broadcaster in the East Midlands in the SME News Midlands Enterprise Awards, with Mr Wragsdale saying it was “the most listened to station across the Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire region”.

The closure was met with sadness on the station’s Facebook page.

Yas Yarnall posted: “Such a shame that we finally got a local radio back and now it’s going again.”

Trevor Power said: “I enjoyed listening to the station and the fantastic variety of music played. I thought given enough time, the station would prove to be a great success as it is just what the town needs.”

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.