AN AUSTRALIAN IN PLYMOUTH

Plymouth is to get a new radio station.

After a recent consultation period in which thousands of Plymouth people voiced their opinion and were able to listen to several test transmissions, a government quango has decided to turn a deaf ear.

Although three strong local groups bid to run the new radio station, including some famous Plymouth broadcasters and a consortium including the local paper, an Australian bank has been declared the winner.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

This web site has been set up so that the people of Plymouth can voice their opinions about this distinctly odd decision. We want your opinions - by clicking on YOUR VIEWS, above.

Although this decision doesn't seem such a big deal on the face of it, scratch the surface, however, and some serious issues start to emerge.

A bit of research on the Internet into UK Radio Holdings and Diamond FM - the winning group - reveals that this isn't their only application. They have bid for similar licenses in Ipswich and Swansea, which were not successful. Their most recent application, after their success in Plymouth, is their bid for the North East. The applications look identical, except for the place names and a bit of local information for each area that, frankly, most people could find on the Internet.

Their Plymouth bid had some basic mistakes that local operators would have known about. It's not too difficult to get the name of the local paper right, you would think - but Diamond FM named a paper from another region.

So in essence, theirs is not a local radio application. Why would an enterprise like Macquarie Bank Limited be in the game? This Australian bank is worth £billions and already owns over 80 radio stations in Australia. Plymouth is just one foot on the ladder to building a UK national group.

A local radio station identifies itself within the community it serves. For example, the other contenders have the names 'Plymouth' and 'Drake' in their titles. They also list their directors and potential presenters, and many of these people are instantly recognisable to us here in the South West. We've seen them on our local telly and heard them on our local radio.

WHO IS DIAMOND FM?

Diamond FM will play classic rock all day, every day. In the evenings they will play alternative rock. So, a rock radio station is what we are going to get. Oh, and not much talk about local Plymouth issues either, which the other groups were planning. This is an opportunity missed - and is being forced on Plymouth by a regulator 250 miles away.

The main director of Diamond FM is Tim Schoonman (quite a respected name behind the scenes in radio, according to his application), and that's about it. No other directors or presenters. They didn't even do a test broadcast like the other contenders.

SAY SOMETHING!

So, people of Plymouth, here is your chance to have your say. Whether you live or work in Plymouth or nearby areas, use the links at the top of the page to give us some feedback on your thoughts.

The action plan is to make our views absolutely clear to Ministers and OFCOM. The decision to award a license to Diamond FM has already caused quite a stir, but we in Plymouth and its surrounding area need to have our say if this really is a 'local' radio license.