BROADCASTERS are making airwaves in Crewe – and South Africa - after reviving a local radio station.

Three creative members of the former Cheshire FM have banded together to form the not-for profit community enterprise, Mid Cheshire Radio (MCR).

News of the station is already spreading fast – with one former Crewe resident tuning in all the way from Johannesburg.

MCR will feature a range of music, news and discussion programmes.

Chairman, Karen Burns, explained that she, technician Dan Morris and producer Phil Johnson had remained tuned in to a demand for a local station after Cheshire FM went off air in January 2011.

She said: “We really believed in Cheshire FM, and thought we could put it on the right track. Three of us have got back together and know we can do something special.

“We had lots of letters of support from listeners who were sad when Cheshire FM closed, but we’ve been able to pick it up and salvage it. The new station will be very focused on the community.”

“We had a bloke contact us that was listening in South Africa,” said Karen. “He was originally from Crewe and said he couldn’t wait to hear what was going on back home.

“Within a week our website has had 400 unique hits. There’s definitely a real demand for this, and we’re keen to hear from people who want to get involved with the station.”

MCR is available now via the internet. Karen hopes to acquire the old 92.5 FM bandwidth in April and to begin creative workshops for students and the long term unemployed.

She said: “It will allow people to come into a very creative atmosphere, where they will learn about how to run the station, take part in creative writing for shows and learn about marketing, producing and creating jingles. For the unemployed it can really help build self confidence.”

The station will be funded through sponsorship and grants.

To listen, visit www.midcheshireradio.co.uk To get involved, contact Karen at karen.burns@midcheshireradio.co.uk