This has been a Frome-free weekend, but as is the norm when we are away from Somerset, we have dipped in and out of Frome FM (via the web) to keep in touch. Frome FM (Trades Descriptions Act!) doesn't actually broadcast on FM... yet. It is an internet community station entirely run by volunteers. But it has recently been awarded an FM licence and is planning to join the grown-up wireless world some time in the Spring. Inevitably, as everyone gives their time and talent freely, the quality of the output is uneven - but if that is a criticism, then the variety of the output is worthy of high praise.
You might think a set-up like this would be full of wannabe DJs "spinning platters" and suffering from a surfeit of verbalising - far from it. There are music programmes, but they are generally well put together by people who know their stuff. And there is ambitious speech output too. Only the other week the station broadcast, live, Frome's answer to 'Any Questions'.
Some of the shows are a bit shambolic and it begs the question whether they can survive when the FM transmitter is switched on and the station has to up its game. A little bit more slickness would not go amiss, but then part of the charm of an outfit like this is that it doesn't sound like its mainstream neighbours. To strike a balance between parish pump and professional performance is a nettle the organisers of Frome FM will have to grasp as soon as the New Year hangovers have worn off...
http://www.fromefm.co.uk
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