THOUGH THE KEYHOLE AFTER WINNING ANOTHER AWARD
Crystal
FM
radio,
now
in
its
11th
year,
has
won
another
award.
The
Penicuik-based
station
is
the
Best
Community
Radio
Broadcaster
for
the
second
year
running
in
the
SME
News,
Scottish
Enterprise
Awards.
That's
a
significant
achievement
for
the
station
which
is
run
by
volunteers
and
broadcasts
over
South
Midlothian,
into
Edinburgh
and the Lothians and also to the world via the internet.
Indeed,
Crystal
FM
(107.4
FM)
has
listeners
in
Australia,
North
America,
all
over
Europe
and
in
India
and
Australia,
and
the
audience
is
growing
rapidly
as
word
spreads
about
the
mix
of
music and news.
Colin
McCall,
the
station
co-ordinator,
revealed
that
the
station
has
received
well
over
110,000
hits
on
the
website
and
that
Crystal
FM
now
has
over
50
presenters
and
information
providers
involved
in
the 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week, output.
The
former
primary
schoolteacher,
now
in
his
80th
year,
founded
the
station,
which
was
shortlisted
for
a
Community
Award
in
last
year's
Midlothian
and
East
Lothian
Chamber
of
commerce
Awards,
with a handful of other enthusiasts who donated £100 each.
Colin
explained:
"Crystal
FM
came
to
fruition
because
Black
Diamond
was
not
receivable
over
here
in
Penicuik.
I
forwarded
an
application
of
Ofcom
to
extend
the
area
to
Penicuik
and
they
refused.
"They
did,
however,
say
they
would
look
favourably
on
a
Penicuik
application.
Six
or
seven
of
us
put
£100
on
the
table
and
18
months
later
Crystal
FM
came
about.
This
is
the
start
of
our
11th
year
and
we
have
a
great
team
of
volunteers
who
have
made
that
possible."
Colin,
who
presents
a
breakfast
time
programme
called
Crystal
Fusion
each
weekday
from
7am
to
9am,
and
on
two
mornings
each
week
to
10am,
said
It
is
not
easy
to
run
the
station
and
raise
funds
to
make
ends
meet
and
costs
including
paying
the
rent,
paying
licence
fees
and
insurance,
and
keeping
the
equipment
up
to
scratch.
Currently,
Crystal
FM
have
a
core
of
20
presenters
who
come
regularly
to
the
studio
and,
over
and
above
that,
there
are
another
40 people who contribute.
Overall,
the
station
reach
is
supposed
to
be
six
miles
from
the
studio
in
the
Eastfield
Business
Centre
in
Eastfield
Farm
Road
in
Penicuik
but
Colin
said:
"How
do
you
stop
a
radio
signal?
It
is
variable
because
you
can
go
a
very
short
distance
and
the
signal
is
lost,
or
you
could
go
a
long
distance
and
pick
up
the
signal.
"For
example,
I've
picked
up
the
signal
from
the
golf
course
car
park
in
Kirkcaldy,
and
it
is
excellent
quality
in
the
car,
but
our
signal
also
reaches
Ratho
near
Edinburgh
as
it
must
go
through
a
gap
in
The
Pentland Hills.
"We
now
stream
out
online
and
it
is
interesting
to
note
that
since
we
moved
to
our
new
studio
on
the
Eastfield
Farm
Road
more
than
two years ago we have now had over 100,000 hits on our website.
"Looking
further
afield,
on
the
internet
our
broadcasts
are
world-
wide
and
our
regular
top
four
on
line
are
the
UK,
USA,
Europe
and
India. We also have listeners in Australia.
"I
don't
really
know
why
we
have
listeners
in
India,
but
it
may
possibly
be
a
link
to
people
to
live
here
and
it
allows
their
relatives
to listen, but India has always figured in the top three of four."
Eric
Platten,
one
of
the
senior
presenters,
who
has
regular
listeners
in
America
and
Spain,
to
name
just
two,
told
why
he
hosts
the
weekend
breakfast
shows
on
Saturday
and
Sunday
and
a
blues
programme.
Sunderland-born
Eric,
who
is
a
local
lollipop
man,
said:
"I
enjoy
it
and
I
first
got
in
touch
as
I
had
a
compilation
CD
which
I
donated
to
the station.
"Colin
and
I
got
talking
and
I
stated
doing
the
blues
show
and
then
I
graduated
to
the
weekend
shots
on
Saturday
and
Sunday.
It
is
not
as simple as walking in here and pushing a button.
"I
start
planning
my
weekend
programmes
on
a
Monday
and
after
my
weekend
sessions
and
I
then
find
the
tunes
and
the
information."
THOUGH THE KEYHOLE AFTER WINNING ANOTHER AWARD
Crystal
FM
radio,
now
in
its
11th
year,
has
won
another
award.
The
Penicuik-based
station
is
the
Best
Community
Radio
Broadcaster
for
the
second
year
running
in
the
SME
News,
Scottish
Enterprise
Awards.
That's
a
significant
achievement
for
the
station
which
is
run
by
volunteers
and
broadcasts
over
South
Midlothian,
into
Edinburgh
and the Lothians and also to the world via the internet.
Indeed,
Crystal
FM
(107.4
FM)
has
listeners
in
Australia,
North
America,
all
over
Europe
and
in
India
and
Australia,
and
the
audience
is
growing
rapidly
as
word
spreads
about
the
mix
of
music and news.
Colin
McCall,
the
station
co-ordinator,
revealed
that
the
station
has
received
well
over
110,000
hits
on
the
website
and
that
Crystal
FM
now
has
over
50
presenters
and
information
providers
involved
in
the 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week, output.
The
former
primary
schoolteacher,
now
in
his
80th
year,
founded
the
station,
which
was
shortlisted
for
a
Community
Award
in
last
year's
Midlothian
and
East
Lothian
Chamber
of
commerce
Awards,
with a handful of other enthusiasts who donated £100 each.
Colin
explained:
"Crystal
FM
came
to
fruition
because
Black
Diamond
was
not
receivable
over
here
in
Penicuik.
I
forwarded
an
application
of
Ofcom
to
extend
the
area
to
Penicuik
and
they
refused.
"They
did,
however,
say
they
would
look
favourably
on
a
Penicuik
application.
Six
or
seven
of
us
put
£100
on
the
table
and
18
months
later
Crystal
FM
came
about.
This
is
the
start
of
our
11th
year
and
we
have
a
great
team
of
volunteers
who
have
made
that
possible."
Colin,
who
presents
a
breakfast
time
programme
called
Crystal
Fusion
each
weekday
from
7am
to
9am,
and
on
two
mornings
each
week
to
10am,
said
It
is
not
easy
to
run
the
station
and
raise
funds
to
make
ends
meet
and
costs
including
paying
the
rent,
paying
licence
fees
and
insurance,
and
keeping
the
equipment
up
to
scratch.
Currently,
Crystal
FM
have
a
core
of
20
presenters
who
come
regularly
to
the
studio
and,
over
and
above
that,
there
are
another
40 people who contribute.
Overall,
the
station
reach
is
supposed
to
be
six
miles
from
the
studio
in
the
Eastfield
Business
Centre
in
Eastfield
Farm
Road
in
Penicuik
but
Colin
said:
"How
do
you
stop
a
radio
signal?
It
is
variable
because
you
can
go
a
very
short
distance
and
the
signal
is
lost,
or
you
could
go
a
long
distance
and
pick
up
the
signal.
"For
example,
I've
picked
up
the
signal
from
the
golf
course
car
park
in
Kirkcaldy,
and
it
is
excellent
quality
in
the
car,
but
our
signal
also
reaches
Ratho
near
Edinburgh
as
it
must
go
through
a
gap
in
The
Pentland Hills.
"We
now
stream
out
online
and
it
is
interesting
to
note
that
since
we
moved
to
our
new
studio
on
the
Eastfield
Farm
Road
more
than
two years ago we have now had over 100,000 hits on our website.
"Looking
further
afield,
on
the
internet
our
broadcasts
are
world-
wide
and
our
regular
top
four
on
line
are
the
UK,
USA,
Europe
and
India. We also have listeners in Australia.
"I
don't
really
know
why
we
have
listeners
in
India,
but
it
may
possibly
be
a
link
to
people
to
live
here
and
it
allows
their
relatives
to listen, but India has always figured in the top three of four."
Eric
Platten,
one
of
the
senior
presenters,
who
has
regular
listeners
in
America
and
Spain,
to
name
just
two,
told
why
he
hosts
the
weekend
breakfast
shows
on
Saturday
and
Sunday
and
a
blues
programme.
Sunderland-born
Eric,
who
is
a
local
lollipop
man,
said:
"I
enjoy
it
and
I
first
got
in
touch
as
I
had
a
compilation
CD
which
I
donated
to
the station.
"Colin
and
I
got
talking
and
I
stated
doing
the
blues
show
and
then
I
graduated
to
the
weekend
shots
on
Saturday
and
Sunday.
It
is
not
as simple as walking in here and pushing a button.
"I
start
planning
my
weekend
programmes
on
a
Monday
and
after
my
weekend
sessions
and
I
then
find
the
tunes
and
the
information."