BLACK Country Radio DJs were today walking ‘on air’ after Ofcom announced it had awarded the station an FM broadcast licence for a further five years.

The station, which is based at The Waterfront in Brierley Hill, was formed from a merger of Stourbridge community radio station 102.5 FM The Bridge and online station Black Country Community Radio two years ago.

Alex Totney, CEO of Black Country Radio, said: “We are really delighted to gain an extension to our FM licence for the next five years until 2022. The hard work and commitment of everyone involved in the station is truly inspiring, especially given as everyone involved in the station gives up their time on a voluntary basis.

"We are really excited about what the future holds for us and the extension our licence to broadcast on FM gives us a strong platform to develop the station further.”

Black Country Radio broadcasts on 102.5FM, on DAB across Birmingham (as part of the Local DAB trial) and online via its website and mobile apps.

The station, which is run by volunteers, broadcasts 24 hours a day for 365 days of the year - providing news and sports coverage for the Black Country, plus a wide range of daytime programmes and specialist shows.