About Us
THE CELTICA RADIO VISION:
A steadily growing platform for artistes, writers and broadcasters who have been denied a chance elsewhere.
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THE CELTICA RADIO MEDIUM-TO-LONG TERM OBJECTIVE:
A full-service radio station developing and using multi-platform technology to attract and serve an audience both within the UK and elsewhere. The Celtica Radio Group is based in South Wales in the
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CELTICA RADIO
The Celtica Radio Radio story goes back to 1979 when a small group of people in the Brigend area of South Wales wanted to set up their own wholly independent radio station. Over the following eighteen years the evolution of the group continued, with the establishment of two hospital radio stations in Bridgend and Neath, the re-launch of broadcasting at Swansea University, and two trial broadcasts in 1997 and 1998, cumulating in a successful campaign to persuade the licensing authority at the time that the Bridgend region and community deserved its own local radio station. Leading this group of committed local radio enthusiasts and professionals was Bill Everatt. The UK Radio Authority [which has now been replaced by Ofcom, the new regulator] did not give that group the chance of broadcasting to their home area. Despite the years of background work which Bill and his colleagues had put into the project, despite their wealth of local knowledge, despite a licence application which was more than good enough to win the bid, the licence went to a rival group. Not for the first time, and not for the last, the commercial radio licensing regulator took a perverse and inexplicable decision. What happened was wrong, and is still wrong. But it had the effect of stiffening the resolve of those who had been denied this local station licence, and led to David Cook [our Founding Director, a Yorkshireman, with good Celtic Roots] providing the initial financial investment to set up Celtica Radio. It was felt [and it is still the case] that it would be undignified and simply wrong to apply for jobs with the “winning applicant” - the “local” commercial radio station for Bridgend. The operators of the Brigend local station do not share the vision, business philosophy, or culture of those who made a local licence for the area possible in the first place. They certainly do not share the passion for the local Welsh culture which characterises the founders of Celtica Radio.
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Celtica Radio has now expanded and the original group of broadcasters has been joined by others from all over the UK. Everyone associated with Celtica Radio despises the UK local radio licensing system and its arrogant, inconsistent, incompetent and perverse regulator. Celtica Radio is thankful for the fact that technology makes it possible for an alternative radio service to be available to listeners in South Wales and worldwide, without having to be subject to a UK regulatory authority for which it has no respect.However, Celtica Radio management has its own strict code of ethical conduct, which can be summed up as follows:” Celtica Radio will not knowingly broadcast material which will cause offence to those who have not earned it, while not hesitating to comment on perverse, unreasonable, unethical or dishonest behaviour.” “Celtica Radio will treat its personnel, contributors, and customers with compassion, respect, honesty, understanding and encouragement.”
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CELTICA RADIO’S WELSH/CELTIC ROOTS -
AND ITS GROWING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STATURE
Most of the members of the Celtica Radio Group can trace, through many generations, their lineage in the area of South Wales where Celtica Radio is based, and the contribution their ancestors have made to the arts of this region across the centuries is self-evident in the folk stories, anecdotes, songs and those things that they now call “the cultural arts” that so enrich our lives. This radio station is in part a continuation of what their collective families have contributed to the unique culture of the place that they call home. Celtica Radio has been responsible for nurturing the careers of young broadcasters, writers and musicians who have gone on to work on National and International networks. Celtica Radio has provided a platform for many artists from within its own region, and from much further afield - those who have been denied radio exposure by the incestuous and over-regulated local radio industry in the UK.
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It has been extremely hard work keeping Celtica Radio going, but its founders are not going to give up, or go away, and will continue for as long as it takes to develop and expand this service, increase its audience and work towards increased commercial viability.