BBC Radio Cheshire Coming?

For years Crewe fans have reluctantly had to put up being covered by ‘Radio Stoke’, but for once it looks like we could have our own radio station.

BBC Radio Cheshire was first mooted around a year ago when Radio Stoke Sports Editor Graham McGarry revealed that Radio Cheshire was in the pipeline – possibly for launch by the end of 2006.

That vision turned out to be wildly optimistic and reports suggested that the BBC put the plans on hold. However, 2007 has breathed new life into the proposals and we could soon be soaking up Cheshire derbies via the BBC.

The BBC Trust outlined it’s objectives earlier this year for regional output, and one of those was as followed:

‘Continue to develop our proposals for four more local radio stations based in Somerset, Dorset, Cheshire and Bradford, and work on gaining approval and securing property and technology ready for the launch of Somerset and Dorset.’

So as of March 2007 we are obviously not as close to Radio Cheshire as Somerset are to Radio Somerset but this, we believe, is the first official recognition that BBC Radio Cheshire is in the works.

Another, rather geeky, good sign is when you visit bbc.co.uk/cheshire. A blank page. A blank page is better than their bog standard ‘404 Page Not Found’ message though, could it mean that /cheshire has been reserved for us?

Seeing as it’s in early planning stages, it may be another 12 months before the station goes to air but after years of enduring the Stoke & Vale fans whinge over nonsense like car parks I’m sure another 12 months won’t do any harm.

Radio Cheshire, should it happen, would see us leave our Staffordshire neighbours and join old school rivals such as Chester and Stockport – both of whom are also stuck on neighbouring BBC networks. Oh, it’d also make us top dogs of the reigon, meaning more coverage.

VitalCrewe have email the BBC for a official update on the progress, we’ll report back.

Should the proposals fall flat on their face, as I expect they will, then you can help pick them back up again through a online petition here.