Local businessman sets his sight on new premises for own Darlington radio station

A volunteer-run community radio station for Darlington has moved into a new broadcasting base in the town’s centre.

Darlo Radio, established in 2017, has joined Darlington’s Business Central to facilitate its business growth and bring the community together by giving people a voice to discuss local issues.

The online station, which is run on a not-for-profit basis, is the creation of programme director Phil Osborne, who has over a decade worth of experience in the radio broadcasting industry.

After previously operating the business from a home-based studio, Mr Osborne believes the move to the business centre is ‘significant’ for the station’s growth.

He said: “The station has been growing at such a rate that we had to move into a professional set up and Business Central works perfectly for us.

“There’s a friendly atmosphere in the building and nothing is a problem for their staff, which is very important as I’ll be bringing notable guests into the building and I need them to feel at ease before going on air.

“It’s also an impressive building to look at so I’m looking forward to inviting guests here.”

As part of its social responsibility, Darlo Radio will allow charities and community groups to advertise on the station for free but limited companies must pay to advertise.

However, all profits will be reinvested back into the station to help it develop and carry on giving back to the community.

Osborne concluded: “We aim to offer something completely different. We are the only station actually based in Darlington and we will be making sure the local community has a voice.

“As the station develops, we want to make it part of the area’s fabric… [By ensuring] we offer programming of interest to the area and all those who live in it.”

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