MORE FM, which has been campaigning for more than five years to bring radio choice to the listeners of Oxfordshire, announced today that it will be applying for a licence to run a radio station for the City of Oxford.

MORE FM is an Oxford-based consortium that includes Newsquest, publisher of a range of newspapers in Oxfordshire including the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times, as well as Chrysalis Radio, one of the UK's biggest commercial radio companies and owner of the hugely successful Heart FM stations in London and the West Midlands.

Many listeners in Oxford will already be familiar with the sound of MORE FM after it ran a four-week trial broadcast in the city as well as another similar service in Bicester.

MORE FM plans to provide a genuinely local radio station for Oxford, combining classic pop hits from the last four decades with a comprehensive and entertaining service of local news and information.

Announcing MORE FM's intention to apply for the licence, MORE FM chairman, Barrie Giles, said: "Younger listeners in Oxford are already well catered for by Fox FM.

"We believe that it is time the vast majority of people in Oxford -- those aged over 35 -- had a radio station specifically for them. That is what MORE FM has been campaigning to provide.

"There will be a great deal of competition to win this radio licence, and it will attract the attention of quite a few big media companies.

"MORE FM has its roots firmly in Oxford, and a track record of seeking to bring genuine listening choice to the city."

Listeners in Oxford are encouraged to tell the Radio Authority what they want to hear from their local radio station, which is required by law to take into account the views of local people as it considers who should be awarded this licence.

Barrie Giles added: "If you have always felt that there was nothing on the radio just for you, then do write to the Radio Authority at Holbrook House, 14 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5DG, to tell them that you support what MORE FM has to offer.

"Or write to us at MORE FM 107.9, PO Box 810, Oxford (e-mail - morefm@nqo.com)"