Two Lochs Radio

Public file

All commercial radio stations in the UK are required to provide a Public File to inform listeners about the station and what they can expect of it. This is Two Lochs Radio's Public File.
     

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  What is the purpose of this Public File?
News Bulletins
Recent News
The News Team
The Programme Schedule
Automation & Local Programming
Events & Charities we support
Coverage Highlights
Music Play list
The Format
Ofcom Localness Guidelines
Contact Us
How to Complain

1 What is the purpose of this Public File?

Each UK commercial radio station has a licence commitment in terms of the general nature of its service and what music and local content it will provide. This commitment is specified in the Station Format document published by the industry regulator Ofcom.

Each station is also required to maintain a Public File that gives listeners clear information about the specific ways in which the station meets it format commitments and serves its community of listeners.

This document is Two Lochs Radio's Public File. Please contact us if you have any queries about the content of this file or need a printed copy.

2 News Bulletins

We broadcast local news bulletins at least once an hour during our live local programming on weekday mornings and afternoons, and Saturday mornings. We also carry hourly bulletins of national and international news from national providers during weekday daytime hours.

The nominal times of our regular bulletins are:

Monday to Friday:
Local news: 07:33, 08:03, 08:33, 17:06, 18:06
National news: Hourly on the hour between 08:00 and 19:00 inclusive

Saturday:
Local news: 08:03, 09:03, 10:03
National news: Hourly on the hour between 08:00 and 11:00 inclusive

Sunday:
No news service

3 Recent News

To view a sample of typical local news stories from Two Lochs Radio and Lochbroom FM click here.

4 The News Team

Our current regular News Team is Alex Gray (duty editor) with relief service from Iain Meadows.

If you have any news to report or story ideas, e-mail us at

For help with any queries about broadcast bulletins or news policy, contact the Station Manager using the contact details at the bottom of this page.

5 The Programme Schedule

We broadcast at least 30 hours per week of locally-originated programmes, plus up to 30 additional hours per week produced elsewehere in the Highlands and Islands and other Celtic/Gaelic diaspora areas (for example traditional Scottish music on a Saturday evening, Gaelic programmes from Cape Breton, and occasional programmes produced on Lewis).

At other times when we are not broadcasting locally-originated material, we relay 'sustaining services' from other providers. These are generally music-led stations, aimed at a general adult audience (eg Smooth Scotland).

To view our current programme schedule click here.

6 Automation & local programming

Some radio stations use computer-controlled automated programme generation of music programmes without live presenters. At present we do not use any automation of this sort locally. However during our 'non-local' hours we relay the broadcasts of other 'sustaining services', and those services may themselves use automation at certain times, particularly in the early hours of the night. We plan to introduced some automation outside of our current local hours to replace some of the sustaining service by a more locally-oriented music mix.

Our regular breakfast and drivetime weekday shows, and Saturday and Sunday morning shows are always presented live from our studio in Gairloch. Other locally-produced or commissioned shows may be played out from pre-recordings according to presenter availability and editing requirements.

7 Local events & good causes we support

Two Lochs Radio is a non-profit voluntary organisation and a registered Scottish Charity (SC049942), so the extent of our direct fundraising for other bodies is naturally limited. However we support other good causes and fundraisers in the area with general publicity, What's On information, and interviews offering the chance for more information and news from these organisations to be broadcast. We provide substantial publicity for a major local annual charitable event, the Great Wilderness Challenge, and also assisted with its production of an anniversary fundraising DVD. We produced a fundraising CD jointly with a local fundraising team supporting Highland Hospice, and support the Gairloch 10K Fun Run. We also provided publicity and support for the production of a fundraising music CD by a local school, fundraising for extra activities for residents of a local care home, and for the local branch of An Comunn Gaidhealach. We have also fundraised jointly with the Gairloch & Aultbea Football Club and the Gairloch & District Junior Pipe Band. We broadcast appeals from the Disasters Emergency Committee which coordinates major appeals through commercial radio stations.

8 Coverage Highlights

Two Lochs Radio participates in, and provides radio coverage of, local events, such as the Gairloch Highland Gathering, Autumn Market and other events. We also cover events and activities by local schools, societies, public services and tourism operators. These include interviews with representatives of a wide range of community organisations, agencies operating in the area and visitors.

You can read more about general developments at Two Lochs Radio in our Annual Review.

9 Music Playlist

Two Lochs Radio does not operate any exclusive playlist of specific items to be played, however for current releases an 'A-list' is prepared for presenters' use. Presenters are responsible for their own selection of music within guidelines as to the general nature and mixture of music to be achieved in breakfast and drivetime (morning and late afternoon) programming.

The mix is wide and is intended to reflect the diverse range of backgrounds and tastes of the local community, with a much stronger emphasis on Scottish and Gaelic music than might be found on a larger city station.

Other programmes in the evening and at weekends are themed to more specific genres and topics, and among these there are entire programmes devoted to individual genres such as Celtic, World, Country, Folk, Classical or specific artists.

To give you a feel for the range of music we play in our live peak time shows programmes, here is a sample from a couple of hours in 2022

Wolfstone

Tinnie Run

Robbie Williams

Lost

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Hypnotized

Matthew Maclennan

Canadian Barn Dance

George Michael

You Have Been Loved

Marianne Faithful

Ballad of Lucy Jordan

Ray Stevens

Everything is Beautiful

Don Williams

Desperately

Dougie Maclean

Ae Fond Kiss

Keith Urban

Wild Hearts

Johnny Hates Jazz

Shattered Dreams

Banter

Roxanne

Snow Patrol

Chasing cars

Smokie

Oh Carol

Ellie Goulding ft Big Sean

Easy Lover

Josh Turner

Your Man

Kathleen MacInnes

Tuireadh Bard Thurnaig

Adele

Set Fire to the Rain

Donna Summer

I Feel Love

Capercaillie

Ma Thčid Mise Tuilleagh

Keith Urban

Wild Hearts

Helen Reddy

Angie baby

Canned Heat

Let's Work Together

Wick Scottish Dance Band

Scandinavian barn dance

10 The Format document

This is the document published by Ofcom which specifies the formats that Two Lochs Radio is expected to follow. You can find it on the Ofcom website at http://static.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/html/radio-stations/analogue/al100640ba1twolochsradio.htm.

We also provide programme service to the Lochbroom FM area, and this document specifies the format for broadcasts in the Lochbroom area http://static.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/html/radio-stations/analogue/al100667ba3lochbroomfm.htm.

11 Ofcom Localness Guidelines

Ofcom issues Guidelines defining what it terms "localness" for the local radio stations it licenses. You can read them on the Ofcom website at this address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/information-for-industry/radio-broadcasters/localness.

12 Contact Us

Details of how to get in touch with Two Lochs Radio are at the bottom of this page.

13 How to Complain

If you want to make a complaint about something you have heard on the station, or something you understand the station is planning to do, in the first instance please raise the matter with the Station Manager using the details at the bottom of this page.

If you are not satisfied with our response and wish to take the matter further, you can contact the regulator Ofcom on 0300 123 3333 or via the contact page on the Ofcom website.

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Two Lochs Radio
Gairloch
IV21 2LR

Tel 01445 712106
e-mail

Two Lochs Radio is an operating name of Wester Ross Radio Ltd (SC235969), a Scottish Charity (SC049942).
Web site designed by Andrew Gray. © Wester Ross Radio Ltd 2023.