Reverend to launch Christmas radio from his Sedgley home
Not had enough Christmas yet this Christmas? One church minister has just the answer.
Reverend Kevin Jones is creating a pop-up radio station, playing wall-to-wall festive music.
He wants to spread the joy of Christmas, but also share the religious message that he feels is sometimes lost. Gornal Christmas Radio will launch today and people will be able to tune in on 87.7FM.
The station has been set up by churchgoers to remind people about the real meaning of Christmas. It hopes to pick up people who like to listen to seasonal music in the run up to the big day.
Rev Jones, who will be presenting the breakfast show, said: “Our aim is to share the joy of Christmas but also the religious meaning behind the festival, that Christmas is not just about presents, lights and reindeers.”
The station radio has been established by five churches in the Gornal area – Upper Gornal Methodist Church, Lake Street Methodist Church, Five Ways Methodist Church, Himley Road Methodist Church and Zoar Methodist Church. They had to apply for a licence from Ofcom to set it up.
The radio will be broadcast from the home of Rev Jones’ home in Sedgley, which he says will be able to reach around five miles away. Alongside playing Christmas carols, Rev Jones says he hopes to get members of the community on air to have a chat. He said: “People can bring on air their Christmas greetings and dedications.
“If people have interesting stories they can come and talk about them.
“We will be interviewing people from the Black Country Living Museum, the local dog trust and food banks and local library.” And the radio will have a variety of presenters on air.
It will run each day from 7am to 10pm. It will end before midnight on Christmas Eve, when the organisers will go to Communion at Zoar Methodist Church.
Mr Jones says he has had to kit out a room in house to turn into the a ‘radio room’.
Although the radio is being run by volunteers, it has cost more than £1,200 to obtain the licence.
