:Penistone FM
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = Penistone FM
| logo = PenFM.jpg
| image_size =
| city = Penistone | country = UK
| area = Penistone and Stocksbridge
| frequencies = 95.7 and 97.7 MHz
| rds =
| language =
| format =
| owner = Penistone Community Radio Limited
| airdate = 6 June 2009
| erp =
| coordinates =
| website = {{URL|https://penistonefm.co.uk}}
}}
Penistone FM or Pen FM is a community radio station based in Penistone, South Yorkshire, England, serving Penistone and Stocksbridge and broadcasting on FM and online.{{cite web |title=PenFM marks a decade at town centre location – Retail developers and leaders in urban regeneration – Dransfield Properties Limited |url=https://www.dransfield.co.uk/news/penfm-marks-a-decade-at-town-centre-location |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=www.dransfield.co.uk}}
History
Penistone Community Radio was co-founded in 2005 by Martin Sugden.https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/manage-your-licence/digital-radio/small-scale-dab/applications/multiplex/round-1/sheffield-and-rotherham/sheffield-and-rotherham-dab-ltd.pdf?v=325733 Trial broadcasts started in September 2006.https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/media/17224/penistone-ndp-august-2019.pdf The station was successfully granted its license by Ofcom in December 2007.{{Cite web |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/data/community2.html |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=radiotoday.co.uk}}
The official launch of Penistone FM occurred on Saturday 6 June 2009, broadcasting on 95.7 MHz.{{cite web |last=YorkshireLive |date=21 May 2009 |title=Going live |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/going-live-5020304 |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=Yorkshire Live }}https://visitpenistone.co.uk/NDP/Penistone-NDP-Pre-submission-consultation-draft-low-res.pdf Its five-year contract was renewed in 2014.{{Cite web |date=23 July 2024 |title=Penistone FM gets bigger office and studio space – RadioToday |url=https://new.radiotoday.co.uk/2014/12/penistone-fm-gets-bigger-office-and-studio-space/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723105535/https://new.radiotoday.co.uk/2014/12/penistone-fm-gets-bigger-office-and-studio-space/ |archive-date=23 July 2024}}
As of 2016, the station has about forty volunteers.{{Cite magazine |date=November 2016 |title=Penistone FM evolves |magazine=TopicUK (South Yorkshire Edition) |page=8}}
Initially, the station was based at above a shop on the High Street. In 2015, the station moved its studios to a new base at Penistone 1 in the town centre.
In 2020, the station along with several other local ones came together for plans to apply for small-scale DAB transmissions across Sheffield and Rotherham.{{Cite web |date=2 October 2020 |title=New consortium to apply for Sheffield & Rotherham DAB |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/10/new-consortium-to-apply-for-sheffield-rotherham-dab/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=RadioToday }} However their bid was failed and instead was granted to Shefcast Digital consisting of Link FM and Sheffield Live!.{{Cite web |date=9 October 2020 |title=Rival bid for Sheffield & Rotherham DAB announced |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/10/rival-bid-for-sheffield-rotherham-dab-announced/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=RadioToday }}
In 2024, the station's five-year Ofcom contract was renewed to run until 2029.{{Cite web |date=9 May 2024 |title=Radio broadcast update – April 2024 |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/analogue-radio/radio-broadcast-update-april-2024/ |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=www.ofcom.org.uk }}
Transmission
The main transmitter, broadcasting at 95.7 MHz, is located on a hill near the village of Hoylandswaine, very close by a transmitter belonging to Dearne FM.{{Cite web |title=mb21 – The Transmission Gallery |url=https://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=1357&pageid=2958 |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=tx.mb21.co.uk}} The station could also be picked up in parts of Barnsley, Sheffield and other areas in the region, but lacked coverage in the Stocksbridge Valley due to geographical reasons. In August 2023, a second aerial based in Wortley was installed and began broadcasting on 97.7 MHz, covering Stocksbridge.{{Cite news |date=24 October 2024 |title=New Wortley base for Pen FM |url= |work=Look Local |pages=5}}
Ventures
Penistone FM sponsored the Fox Valley Food Festival in 2024, a year after it started serving Stocksbridge.{{Cite web |date=8 June 2024 |title=Sheffield event organisers reveal full live music line-up at mega food festival |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/food-and-drink/fox-valley-food-festival-sheffield-event-organisers-reveal-full-live-music-line-up-timings-and-traders-4652616 |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=The Star }}