SIBC

The company, which was registered on 23 September 1985, began broadcasting on 26 November 1987, initially as an unlicensed pirate radio station{{Cite news |date=14 August 1987 |title=Shetlands pirate plan |work=Broadcast |pages=10}}{{Cite news |date=15 July 1988 |title=Call for paid staff at rural stations |work=Broadcast |pages=12 |quote="SIBC has been on the air, without a licence, since last year..."}} covering the immediate area around Lerwick, after the operator was told by regulators of the era that the population of Shetland was too small to support an independent local radio station.{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Doreen |date=21 December 1987 |title=A station up in the air - The confused status of Shetland's commercial radio |work=The Guardian}}

SIBC was later granted an official licence in 1991, extending its coverage to the whole of the Shetland Islands. It is currently on a 12-year commercial radio licence from broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

Ian Anderson, one of the station's two owners, was previously a broadcaster for the BBC and Radio Forth, as well as pirate radio stations including Radio Atlantis, Radio Northsea International, and Radio Caroline.http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/djs7a.htm Pirate Radio Hall of Fame

SIBC is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a schedule of contemporary hit music and local news (on the hour and at 0730, 0830 and 1730), which at times includes news of Shetland fish landings.{{Cite web |title=SIBC - News Schedule |url=http://www.sibc.co.uk/news-schedule.php |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=www.sibc.co.uk}} The station also carries, as necessary, essential information regarding emergencies, school closures, etc. Programming is largely automated outside of the breakfast slot. Music by local Shetland artists forms a part of SIBC's playlist.{{Cite web |date=2017-11-30 |title=Happy birthday, SIBC – and co-owner Ian admits he hasn’t had a full day off in 30 years |url=https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2017/11/30/happy-birthday-sibc-and-co-owner-ian-admits-he-hasn-t-had-a-full-day-off-in-30-years/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Shetland News |language=en-GB}}

The station is unusual in that it carries very few DJ-led programmes, most hours are filled with back-to-back music, and all programmes and news bulletins aired on the station are presented by either Ian Anderson or Inga Walterson.{{Cite news |last=Morton |first=Tom |date=30 August 1997 |title=Why Wadbister Voe became a cult for Shetland listeners |work=The Scotsman}} Its format has remained unchanged since launch, with only the music being updated to reflect current hits.

SIBC transmits its main signal on 96.2 MHz from a transmitter on the island of Bressay with an effective radiated power of 14kW.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-21 |title=Technical parameters for broadcast radio transmitters |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/information/radio-tech-parameters |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Ofcom |language=en}} The station has an additional transmitter facility situated at its Lerwick premises, broadcasting with 25 watts on 102.2 MHz, as an emergency back-up facility to provide coverage to Lerwick in the event of issues at Bressay.{{Cite web |title=mb21 - The Transmission Gallery |url=https://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=1326 |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=tx.mb21.co.uk}}

• BBC Radio Shetland

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.sibc.co.uk SIBC Website]
• [https://twitter.com/SIBC_Shetland SIBC on Twitter]

{{Radio in Scotland}}

Category:Radio stations established in 1987

Category:Radio stations in Scotland

Category:Shetland music

Category:Mass media in Shetland

Category:Companies based in Shetland

Category:1985 establishments in Scotland

Category:Contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom

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