 Cross Rhythms Launch Station Number 3
On Sunday April 27th, at the Stockton parish church, in the heart of the town, 200 people gathered for the momentous launch of a brand new community radio station for the Teesside region of Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees.
Cross Rhythms Teesside 107.1FM will carry the popular Cross Rhythms music style of contemporary Christian rock, pop, hip-hop, urban and worship, along with a diet of relevant, locally focused news, interviews, features and events. In particular the station will lean towards the 16-35 age bracket whilst aiming to be of positive benefit and service to the whole of the local Teesside community.
Run by Tees Valley Christian Media, the group have already gathered significant credibility in the region and much experience working in partnership with the local voluntary sector, youth services and other youth initiatives. Said station director Andy Robinson, "We have already built up trusted relationships in the region with other bodies and the young people themselves. We are thrilled to be able to bring a Cross Rhythms station into our area to build on this strong base because we believe it will be hugely empowering; giving a voice to the more marginalized and disadvantaged, offering training in media and dj skills, profiling local relevant activities and offering a 24 hour focal point for young people to identify with".
Cross Rhythms Teesside is the third Cross Rhythms FM station broadcasting in the UK, following the launch of Cross Rhythms Plymouth in March 2007 and the original model station, Cross Rhythms City Radio, which launched in February 2002, in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of the Cross Rhythms HQ.
Said Jonathan Bellamy, Cross Rhythms CEO, "It has been an incredible challenge to the guys in Teesside to take on a full time FM radio station, and it has pushed them right to the wire getting it on air. But they have such passion for their region, and such a desire to make a difference in their community that I know they will do a fantastic job. Indeed I genuinely expect them to excel in many ways beyond what we have pioneered in Stoke.
"The Cross Rhythms model for FM stations in the UK is all about partnership, not ownership. Cross Rhythms nationally does not own the Plymouth or Teesside stations but works collaboratively to support their vision to reach and serve their local communities using radio. As a recognized Christian media brand for 25 years we are able to help a group start at a much higher level than they would normally expect, eliminating many steps in the radio learning curve. This can only be good news for establishing a credible, effective voice for community radio, undergirded by Christian values, in the towns and cities of our nation. God-willing, our hope is to see many more such collaborations in the future".
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