| Radio Folkestone | |
| Airdate: | 31 March 2011 |
| Frequency: | 105.9 MHz |
| Area: | Folkestone |
| Coordinates: | 51.0917°N 1.1659°W |
| Former Names: | Academy FM Folkestone (until 2024) |
Radio Folkestone, previously known as 105.9 Academy FM until 11 May 2024, is a community radio station serving the town of Folkestone in Kent, which launched on 31 March 2011.[1]
The station broadcasts 24 hours a day on 105.9 FM. In spring 2015 OFCOM announced that rules relating to on-air advertising for community radio stations would change, which will enable the station to raise limited funds from this source.[1]
The radio station is operated by a charity (Academy FM Folkestone, No.1137248) and as of 2022 features new young presenters such as Folkestone Academy Sixth Formers including music researcher Luke Murrum and public speaker Cayden Fuente-Collins. The station's licence was renewed for a five-year period in 2016 and again in 2021. It broadcasts from the Folkestone Academy secondary school and a studio in the Glassworks building in central Folkestone, and the charity works with young people in the Academy school in addition to pupils in Primary schools across the District, with the organisation's educational work reaching over 800 children and young people a year in the period between 2015 and 2022. The charity is funded by sources including the Folkestone Academy, the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, the Kent Community Foundation, and various National Lottery funds. Academy FM Folkestone also carries commercial advertising and sponsorship under the terms of its Ofcom license.
The renowned poet David Sharp, M.B.E., was the Station Manager of Academy FM from its launch in 2011 until July 2022 but re-joined and led the station temporarily from January 2023 until July 2023. Academy FM have also achieved multiple prestigious awards such as 7 Community Radio Awards and 4 Young Audio Awards. Other presenters of the radio station include; Kay McLoughlin (self-titled 'President of Folkestone'), Steve Bispham, Josh Carter, Ross Hoare, Taya Walters and Ethan Cole.
The licence for the station was filed with OFCOM in November 2008.[2] [3]
The station relaunched as Radio Folkestone on 11 May 2024[4] .