Former Choice FM DJ Daddy Ernie, left, campaigner Lee Jasper, centre, and DJ 279 (Trevor Raymond)

The Voice reports that a second rally has been organised in protest of the recent rebranding of Choice FM.

SATURDAY JANUARY 25 is the date of the next protest against the changes made to Choice fm. Church congregations are looking forward to the planned appearance at the protest in Leicester Square of gospel choirs, alongside reggae band Musical Youth and the UK’s top Calypsonian Alexander D Great among others.

Since Global Radio rebranded Choice FM as Capital Xtra last October, specialist music programmes such as reggae, gospel, soca and calypso, have been dropped.

As a result, there is no legal commercial fm station giving dedicated and significant airplay to reggae, gospel, soca and calypso.

As The Voice went to press campaigners were still awaiting a formal response from Ofcom to the complaints that had flooded in since Choice was renamed. The latest news was that the investigation was still ongoing. Black trade unionists have tabled a motion to the upcoming TUC Black Workers’ Conference in London, which condemns the changes and calls upon the Trades Union Congress to intervene with both Global and Ofcom.

The Voice newspaper readers, music lovers and film and broadcasting union Bectu will be converging on Leicester Square on January 25 to make Global Radio keep its license format promise.

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Question…

When the original owners of Choice FM (Neil Kenlock and Patrick Berry) SOLD the station back in 2002 did they ensure that the “promise” to keep the station’s license format was legally binding or was this just a gentlemen’s agreement?