Published
Mon, Nov 5, 2018, 13:06
- The Peckham-based project will broadcast 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday.
A new radio station has hit the airwaves in London.
Foundation.FM, which is based in Peckham, launches today, led by Becky Richardson, Ami Bennett and Frankie Wells, who have experience at BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radar Radio and other national stations. The April suspension and subsequent dissolution of Radar Radio in the wake of damning claims of a toxic work environment was "the catalyst" for starting Foundation.FM, said Wells in an interview with Time Out. "The timing is too close to deny there is a connection," added Richardson. "Me and Frankie met that day, and we were talking off the back of that. Our ethos, brand identity and morals will be completely different."
That ethos involves promoting women and having a "zero-tolerance policy" on racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. "For us, radio is still a very male-dominated place," said Bennett. "This is an opportunity for us to put women at the forefront at every turn. That's not to say that this is female-only, it's absolutely not about that. But this [station] will definitely be female-led." She added: "Usually there's only one seat at the table for a female DJ, whereas at Foundation.FM every seat at the table is open to anyone, whatever their gender or sexual orientation."
Foundation.FM's programming will run from 10 AM through 10 PM, Monday to Friday. Its programming will also shake up expectations from the usual. Instead of a standard early breakfast show, you'll hear a daily "Brunch Show," starting at 10 AM, and a "Happy Hour" in the evenings. DJs and hosts already on board include Ellie Prohan, K2RAH, Sistren, Kamilla, Tayylor Made, Becky Tong and more.
Listen live on their website.