East Herts Radio set to extend coverage in Bishop's Stortford

East Herts Radio is recruiting volunteer reporters in Bishop’s Stortford.

The community interest company, which was founded in 2018, will offer training and ongoing support in return for a regular presenting commitment of at least an hour a week.

The online-only service is also seeking volunteers for office and general administrative roles to help run the Ware-based station.

Founder and director Mickey Gocool said: “Our studio is based in Ware town centre, which is nine miles from Bishop's Stortford and could pose a problem for those who don't drive. So we've embraced the latest technology with our studio software and introduced remote access. Now, presenters can host their contributions from home with nothing more than a laptop, headphones and a good-quality microphone – oh, and a bit of time and training.”

He added: “Zoom was used by East Herts Radio during live on-air discussions with many participants during lockdown to maintain our broadcasts. This now forms the foundation of our talk show format with the ability to take live phone calls.

"In fact, Zoom could be used between two presenters in different locations to record a breakfast show, for example. Reporters can submit their news reports by uploading directly to our studio playout software.”

In 2019, former BBC DJ Triston Russell and fellow broadcasting enthusiast David Bassett launched a dedicated radio station for the town called Stortford One. However, the pair, who met while presenting the now-defunct Phoenix Community Radio in Harlow, took the project offline because of Covid-19.

David told the Indie: “We would love to start back up, but unfortunately there's no advertising. We've been in talks with East Herts Radio to see if we can join together.”

To find out more about volunteering, email studio@easthertsradio.co.uk.