Carbon Bar granted broadcasting licence

Carbon Bar in London's West End has become the first in the UK to have its own broadcasting licence.

The late-night bar, which is one of the few in Westminster to be open until 3am, has been granted a 28-day analogue licence by regulator Ofcom. Radio Carbon will air during opening hours, beaming out the music of the venue's DJs to the local area to a range of two miles.

The bar's owners plan to involve residents and businesses advertising local lunch specials and sales, such as at nearby department store Selfridges, and giving travel updates about the London Underground.

In the daytime hours listeners will be able to hear DJ sets at the bar from the night before.

Carbon Bar manager Sebastien Albert said: "Our music is one of our defining features. We have live DJs playing an eclectic mix of music every night of the week from 9pm. We want our locals to be able to benefit from and enjoy the great Carbon sound, even if they can't make it into the bar."

Licence applications to regulator Ofcom require a £400 non-refundable fee and although prices vary the average cost for a similar licence to Carbon's would be around £2,000. Allocated on a first come first served basis due to limited available spectrum, more information can be found at Ofcom's radio licence page.

By Chris Druce

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