SUSY Radio

SUSY Radio 103.4 is the community radio station for Redhill, Reigate, Horley, North Crawley and the surrounding villages and has been allocated a five year license from 2012. The station is on 103.4 MHz FM and also online via the website susyradio.com and via mobile apps on Android and also "Tune in", UK Radio Player and itunes radio. In July 2017 SUSY celebrated five years on air. This alone is a considerable achievement given that one in six community stations fail either to get on-air or fall by the wayside within five years.

The station traces its history back to Sussex Surrey Radio Group created by Colin Pearse to run Jubilee FM in 1994 marking 150 years of Redhill, Surrey. It became Trust FM in September 1995 raising monies in support of the Childrens Trust at Tadworth. In 1996 the name of the station changed once more to Susy Radio. Nearly every year since 1996 Susy Radio has run two RSLs in the 1990s (Month long restricted service license) per year on FM or 531 kHz AM in the noughties. These promoted local charities, causes and events. Profits being donated to a variety of good causes including East Surrey Hospital, The Rainbow Trust and the Royal Variety Club of Great Britain. Susy was the first RSL in the country to utilize a low AM broadcast frequency in 2004 and also the first to use a Hot Country format in the UK on their 2005 RSL.  In June 2010 Ofcom awarded Susy Radio Ltd a five year license.

License holder Colin Pearse described the output “as an entertainment based station with a community emphasis.” Mainstream daytime programming is interspersed with local news, phone in / phone out programmes, promotional town centre events, a Saturday Sports Programme with live reports from local events and the ubiquitous “What’s on” calendar. With various contacts made over 14 years celebrity events and interviews are a regular feature.

Colin added “to give a wide appeal in addition to mainstream programming diversity is crucial to the output”.

Specialist community programming across the years included church services, employment information (in conjunction with the Employment Service), live music venues, live street interviews, local talent contests and a theatre variety event. 

Many former land-based pirates from Radios Helen, Jackie, Kaleidoscope and Southern Radio / South East Sounds (plus a couple of lesser known ones) have been on air and assisted with the station. Of course this also means that various members of sasradiogroup have been actively involved in Susy Radio and all it's predecessors. It should be stressed that Susy Radio is not sasradiogroup and vice versa. However, there has always been a good cross fertilisation of personnel who have broadcast on Susy as DJs and helped to provide News and Traffic reports. Major contributions have been made as individuals to engineering, website services, the committee (SSRG), Directors and Company Secretary of Susy Radio. Lastly, individual members have made monthly financial contributions towards the project for a number of years before we obtained a full-time license plus donations. Indeed they continue to do so. This financial and practical support has contributed towards the aim of coming on-air and helped out in the critical months when the station was in build and when there was no revenue from sponsors, advertisers or grants. Our on-going funding helps with running costs and mini-projects as our monies are invested in the continuing success of the project.

Various members of the Susy Radio crew appear regularly at our meetings. So if you want to get involved in an independent community station and live locally contact either the station website at SUSY Radio or alternatively dop in at the SAS meetings on a first Tuesday of the month from 8.30pm at the Toby Inn at Redhill. 

Getting on-air in 2010 took a dedicated crew a lot of effort. Then MD Colin Pearse, Company Chair Neil Munday, and Programme Director Geoff Rogers have reminded me that not everyone has been fortunate enough to see the station finally come on-air full time. The launch was dedicated to Steve Romaine and Ray Alan who did not live to see the dream fulfilled.