Former Nõmme Radio's license goes to new hip-hop-focused station
The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority has granted a broadcasting license previously held by Nõmme Radio to Lege Raadio OÜ, the company behind Legendaarne Raadio, which until now has operated as an online station.
According to Kristi Talving, director general of the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), the frequency allocated to the Nõmme district of Tallinn was left unassigned following a lack of interest in last summer's licensing round.
Interest from radio companies emerged at the beginning of this year, prompting TTJA and the Ministry of Culture to announce a new competition for a broadcasting license for the Nõmme area of Tallinn, using the 99.3 MHz frequency.
"As a result of the competition, a new radio station, Legendaarne Raadio, will have the opportunity to enter the market. It will focus on hip-hop and urban culture and aims to reach a younger radio audience. A youth-oriented station focused on hip-hop and urban culture has so far been missing from the radio landscape. In addition, the media license issued today gives the station the flexibility to expand its coverage area in the future via digital radio broadcasting," Talving said.
According to the commercial register, Lege Raadio OÜ was established on April 14 of this year. Its authorized representative and ultimate beneficiary is Estonian rapper, producer and media executive Henry Kõrvits.
Legendaarne Raadio (Legendary Radio) launched as an online station in December of last year.
Five applications were submitted for the competition. The evaluation committee reviewed the applications for compliance with the supplementary conditions set by the Minister of Culture and with the requirements of the Media Services Act. Key criteria included the proportion of Estonian authors' music in the programming and ensuring that the frequency would carry programming targeted at diverse audiences.
The evaluation committee consisted of five members representing the Estonian Association of Broadcasters, the University of Tartu, the Ministry of Culture and TTJA. The applications were scored using a point-based system, and the license was awarded based on the results.
The new broadcasting license is valid until November 2031. Before beginning operations, the service provider must also obtain a frequency license from TTJA to use the radio frequency.
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Editor: Barbara Oja, Marcus Turovski
