Tulip Radio was the localcommunity radio station covering the area of Spalding, Lincolnshire in England. The name was linked to Spalding's heavy involvement with the horticulture industry, and Tulips are one flower the town is famous for. In addition, the town used to host the annual Spalding Flower Parade every year at the beginning of May. The station had a float in the Spalding Flower Parade. Founded in 2001 as 'Tulip FM', and renaming in 2006 to Tulip Radio, in April 2008 the station was awarded an initial 5-year full-time community radio licence by Ofcom, the UK Media regulator. The station commenced full-time broadcasting on 12 June 2009. Tulip Radio was one of few radio stations nationally to offer media training to secondary students in local schools from its studios in The Crescent, originally funded by the leader+ scheme. Some of the students went on to present shows on the station. The station was regularly involved in community events such as the Annual Spalding Pumpkin Festival, the Flower Parade, Food Festival as well as Macmillan Cancer Support events & Springfields fireworks. In 2007, the station also took on the job of finding the South Holland Flower Queen to be the leading lady of the Spalding Flower Parade. On 3 December 2011 Tulip Radio organised, on behalf of Spalding & Area Chamber of Commerce, the Christmas Lights Switch On. As well as its own broadcasts, it has helped along with the Blackfriars Arts Centre, to set up a radio station in Boston, Lincolnshire formally known as Stump Radio which broadcasts during July on 87.7 FM. Stump eventually went on to become Endeavour Radio and is still going on.
Aborted rescue and closure
It was announced on Monday 12 December 2016 that Tulip Radio would cease broadcasting at 12 noon on Tuesday 13 December 2016. During the final show, aired live from 9.00am to 12 Noon, presenters Chris Carter and Jan Whitbourn were hand-delivered details of a rescue plan. This was mentioned on-air, with the possibility that all might not be over - they noted that the station was on a firm financial footing, it was just short of technical assistance and help with presentation of programmes. The rescue plan came from Hereward Media Limited, a local registered charity whose objectives are to advance the education and training of the inhabitants of Peterborough, the Fenlands and their surrounding areas in broadcasting and audio, video and media skills techniques. Spalding and South Holland are part of the charity's catchment area. The station relaunched on Monday 2 January 2017 at 7.00am, when a special show hosted by new technical and station directors revealed some of the new shows and approaches which would be adopted in the following months. The station began identifying itself as "Tulip - The Station You Can Really Call Your Own". On Monday 30 January 2017 Hereward Media announced that they were no longer working with Tulip Radio, citing irreconcilable differences and a catalogue of what was described as "unhelpful behaviour". A statement from Tulip Radio stated they were the ones who had made the decision to break the Memorandum of Agreement with Hereward Media, noting that it had been "terminated by the board". They also stated "broadcasting ceased and we shall be informing Ofcom that we intend to hand in our community radio licence".
