Online urban radio station, Radar Radio, has announced that it will be shutting down following recent financial difficulties.
The station’s founder, Oliver Ashley, disclosed that the East London station will be closing after it made a loss of around £1.3m this year and has announced no plans for a revival in the future.
Balance sheets for the company show that they owe £4m to various creditors, including parent company MASH Holdings Limited, which is owned by Ashley's father and Newcastle United owner, Mike Ashley.
Ashley set up the station in 2014 after DJing and producing at other stations. He heralded Radar Radio as the ‘next generation of radio’, showcasing the work of artists like Mercury Prize winner Skepta and Grammy-nominated M.I.A.
Back in April 2018 the station temporarily suspended broadcasts while dealing with allegations of sexual harassment and ‘organisational racism’.
DJ Collective Pxssy Palace said in a statement that the station had: ‘tokenised women, feminism, queer and trans culture, and Black and other people of colour, for capitalist purposes, whilst making little to no effort to practise intersectionality within their own organisation’.
Former producer Ashtart Al-Hurrah wrote in a blog post that she was subject to sexual harassment by ‘dickhead dj dudes’ and her complaints to management were met with explanations that their behaviour was simply ‘boys being boys’.
Broadcasts were yet to resume following the allegations.
Radar Radio is also predicted to pay £270,000 in redundancy costs and £230,000 in professional fees because of the closure.
The station’s founder, Oliver Ashley, disclosed that the East London station will be closing after it made a loss of around £1.3m this year and has announced no plans for a revival in the future.
Balance sheets for the company show that they owe £4m to various creditors, including parent company MASH Holdings Limited, which is owned by Ashley's father and Newcastle United owner, Mike Ashley.
Ashley set up the station in 2014 after DJing and producing at other stations. He heralded Radar Radio as the ‘next generation of radio’, showcasing the work of artists like Mercury Prize winner Skepta and Grammy-nominated M.I.A.
Back in April 2018 the station temporarily suspended broadcasts while dealing with allegations of sexual harassment and ‘organisational racism’.
DJ Collective Pxssy Palace said in a statement that the station had: ‘tokenised women, feminism, queer and trans culture, and Black and other people of colour, for capitalist purposes, whilst making little to no effort to practise intersectionality within their own organisation’.
Former producer Ashtart Al-Hurrah wrote in a blog post that she was subject to sexual harassment by ‘dickhead dj dudes’ and her complaints to management were met with explanations that their behaviour was simply ‘boys being boys’.
Broadcasts were yet to resume following the allegations.
Radar Radio is also predicted to pay £270,000 in redundancy costs and £230,000 in professional fees because of the closure.
