About Us

Welcome to OUTREACH DANCE – Showcasing local, national & international DJ’s and artists from across the world of dance music.

PART 1 – OUR FM BEGINNINGS

OUTREACH RADIO began broadcasting as Lockdown 100.7 FM, under a temporary licence granted by OfCom to radio stations supporting local communities during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Supported by local volunteers, the service was incredibly well received by listeners across Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, North Baddesley, Romsey and surrounding areas.

Following the expiration of our temporary licence on the 5th September 2020, we re-branded to OUTREACH RADIO, and broadcasts continued online whilst we investigated permanent options.

PART 2 – OUTREACH RADIO’S JOURNEY TO DAB DIGITAL RADIO

On the 1st October 2020, OfCom granted OUTREACH RADIO a permanent DAB licence, allowing us to broadcast across South Hampshire, the South Coast and the Isle of Wight – a coverage area reaching 1.4 million people.

The new DAB service began six weeks later, on the 14th November 2020. Our early launch date was six weeks ahead of schedule, and was made possible by amazing efforts from OfCom and our Winchester-based transmission services provider, Arqiva.  This rapid turnaround allowed us to continue to support local communities across a much wider area in the midst of the second Coronavirus lockdown.

One of the issues faced when broadcasting on FM was poor signal coverage into larger urban areas or outskirt rural areas due to the low-power nature of our temporary transmitter. Many listeners asked to hear us across a wider area, so they could continue listening in their cars, on their way to work, or in their offices.

By transitioning to regional DAB via a high-power radio transmitter network across South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, we have ensured compatibility with both DAB and DAB+ receivers.  Whilst this is the highest cost aspect of our operation, we are very pleased to have been able to meet the needs of our listeners by achieving this level of coverage and reach.

PART 3 – THE RETURN OF FM

No sooner than our broadcasts began on DAB, and due to the second nationwide Coronavirus lockdown, OfCom  approved our next temporary FM licence, taking us through to August 2021. This allowed us to immediately re-connect with our original FM listeners in advance of the Christmas period, and continue to provide support and entertainment for an extended period.

Broadcasts recommenced on the 18th November across Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, North Baddesley, Romsey and surrounding areas as OUTREACH RADIO, on 100.7 FM, as well as on DAB.

By re-engaging with our original listeners, we were once again able to provide a local service of community support, as well as the opportunity to advise our listeners of our new, permanent home on DAB.

PART 4 – OUTREACH DANCE & WINCHESTER DAB

Originally titled “Club Lockdown”, (named in our early days as Lockdown FM), OUTREACH DANCE is home to the electronic, club and dance music programmes on OUTREACH RADIO.  Every Friday and Saturday evening, from 8pm to 4am, OUTREACH DANCE brings listeners the very best dance music, from House, Techno & Trance, to Old Skool Rave, Jungle, Drum & Bass & Garage. 

Due to the success of these programmes on OUTREACH RADIO, OUTREACH DANCE has been created as a standalone radio service, broadcasting a variety of dance music programmes 24 hours-a-day.  The key difference being that whilst OUTREACH RADIO was designed specifically to serve communities within a specific geographic area, OUTREACH DANCE has been designed to serve a community of interest, namely in electronic & dance music, which traverses beyond our local area – to the South Coast and beyond!

As a new service, OUTREACH DANCE is available globally online, UK-wide on smart TV’s via the groundbreaking new UK Radio Portal on Freeview channel 277, and on the new DAB transmitter covering Winchester & surrounding areas, with programmes also broadcast on DAB across South Hampshire, the South Coast & the Isle of Wight on OUTREACH RADIO every Friday & Saturday night.

PART 5 – EXTENDED COVERAGE TO BASINGSTOKE, PORTSMOUTH & SURROUNDING AREAS

In the next phase of Small-Scale DAB implementation in Hampshire, local company UK DAB Networks has implemented a new transmitter covering Basingstoke and surrounding areas which took to the air in October 2022.  This provided OUTREACH RADIO & OUTREACH DANCE the opportunity to extend coverage into this area of North Hampshire, which is a key residential and business area and forms a key part of our local social and commuter route.

(The photo on the right, taken by Onur,  The Groovy Pelican is Ash from UK DAB Networks & Osman, MD of Outreach Radio, having a late-night technical session, whilst checking out the parameters of the new DAB transmitter for Basingstoke.)

As of 1st January 2023, OUTREACH DANCE also joined the Portsmouth DAB network, extending coverage across the area from the Fort Widley and Leigh Park transmitters.  This has provided access to the OUTREACH DANCE service to listeners across another major population area of Hampshire.

If you would like to help or support OUTREACH DANCE, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We’d love to hear from you, and hope you enjoy listening to OUTREACH DANCE.

OUTREACH: an effort to bring services or information to people where they live or spend time (Cambridge English Dictionary)

OUTREACH: the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. (Wikipedia)

OUTREACH: often meant to fill in the gap in the services provided by mainstream (often governmental) services, and is often carried out by non-profit, nongovernmental organisations. (Wikipedia)

OUTREACH DANCE: an awesome dance music radio station founded in the Romsey, Eastleigh & Chandlers Ford area, and Reaching Out to dance music lovers everywhere. (Osman Sen-Chadun, Founder)