Durham OnAir celebrates 6 years of broadcasting!

Durham OnAir, the local radio station for County Durham & Darlington, is today celebrating 6 years of bringing local radio back to County Durham.

Launched in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, Durham OnAir was created to serve the residents and businesses of County Durham  with a dedicated radio service. The station launched on November 5th 2020, with Sam Lupton and Joe Purcell presenting the first ever program. 

"Those early days were really experimental. We just didnt know if anyone was going to go for it! I think we've proved that people do value radio in 2026. People value local journalism, content that is made locally, and they want a service that is broadcasting 24/7 from their local area." 

Since it's launch Durham OnAir has covered a number of prominent national and local events, from an annual Great North Run special, to covering north east sport on a weekly basis, live reactions to many political changes. The station remains the only commerical radio service dedicated to exclusively County Durham.

Lupton said "We've covered 4 prime minister resignations live on air, floods, power cuts, the death of Queen Elizabeth, numerous council reshuffles, It's been a very busy six years!". 

When asked if local radio is still important, Lupton said "I think it's vital. There are many people who are looking for local conenction and local content. National radio will always have it's place, and we're not contesting that. We're offering an alternative that people are asking for. People want to know how events will affect them and the place where they live, that is what we are here to do. Beyond that, we're here to provide laughs, entertainment and company, and the response we get from our listeners reassures me that we are achieving that goal." 

"It's about championing local events and the local community. Durham Fringe, Lumiere, The Jazz Festival, all the community events - Those places need a didcated forum to be discussed and we're really happy that we get to provide that service". 

Alex Sweeney was presenting on Durham OnAir on the launch day, 5th November 2020. 6 years later, Alex is still with the station and will be presenting his 600th program on the big day. Alex came to Durham OnAir after a long career in radio elsewhere in the country. He presents The Soul Cellar, a celebration of soul music every Thursday, and 70's on Saturday. 

Sue Sweeney, a radio legend in the north east, joined Durham OnAir for it's launch after a career with the BBC lasting more than 20 years. She said "6 years! I loved every minute of it! Here's to many many more". 

It's also been announced today that Durham OnAir is planning on increasing it's DAB Radio coverage across the North East. More details will be announced in due course. 

Durham OnAir is available to listen to on DAB radio, on it's free smart phone app and on Alexa smart speakers. You can find out how to listen in your area by clicking here!