Liverpool licence goes to EMAP talk station

OfCom has awarded the new Liverpool FM radio licence to a talk station put forward by EMAP - City Talk. The new station will be a third output for EMAP on Merseyside - they already own Liverpool's flagship commercial station Radio City and there's a Magic AM outpost there too. All talk radio often ends up being 24 hour phone in shows but EMAP have assured OfCom that "CityTalk will not be dominated with what is often seen as cheap phone-in programmes. Its structure will not rely on the whims of callers. CityTalk will [also] carefully avoid the ambulance-chasing, 'we were first on the scene' approach". Will be interesting to see how it turns out.