Rivals claim to be the real Chorley FM

A bitter battle has erupted over the name Chorley FM, the fictional radio station Peter Kay invented for Phoenix Nights.

Two rival broadcasters in the Lancashire town are heading for a legal showdown over the right to use the name.

In one corner is Chorley FM, a community group which broadcasts as Live And Let Live Radio on occasional restricted licences. In the other is Chorley FM Radio, set up last year to try to win a full-time commercial licence.

To make matters worse, the volunteer-run group is currently transmitting - on the same frequency the commercial station is bidding for.

Both groups have attempted to register the name Chorley FM with the Radio Authority, which does not want to get involved.

However, presenters on the community station have referred to it using the disputed, enraging its rivals.

Allan Scott, chairman of the commercial group, told the Chorley Citizen: "This saga is absolutely ridiculous. The radio station currently on air is trying to pass itself off as the 'real' Chorley FM, which it is clearly not.

"It has no right to be using the name, but it has done so on numerous occasions. By broadcasting on the same frequency as us and using the same name, they are blatantly trying to hijack the project. We are taking legal advice."

Christian Storm, station manger for Live And Let Live responded by saying the on-air references were an accidental throwback to their test broadcasts.

He said: " While we have been setting up the station for the past year my DJs have been using the name Chorley FM because we had a legal right to do so.

"When the dispute started we stopped using the name and changed it to Live And Let Live, but because the DJs have been calling it Chorley FM for so long, there are bound to be slip ups on air."

In Phoenix Nights, Kay plays Paul LeRoy, a mullet-haied DJ on Chorley FM.

Published: 1 Dec 2002