Cross Rhythms Christian Contemporary Music from Stoke-on-T..
Stoke-on-Trent » United Kingdom | Christian Music | crossrhythms.co.uk
At Cross Rhythms we are very interested in where we have come from and where we are going to.
Life is a journey and the great journey maker in the sky says that He is the 'author and perfector of our faith' and that He knows from the beginning of time the plans He has for us. Therefore it is important to us to try to chronicle where we have journeyed to get this far, and to also humbly indicate where we think He is leading us. This way we give testimony and honor to the ability of God to lead us on this journey rather than wrongly take credit for ourselves.
We are thrilled to be able to share with you our journey, so in this section please have a delve into our history and vision.
At Cross Rhythms we see ourselves as an arrowhead. As media our mandate is to be strong and piercing into situations in our locality of North Staffordshire, into our nation and even globally. However we don’t see the whole picture. The heart of Cross Rhythms as an organization is deeper than that. We believe in collaboration with other organizations whose impact on society is different from our own. As God says he blesses unity and partnership this is vital if we are to really see a difference made in our communities, nation and world.
In this section you will read of the vision we have for some of our Cross Rhythms activities and also key relationships we have as an organization.
On April 19th 2005 Cross Rhythms made broadcasting history. After three years as one of the pioneering pilot stations for Community Radio, Cross Rhythms City Radio received the fantastic news from Ofcom, that they had been awarded a brand new, 5 year license, to broadcast FM radio across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. (This license will come into effect sometime between then and December 2005, dependent on time to clear frequencies etc.)
At the time Chris Cole, Cross Rhythms CEO, commented: “We couldn’t be more thrilled, and it is such a release of encouragement for the whole team. The hard work and dedicated commitment the team has put in over the last three years has been richly rewarded. It is also wonderful confirmation for us that our vision and heart for community radio has been so affirmed by the governing body at Ofcom”.
Community Radio is one of the new jewels in the broadcasting crown in the UK as Ofcom consider applications from right across the country, to roll out this new tier of broadcasting. At the time of granting the license a statement from Ofcom said: ‘The RLC (Radio Licensing Committee) viewed this group's (Cross Rhythms) proposals favorably in relation to all of the statutory selection criteria. It has a good track record in securing the funding it needs, has good links and demonstrable support both within the Christian community of the area and within the wider community, and has well-considered social gain objectives reflecting an inclusive approach to the whole community as well as its core Christian target group.
Cross Rhythms City Radio broadcasts as a community station for the whole community of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, with a Christian values ethos. Upon receipt of the award Jonathan Bellamy, Cross Rhythms General Manager said: “This award really affirms our desire to be a service to the whole community. The station is underpinned by Christian values but its content is driven by local issues. In the last three years we have established working partnerships with many community
organizations including the police, council, local newspaper, health, employment and education agencies. We support and profile the theaters, local businesses, arts groups, ethnic organizations and many more. We have been invited to support, and play an active role, in city wide initiatives such as Citizen Of The Year Awards, Stoke-on-Trent Music City, and CQ5 - The Cultural Quarter Festival. With this brand new 5 year opportunity we are so excited to be able to build upon the foundations we have laid. We are already in discussion of how we can provide media training for young and disadvantaged people; how we can support drug awareness and education into schools; and how we can raise the profile of local businesses. We really believe we are a valued contribution to the whole community, and we hope that value will increase in the coming years”.
The new license award for Cross Rhythms is more than a confirmation of three years hard work however. This is broadcasting history for the Christian community and for Christian media in the UK as it is the first full time FM license granted to a Christian run group. It is also the culmination of more than 21 years history in broadcasting our type of Christian radio. Originally we began with a half hour show on an ILR station called Plymouth Sound, in South Devon. This show quickly developed into a one hour program that was rated one of the most listened to programs in the region in it’s time slot. We have always seen that a Christian expression in the media should be able to engage with the wider community whether they attend a church or not. It’s been 21 years learning our craft, often being misunderstood and under-resourced, but now we have something very solid for the future. We are already in discussion with other groups across the nation who want us to help them run similar stations for their area. And that’s exactly what we plan to do. We even anticipate setting up a training academy in Stoke-on-Trent, the center of the nation, to teach and equip people how to reproduce this effective model in their own cities!
Life is a journey and the great journey maker in the sky says that He is the 'author and perfector of our faith' and that He knows from the beginning of time the plans He has for us. Therefore it is important to us to try to chronicle where we have journeyed to get this far, and to also humbly indicate where we think He is leading us. This way we give testimony and honor to the ability of God to lead us on this journey rather than wrongly take credit for ourselves.
We are thrilled to be able to share with you our journey, so in this section please have a delve into our history and vision.
At Cross Rhythms we see ourselves as an arrowhead. As media our mandate is to be strong and piercing into situations in our locality of North Staffordshire, into our nation and even globally. However we don’t see the whole picture. The heart of Cross Rhythms as an organization is deeper than that. We believe in collaboration with other organizations whose impact on society is different from our own. As God says he blesses unity and partnership this is vital if we are to really see a difference made in our communities, nation and world.
In this section you will read of the vision we have for some of our Cross Rhythms activities and also key relationships we have as an organization.
On April 19th 2005 Cross Rhythms made broadcasting history. After three years as one of the pioneering pilot stations for Community Radio, Cross Rhythms City Radio received the fantastic news from Ofcom, that they had been awarded a brand new, 5 year license, to broadcast FM radio across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. (This license will come into effect sometime between then and December 2005, dependent on time to clear frequencies etc.)
At the time Chris Cole, Cross Rhythms CEO, commented: “We couldn’t be more thrilled, and it is such a release of encouragement for the whole team. The hard work and dedicated commitment the team has put in over the last three years has been richly rewarded. It is also wonderful confirmation for us that our vision and heart for community radio has been so affirmed by the governing body at Ofcom”.
Community Radio is one of the new jewels in the broadcasting crown in the UK as Ofcom consider applications from right across the country, to roll out this new tier of broadcasting. At the time of granting the license a statement from Ofcom said: ‘The RLC (Radio Licensing Committee) viewed this group's (Cross Rhythms) proposals favorably in relation to all of the statutory selection criteria. It has a good track record in securing the funding it needs, has good links and demonstrable support both within the Christian community of the area and within the wider community, and has well-considered social gain objectives reflecting an inclusive approach to the whole community as well as its core Christian target group.
Cross Rhythms City Radio broadcasts as a community station for the whole community of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, with a Christian values ethos. Upon receipt of the award Jonathan Bellamy, Cross Rhythms General Manager said: “This award really affirms our desire to be a service to the whole community. The station is underpinned by Christian values but its content is driven by local issues. In the last three years we have established working partnerships with many community
organizations including the police, council, local newspaper, health, employment and education agencies. We support and profile the theaters, local businesses, arts groups, ethnic organizations and many more. We have been invited to support, and play an active role, in city wide initiatives such as Citizen Of The Year Awards, Stoke-on-Trent Music City, and CQ5 - The Cultural Quarter Festival. With this brand new 5 year opportunity we are so excited to be able to build upon the foundations we have laid. We are already in discussion of how we can provide media training for young and disadvantaged people; how we can support drug awareness and education into schools; and how we can raise the profile of local businesses. We really believe we are a valued contribution to the whole community, and we hope that value will increase in the coming years”.
The new license award for Cross Rhythms is more than a confirmation of three years hard work however. This is broadcasting history for the Christian community and for Christian media in the UK as it is the first full time FM license granted to a Christian run group. It is also the culmination of more than 21 years history in broadcasting our type of Christian radio. Originally we began with a half hour show on an ILR station called Plymouth Sound, in South Devon. This show quickly developed into a one hour program that was rated one of the most listened to programs in the region in it’s time slot. We have always seen that a Christian expression in the media should be able to engage with the wider community whether they attend a church or not. It’s been 21 years learning our craft, often being misunderstood and under-resourced, but now we have something very solid for the future. We are already in discussion with other groups across the nation who want us to help them run similar stations for their area. And that’s exactly what we plan to do. We even anticipate setting up a training academy in Stoke-on-Trent, the center of the nation, to teach and equip people how to reproduce this effective model in their own cities!
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