About Us

Heartland FM is an independent community radio service based in Pitlochry in the centre of Scotland It currently provides 24-hours of broadcasting 7-days a week on 97.5 MHz, with the aim to entertain, educate, inform and encourage local participation. The service is staffed almost entirely by volunteers and is supported almost wholly by the local community.

As well as being a broadcaster, Heartland FM aims to be a community resource, giving new opportunities to those living and working in the area. With local people actively involved in every aspect of the service, Heartland FM is able to contribute to life at the heart of Scotland it is a tool for the community to use in the area’s interests.

The station’s programming is based upon:

Market research carried out before the service was launched,
Feedback from listeners,
and Independent audience surveys commissioned by Heartland FM.

There is a range of specialist music programmes, traditional music features strongly as it was registered as important to many in the community. The significant speech element of programming consists of news and weather, events diary, specialist guest contributors (e.g. farming, health), discussion programmes and interviews on wide-ranging topics of interest or importance to people in the area.

Community Involvement

Heartland FM’s achievements and involvement with the community are not restricted to the programmes it airs. Since its launch in 1992, Heartland FM has also:

• Produced two series of introductory Gaelic language lessons on cassette, with Scottish Office and local authority support
• Produces cassettes of popular programmes with historical, cultural and educational material
• Trained volunteers staff who have gone on to be professional employed in the BBC, independent radio and independent production
• Organised annual series of highly successful concerts and ceilidhs, as well as supporting and promoting other cultural events
• Been used as an inspiration and blueprint for the start-up of similar stations in other rural Scottish communities
• Been the subject of a six part BBC2 documentary, other TV and radio features, and numerous published articles since before the station’s launch
• Exchanged programmes and experiences with stations in the USA, Australia and other countries.