Could Portsmouth's Radio Victory make a comeback?

Staff and ex DJs from Radio Victory get together at the launch of Victory FM in 1994.

Radio Victory was a must-listen station for almost 20 years, playing music from the 1960s onwards.

It it was taken over by Ocean Sound in the 1980s and vanished from the airways except for special occasions such as Portsmouth’s 800th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of D Day.

Now a company called Independent Local Radio (ILR) is determined to resurrect the station to bring about a sea change in local commercial radio.

Andy Lloyd from ILR, a not-for-profit organisation, is leading a crowdfunding bid to raise £25,000 to cover the cost of licences.

He said: ‘In addition to buying the name we’ve also bought the rights to the original jingles.

‘We’re not saying we’re the original Radio Victory but we will certainly sound like it.

‘To the casual observer we will be very much the same.

‘It comes from being truly fed up with commercial radio stations that exist at the moment, simply not being local. Not actually serving the people of Portsmouth.

‘Most of them have the Top 40 on rotation, which feels as though they have given up on being local. Ours will reflect our listeners.

‘There will be mainly older listeners, as the music will be from the 1960s to the 1990s, but there will be programmes for everyone. On many commercial stations, out of 24 hours broadcasting, 18 come straight from London.’

At first the station will be broadcast online but ILR is hoping to get a DAB licence.

To make a donation to the indiegogo fundraising page go to bit.ly/1WcarMw.

Go to radiovictory.net.