Gateway 97.8 is the radio part of Gateway Community Media CIC, a local company dedicated to local people, staffed by local people and seeking to make our locality a better place to be.

We are different from other radio stations on the dial: we are more local, more relevant and something we can all contribute to and share. But not quite yet.

We have already run six 28-day broadcasts at the rate of two a year. That was as much as the law allows a station seeking a precious full-time licence. We have secured that licence and are set fair to launch a full-time service in September (we would love to launch sooner, but there are all sorts of formalities involved that are beyond our control). So watch this space for further details.

In the meantime, we are running an interim training and development service at gateway978.com, so please log on, have a listen and tell us what you would like from your really local, local radio.

How local? Well broadly we're for everyone in the area that looks to Basildon as the main local centre.

And if that all sounds too relaxed, then more formally: Gateway Community Media CIC is a not-for-profit social enterprise that works with local people, companies and organisations to promote community awareness, regeneration, cohesion and understanding through locally generated media and the development of media skills.

It seeks to be accessible to everyone interested in media related activities irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, disadvantage, sexuality or faith. It seeks to provide or enable training tailored to individual needs and to this end works with schools, colleges, local and national government agencies.

Right!