ANOTHER company has confirmed that it will bid for the licence to provide an independent local radio service for Maidstone and the surrounding area.

Absolute Radio Kent, a company established by Absolute Radio UK and Kent-based radio group Vibe Broadcasting, officially announced that it would be bidding for the licences for both Maidstone and Ashford.

If successful, it would call the Maidstone radio station go-fm and target 35 to 49-year-olds with a music mix tailored specifically to their tastes and a local news and information service for the county town.

AR-UK said yesterday that the Maidstone and Ashford licence applications are just two of eight new radio licences that it will be pursuing over the next 14 months. It is backed by Absolute Radio International, Ulster TV and Eurocast who are supporting the bids with an investment of more than £1 million.

Three other radio groups have also said they will be bidding for the commercial radio licence for Maidstone. They are 20/20 FM, which has been supported by the Kent Messenger Group in the past, Maidstone Local Radio and Radio for Maidstone (Maid FM).