THREE radio groups have already announced they will be making bids for the licence to provide an independent local radio service for Maidstone and the surrounding area.

The three groups are 20/20 FM, Absolute Radio Kent, and Maidstone Local Radio.

Their declarations of interest come less than three weeks after the Radio Authority announced that it was inviting applications for a service to be broadcast on one frequency on the FM (VHF) waveband.

The authority is responsible for licensing and regulating all commercial radio stations in the UK.

All three groups who have so far shown interest are already beginning to push their credentials for the coveted licence.

The 20/20 FM group, which has been supported by the Kent Messenger, says it has been campaigning for Maidstone to have its own licence since 1993.

In that year it started the first of a number of 28-day broadcasts in the area under the names of Maidstone Festival Radio (MFR), County Town Radio (CTR) and 20/20 FM.

Managing director Jon Maxfield said: "Having worked on broadcasts by MFR, CTR and 20/20 FM for the last decade, I am delighted that to see a licence for a local radio station for Maidstone finally being advertised."

He added: "Through our numerous broadcasts over the years, the 20/20 FM team has been able to get a good idea of the type of local service that people in Maidstone want to see.

"As a result we will, of course, be submitting a bid for the licence based on that research, but we are still keen to hear any further thoughts from local people on what they would like to hear on their own local radio station."

Another company which has thrown its hat into the ring is Absolute Radio Kent. Its shareholders include Absolute Radio UK (AR-UK) and Vibe Broadcasting.

Absolute Radio UK is a radio group owned equally by Absolute Radio International (ARI), Ulster TV (UTV) and Eurocast.

Vibe Broadcasting is a wholly owned subsidiary of The DBB Partnership, a group which owns and operates several music and audio production companies as well as specialising in music publishing.

Both Absolute Radio UK and Vibe Broadcasting are involved in a separate company, Absolute Radio West Kent, which is making a bid for the licence covering Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, and Sevenoaks next July and, if successful, the group would brand the station go-fm.

Absolute Radio Kent says it expects to be announcing further details about its plans for the Maidstone licence in the next four to six weeks.

Meanwhile a consortium called Maidstone Local Radio (MLR), featuring some familiar faces from the media in Kent, has been formed to bid for the licence. It has pledged to deliver a "bright, relevant and informative" mix of music and news tailored specifically for a Maidstone audience.

Backed by the Scottish Media Group - one of the biggest names in British broadcasting and owners of Virgin Radio - MLR had a trial broadcast last summer from studios in the Chequers Centre.

MLR's directors include Jill Cochrane, the presenter of Meridian TV's Country Ways, and Richard Harvey, a director of Maidstone PR consultancy Edwards Harvey and a former director of Invicta Radio.