Stand by for Blah Wars as competing groups of top business people square up to each other to control the radio waves over Yorkshire.

Guardian Media Group (GMGR) is the latest to recruit top movers and shakers to a steering group to back its bid for a new radio licence covering west and south Yorkshire - and it plans a month-long test broadcast of its station, dubbed Variety FM, in Selby from next Monday.

Already publicly pitching for the licence, due to be advertised in July for broadcasting to begin from 2001, is Yorkshire FM, undergoing its trials in the Leeds area until February 6, and consisting of the combined forces of Minster Sound - which owns York-based Minster FM radio station - Chameleon Television and Regional Independent Media.

Backing the idea of the GMGR's Variety FM, are the likes of Pocklington telecommunications group JWE Telecom plc, property company Lambert Smith Hampton, The Metz bar group recruitment specialists The Works, the Malmaison hotel chain and Young Enterprise.

Their steering group will campaign for a permanent Variety FM offering, according to their statement, "hard-edged business and sports content as well as a strong playlist of chart 60s, 70s and 80s music."

Jon Hewson, managing director of Variety FM said: "We are building a format that businesses in the region have needed for a long time.

"Yorkshire has a thriving business community in all sectors and needs a broadcast operation that gives it real voice.

"Featuring dynamic phone-in shows on business and sports issues and a higher level of speech, Variety FM will provide the extra edge that is not being met by Yorkshire's current regional and local radio stations."

Also expressing an interest in taking over the airwaves over parts of Yorkshire is Border Radio Holdings which has already tested its Century format in the county.

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