Sabras Radio is an Asian commercial radio station based in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, England, available on 1260AM, FM and
DAB. The radio station broadcasts to the East Midlands, Birmingham, Coventry, and Milton Keynes. It is also accessible online through sabrasradio.com and through the mobile app SabrasRadio, TuneIn and Simple Radio. The presenters broadcast in Hindi and English covering topics of interest to the British Asian audience. The station features an "open-door policy", welcoming listeners from the street to join the presenters in the studio.
Background and History
On 7 September 1981, new ILR station
Centre Radio broadcast a programme called ''Sabras'' on its first day on air. This continued until Centre stopped broadcasting in September 1983. However the programme was picked up by its replacement
Leicester Sound
Leicester Sound was an Independent Local Radio station which broadcast to Leicestershire. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Trent FM and Ram FM to form Capital FM East Midlands (part of Global's The Capital FM Network, C ...
and the new station aired the programme for two hours each weeknight with a three hour show on Sunday evenings.
In 1988, Sabras was further extended when split programming was introduced. It aired on GEM-AM every day from 6pm (7pm on Sundays) until 10pm.
In 1992, Leicester Sound announced that it was to launch a full time Asian station on MW and it decided to simulcast London's Sunrise Radio, thereby bringing Sabras to an end after 11 years on air. Sunrise East Midlands went on air on 15 September 1992.
The following year saw the Leicester licenses come up for renewal and Sabras Sound, which was created by an early pioneer of Asian radio in Leicester, Don Kotak, was one of the bidders, and was successful and 14 years to the day after the sabras programme launched on Centre Radio, Sabras Sound went on air.
The station was later renamed as Sabras Radio and broadcasts on AM in Leicester as well as on the county's DAB multiplex.
EDUCO Cult
In 2019 Sabras Radio published two podcasts hosted by presenter Pam Sidhu featuring guest Caroline McDonagh, a nutritionist from Ireland, who was described by the
Sunday World as a "disciple" of
Tony Quinn who founded the
Educo Cult.
Another 2019 episode of the podcast hosted by Sidhu featured Babu Shah who self-identifies as an "EDUCO Seminar Agent".
In 2025 it was reported that
BBC Radio Derby and Sabras Radio presenter Pam Sidhu and her husband were recruiters for Educo and that the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
had ignored safeguarding reports about her.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official WebsiteWatch Sabras Radio's 20 Year Journey
Mass media in Leicester
Radio stations established in 1995
Radio stations in Leicestershire
Asian mass media in the United Kingdom
British Indian mass media
British Pakistani mass media
British Bangladeshi mass media