On the first day of term, Kings' School, Winchester, took to the airwaves.

The digital radio station, KARD, which stands for Kings onAirRaDio, was launched by Year 10 media studies students.

The school is the first in the UK to acquire a digital radio licence and it allows it to transmit its own programmes for two years.

NTL Broadcast and Capital Radio plc, which owns the Power FM and Ocean FM stations, joined forces to give the Kings' youngsters the chance to be involved in the groundbreaking scheme.

If the trial proves successful, it is hoped the project will be rolled out across more schools in Hampshire.

The pupils, as presenters, producers and technicians gaining hands-on experience, will create their own audio programmes.

They will include pre-recorded items such as text, still images, video clips and digital sound files. The broadcasts can be received by anyone in the South Hampshire region with access to a suitable receiver - typically a DAB radio or a PC with a DAB radio card.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for them," said Jan Radnedge, head of media studies.

"The role of local and community radio is the topic for the examination in 2004, which counts for 50% of their final grade."

The popular subject was introduced nine years ago as an option for GCSE study. "The resources and content have changed tremendously in that time," said Jan.

"KARD will be an excellent learning tool and enhance their experience tremendously."

The students have formed a creative team, who will provide the content, and a group to work with NTL to exploit the technology to the full.

Polly Ellerby is auditioning for a role as a presenter. "Our target audience is mainly teenagers, but we hope parents and teachers will also find it interesting," she said.

Polly and Joe Allan are involved in theatre in Winchester and they propose making programmes with reviews of amateur and professional productions.

"We would like to talk about films that will appeal to young cinema-goers as well," said Joe. "This is a fantastic opportunity. There is a real fun element in the work, but also a serious side."

All material will be heard or seen by Jan before transmission.

Simon Mason, NTL Broadcast's head of new product development, said: "This is a sandpit for them to play in. We hope they will use the interactivity to create a club of participants.

"NTL Broadcast has played a leading role in the development and introduction of digital radio and we are always looking to deliver innovation in the services we provide and we're delighted that Capital Radio Group is working with us to offer this project to schools in our area".

To tune in to KARD, use Rescan on your PC for KARD or Kings onAirRaDio.