new radio service which was launched at the weekend.

London-based Virgin Radio began broadcasting a mix of football, music and gossip during its new English language programme Flat Earth Radio.

The new trial service will be the first international radio station to broadcast from the UK since the BBC World Service launched in the 1930s.

Listeners will receive programmes from Virgin Radio as well as specially created radio programmes for a global audience.

Flat Earth Radio will be broadcasting for three weeks, covering the last Premiership games of the season, and, depending on listener response, the service will launch permanently in August.

The station kicked off `Rock n Roll Football' at with Terry Venables and Chris Evans.

The five hour programme brought listeners up to the minute commentary on the matches and goals, as they happened, in both the English and Scottish Premierships, as well as phone-ins, popular music and gossip.

To celebrate the launch, Flat Earth listeners will have the opportunity to win an all expenses paid trip to the English FA Cup Final at Wembley on May 20th 2000.

To take part, listeners simply need to log on to the website www.flatearthradio.com and register that they have listened to the station and give their impressions.

The station will broadcast on shortwave in the Eastern US, Canada and Caribbean at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. GMT on 11,890 kHz on the 25 meter band and from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. GMT on 15,500 kHz on the 19 meter band.