Sussex radio station Surf 107 has been sold to a Newcastle-based company for £4.5 million.

The two-year-old independent station's parent company, Brighton and Hove Local Radio Ltd, was swallowed up by radio and new media group Forever Broadcasting.

Forever already owns two other radio stations, Juice 107 in Liverpool and Tower FM, which broadcasts in Bolton and Bury.

Forever's Juice brand targets the 15 to 34 age group with a mix of dance music, chart music and local information - much the same as Surf.

The new owner said it intended to rebrand the Surf station as Juice in the "near future" when it announced the takeover in a Stock Exchange statement this morning.

It said the jobs of existing staff were safe. Chairman John Josephs said: "This is a great acquisition for us in a vibrant area which attracts young people and has a strong youth culture.

"This is a relatively new station which offers significant opportunities for our Juice brand, which we are sure will appeal to the adult youth of Brighton and Hove, precisely the target group originally devised for Juice.

"We have exciting plans to develop the station's audience and enhance its revenue earning capabilities."

Surf was attracting 35,000 listeners for 5.1 hours a week, according to the most recent audience research figures, although the station ran up losses of £174,000 in the 18 months to September.

Brighton and Hove Local Radio Ltd chairman Simon Fanshawe said the sale to Forever would secure a long term future for the Sussex station.

He said: "Over the past three years Surf has become an intrinsic part of the city of Brighton and Hove and I am delighted we have now found exactly the right partner for the future."