At various conferences and events I attend I have posted a series of 'live blog' style Tweets/Posts on X.
Given that X posts are no longer publicly available without an account, and many people prefer to avoid the platform, I have reproduced verbatim below my tweets from the Community Media Association 2023 Festival held on on 28th October 2023.
I have left in errors from the original post, and there will be some formatting errors due to the manual process of converting the content, further edits will be made in the future to fix these formatting errors and to embed the couple of missing video clips (once I work out a simple way of doing this.)
The main purpose of this is to 'archive' the content in an hopefully more secure and accessible location, thus I have retrospectively set the published date of this post to the original event date to aid search.
1st January 2026
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Today I’m at @Community Media Association’s Community Media Festival in Leicester #cmfest23 looking forward to some interesting sessions with a lively start.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
CMA chair @Terry Lee starts the event with getting a group photo with the mugs in the audience…
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
First session @Danny-lawrence-BEM-BCAc talk on funding and grants. Suggests the key need to demonstrate community need to present to funders and conduct your own “research report”.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Michelle Duran from Chelmsford Community Radio talks of their cafe which helped sustainability as an income stream and method of engaging the local community, and other projects around community engagement.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 3 tweets
Richard Hilton previously a member of Ofcom Community Radio Fund panel talks of experience of dealing with multiple very similar applications and challenge is to stand out.
Richard Hilton “You have three minutes in front of the panel” for your application to be dealt with.
Nick from Canalside asked “when will CRF be increased?” Richard Hilton suggests as we likely will see a new government in near future it would be key time for @Community Media Association to influence DCMS/government to expand the pot.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
“Studio in a box” interesting project from @Erewash Sound with primary schools bot is one of the success stories.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 4 tweets
Next session with @Liz Kershaw talks how when she was young thought she’d she couldn’t be on radio cause she “talks all northern” and goes on to talk about her lucky break at Radio Aire in Leeds.
Liz Kershaw: “It’s sad that the local radio nurturing path has gone”.
“Go get your foot in the door at the BBC in my experience doesn’t happen anymore”. #CMFest23
Liz talks about how it took decades for BBC to address gender imbalance on radio presenters.
Liz Kershaw: “Remember the song video killed the radio star. It’s hasn’t, neither has podcasting” very enthusiastic about power and relevance of radio and Community Radio’s role.
Talks about Jimmy Saville calls BBCs story of lack of knowledge of his activities “absolute bollocks” and story of being on air announcing his death.
——————
Liz also flogging signed copies of her book. And as I can’t take a selfie without looking like I’m some sort of dodgy character myself I’d suggest scrolling past this post quickly.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Next success story from Kohinoor 97.3FM.
Interestly don’t have fixed presenter schedule, but plan on a week by week basis.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 8 tweets
David Lloyd talks of “listener relationships” talks of letters and emails to @BoomRadioUK about how changed listeners live some to make him cry.
Incredible passionate @ David Lloyd speech on BBC local radio.
——————
Talks of Leicester birth of BBC local radio, highlighting how was part funded by the local council. First Commercial station to go bust in the City, and his first hand experience at Leicester Sound and his disagreement with management over networking shows.
David Lloyd: “Death of high street” makes running standalone commercial radio station hard.
David Lloyd: “Is funding and licensing of local radio fit for purpose in 2023?”
“Scandalous that the biggest pot of public money goes to one body” in the BBC.
David Lloyd “I don’t know how BBC Local radio can think they have no money”
David Lloyd: Ofcom not fit, is there a place for a “Local Radio Authority”?
David Lloyd: “There needs to be a new way forward if local audio is going to have the future it deserves.”
Audience question about David’s report for Radio Centre being critical of Community Radio commercial impact on small local commercial. “There’s been a lot of change” in ownership with less standalone Commercial stations.”
David Lloyd “where there is no other local radio, Community Radio should be able to fill their boots with commercial income”.
——————
Big session of the day now. The future of Local Radio.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Chris Burns from BBC joins via video link says she understands the power of radio as a friend.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 4 tweets
Chris Burns “This is biggest change in BBC local radio for decades” but there is a need to reflect changes in consumption. Goes onto talk about Make a Difference and it’s success on air and on social.
Chris Burns: “We need to be where the audience is consuming so must be on Sounds and Social Media” #CMFest23
Keri Jones “I don’t understand the BBC wanted destruction of local” and talks of his local approach with Alfred radio podcast centred and thinks BBC with their resources could do “digital AND radio”.
Keri Jones talks of hyper local nature of content benefits their operations and fills gap missing in local radio or local press that have closed
#CMFest23
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Chris Burns says talent development still an ongoing important role of BBC Local Radio and news, sport and community priorities.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 2 tweets
Audience Q: “Why should I pay a licence fee for only 8 hours a day local radio?” Chris Burns “Important you can get local content not only on radio” Highlighting news and BBC Sounds podcasts.
Chris Burns “This is not about cutting funds from BBC Local” just refocusing.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Keri Jones thinks Ofcom “seems to have it in for Community Radio at the moment” with too much “legalisee” and we need a regulator who understands volunteer run operations like Community Radio. @Keri jones
Keri and Chris conclude their thoughts on how to succeed in local radio.
Miriam Jones from Devonstream concluding thoughts
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
And with lots of food for thought from the last session, it’s a musical interlude before lunch.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Over lunch time to catch up with some technology old and new. @Broadcast Bionics and b oadcast engineering museum becg.org.uk
——————
Oct 28 23 · 2 tweets
More success stories from @ToneFM “our old aerial looked like it had fallen off a clapped out ford cortina” so upgraded that with SSDAB on the way soon.
Next success story @Gateway 97.8
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Reflecting the audience panel is looking at diversity in community radio. Vijay Umarao from Eava FM highlights the different CR stations in Leicester who each serve different audiences but work together.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Jason from Leek radio talks of the challenges in creating a LGBT+ community radio programme and it’s role in educating the wider local community in the small town he lives in.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Empassioned speech by Fayon Dixon of Riverside Radio about working with children and young people to make radio and the opportunities it gives them and that others are missing a trick not doing the same.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Community Radio success stories from Radio Sangam. “I got asked to run the station for 12 months, meanwhile 7 years later….” And the challenges of working with volunteers. #CMFest23
——————
Oct 28 23 · 5 tweets
Community Radio success stories: Liverpool Community Radio The potato paradigm when presenting to new volunteers.
A of clips
#CMFest23
A short quiz….
Q2
——————
Oct 28 23 · 4 tweets
News. @Community Media Association members to get free inclusion on the @UK Radioplayer platform.
Now a quick presentation about the Radio Player platform.
Interesting look at in car dashboard experience and hybrid radio.
There was a hint by @Terry Lee at increased membership fees of CMA, but has been a long time since last increase.
#CMFest23
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Again in success stories a rousing talk of power of radio bringing communities together. #CMFest23
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Quick talk from East Leeds Community Radio and projects in their “radio theatre” and involving asylum seekers staying in hotel across the road.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 2 tweets
Jez Bell from @PPL talk through music licensing. 50% of broadcast fees go direct to performers.
Now talking about “play data provided by stations” traditionally not asked for from Community Radio stations and starting to ask for more information.
Also looking to simplify the fee structure in light of extra platforms like SSDAB.
I asked question is there a technical “Shazam” style monitoring of station output for play reports. Jez says they already do have some monitoring tools used for nightclub and serving “unlicensed” services, but cost is a barrier and would like to keep it voluntary.
#CMFest23
Richard Hilton asks if CMA can be kept in the loop of any review of fees.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Ferndale Radio talk how the pandemic closed the studio, so set up “micro studios” and now focus on lots of going out to people rather than trying to get people into their tiny studio.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
Next success story segment has Sheppey FM, who do a lot of work with people with varying needs and highlight when “Charlie” signed their visitors book.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 2 tweets
Small Scale DAB update presentation from Dr Lawrie Hallet.
Nick from Canalside questions is SSDAB a “White Elephant” with lack of stations on muxes? Lawrie suggests many operators are over optimistic about what they can sell carriage for.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 3 tweets
20 Years of prison radio session with Radio Wanno. Talking about their history and training activities.
Talk of how some of the awards are the only recognition some of the inmates have ever got.
Prison radio session wraps up with audio montage on the impact of the service.
——————
Final session with Radio Platform in Wales focusing on training with young people.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 1 tweets
A couple of Community Media Champion Awards presented to Julie Nichols and David
Thorpe
——————
Oct 28 23 · 2 tweets
Also a number of Community Media Champions awards presented, to Lawrie Hallet,
David Thorpe, Kevin Field, Clive Glover
Community Media Champions awards also awarded to Bill Best, Nick Wright, Javid Sattar and Dom Chambers
——————
Oct 28 23 · 3 tweets
20 Years of prison radio session with Radio Wanno. Talking about their history and training activities.
Talk of how some of the awards are the only recognition some of the inmates have ever got.
Prison radio session wraps up with audio montage on the impact of the service.
——————
Oct 28 23 · 2 tweets
A couple of thoughts from today, beyond the bag of swag. Plenty of stories to get you all enthusiastic about the possibilities of Community Radio. No surprise of no great reveal on anything new on BBC Local strategy.
The Radioplayer partnership is great news, can the BBC come back to fully embracing it again? (Not likely)
One bit of constructive criticism – too many items on the agenda, we could have done with more coffee breaks to network and see the trade exhibition properly.
#CMFest23
——————
Comments by philedmonds