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 Radio Symposium DCMS 26th March 2024.

This was a key event where the Community Media Association (CMA) and UK Community Radio Network (UKCRN) met with the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to discuss the future of community radio, especially concerning analogue licensing and sector growth, following a DCMS consultation.

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. 29th December 2025

Mar 26 24 · 6 tweets

At the Community Radio Symposium at The DCMS in London today. @Trevor Dann opens

the event looking at future of Community Radio #CommunityRadio

Martin Steers: Community radio taking the “local radio manual” and “we want to start conversation after 20 years of community radio” and how we can influence government etc.

@martinsteers

The first panel talk of Social Gain Nathan from @Bro Radio talks how most of their Social Gain may not be apparent from just listening, highlighting activities such as radio clubs for young people.

Trevor asks if the stations on the panel charge a membership fee or subscription fee. Both say they don’t and probably wouldn’t consider that as that’s against their “open door” policy open to all.

Fascinating conversation about the use of terms “community radio” Vs ” local radio”. Some say “community” name is off-putting. (Personally I think highlighting the fact we are Community Radio is key, I don’t think that community and local are nesacarily mutually exclusive.)

So there’s (a no doubt statistically questionable) poll on preferred name: x.com/community_medi…

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Mar 26 24 · 3 tweets

Next session is a pre-recorded bit from Dr Alison Hulme and her research into CR audiences.

northampton.ac.uk/news/local-com…

Report findings from nationwide research project says for many Community Radio is their “go to radio station”

Some great figures on the trust given to community radio by listeners, with strong evidence of value and a large number of listeners take action on what they have heard. Good figures for stations to share with their stakeholders.

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Mar 26 24 · 5 tweets

Next session is Tom Connolly from @Ofcom on their work and specifically their current consultation on Community Radio Key Commitments.

Talks of feedback from regional stakeholder meetings where lots of CR stations were forthright in their feedback.

Highlight lots of complaints they have about Key Commitments and had to find stations in breach over specific quotas in Key Commitments.

Says Ofcom now feel now it is time to re-evaluate delivery of Social Gain and focus should be on this over quotas.

Propose to standardise wording for similar services (i.e. geographic services or ethnic or religious services)

Next steps: If after consultation it’s decided to go ahead with changes after summer Ofcom will liaise with each station to rewrite their Key Commitments.

Stresses the request for all parties to respond to the consultation ofcom.org.uk/consultations-…

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Mar 26 24 · 6 tweets

Next session “working government”. Ian O’Neill suggests Commercial Radio almost finished consolidation and BBC Local cutting back that Community Radio is vital.

Talks of UK Broadcasting Bill with measures to ensure smart speaker carriage for all radio stations and says only country to do this.

Talk of significant reach of all stations combined makes it difficult to get government advertising across so many stations but would like to “do something”

Next speaker @Julia Lopez MP talks of digital/online reach. Says government procurement she has been involved with says it should be using government spending power on SMEs and suggests Community Radio falls into this and supports progressing this.

Spending review coming up @Julia Lopez MP “tell us if Community Radio fund is useful”

(think most people will say it’s useful but needs expanding)

Is this a @Community Media Association or @UK Community Radio Network role to centrally manage government advertising across all stations.

I know some groups of stations have had limited success in some government advertising regionally, but surely it needs to be across the whole sector.

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Mar 26 24 · 2 tweets

Another interesting session on government advertising with OmniGov

Talk about how they approach media buying with classic line “usually work with RAJAR’d stations….) ‘Unite’ side of the agency do work with more specialist/ small targeted campaigns do work with small stations.

(Back to classic question of CR listening figures.)

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Mar 26 24 · 1 tweets

Continuing with the sessions at the Community Radio Symposium.

Holly Riley from @Charity Commission talks about requirements of being a Charity.

Broadcasting and entertainment is not of itself a charitable object.

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Mar 26 24 · 3 tweets

Next session

@PLATFORM B UK Radio Exchange. A platform for distribution of radio programmes.

UK Radio Exchange has some interesting plans for future tech.

Interesting talk of development of tech using audio fingerprinting to identify programme elements (jingles/adverts) to millisecond accuracy.

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Mar 26 24 · 2 tweets

Post lunch at the Community Radio Symposium @Department for Culture, Media and Sport Martin Steers with other sources of income.

Martin suggests a database of fundraising ideas.

Highlights Bedford Business Expo event the station run.

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Mar 26 24 · 3 tweets

Janey Gordon examples from around the world and the costs (Be hopes not that many thinks an engineer is just an added extra…)

What would most UK Community Radio stations do if they had this level of listener support in this Australian example?

Interesting a few references in these sessions to “Radiothons” @Oldham Community Radio 99.7fm|DAB|Device|Online been doing this annually for over a decade.

Also a good excuse to involve your community and get local PR. x.com/OldhamCR/statu…

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Mar 26 24 · 5 tweets

So next is another virtual contributor is “radio futurologist” @James Cridland In Australia (city) Community Radio station has legal right to DAB carriage.

Highlights online and on demand, but broadcast still has a vital place.

On BBC and Commercial local retraction: @James Cridland “Local business still needs advertising” don’t give over all the custom to Facebook/x etc.

Down under Community Radio is taken very seriously, much different to his experience in the UK.

Feels that there’s potential for UK to be treated in a similar way.

Highlights stations with very tight focus is the way forward.

Rethinking the primacy of live sighting Alfred Radio as an example of super local and is all prerecorded. @Alfred @Keri jones

My thoughts is the forthcoming Ofcom relaxation on Ofcom Key Commitments may release stations from doing excessive live in the studio “that was this is” broadcasts just to meet a quota.

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Mar 26 24 · 3 tweets

Lee Price from Prolark Media on collaboration and technology and of course AI.

Predicts that radio travel news will be done by AI.

Plus suggests a few tools to look into.

Also notes Object based media amongst other things give us the abridged version of

EastEnders @sparkyannc

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Mar 26 24 · 3 tweets

Some major players next at the Community Radio Symposium.

Matt Payton from @Radiocentre with overview of Commercial Radio activities. “There’s been a move away from local full service commercial stations” but still represent some small stations.

Highlights some mentions over relaxation of Community Radio restrictions on advertising. But believes there could be a more fruitful collaboration in recognising the distinctive differences between both sectors.

Matt Payton from @Radiocentre “I can’t promise we’ll always agree” but “wants to work together”.

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Mar 26 24 · 5 tweets

Trevor Dann talks with Chris Burns runs “what’s left of BBC Local radio”.

Trevor starts with the comment “you’ve made our life easier…”. “giving away their territory to CR”

Chris Burns highlights strengths of some local campaigns and adapting to changing needs.

Chris Burns: “BBC is not about winning everything” and wants to be part of a “creative community” and support the wider industry.

Chris Burns explains strategy “92% of spend was in linear radio” and want to be more “local” not just “radio” and reallocate funding.

BBC want to explore more collaboration with Community Radio stations. “Should absolutely be talking more”.

Trevor “Is BBC Local radio near it’s demise in favour of digital?”

Chris “People have always been predicting the end of radio, but it’s always been strong. This is not the end of Local Radio”

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Mar 26 24 · 1 tweets

Leona Fensome from @AudioUK talks on their work and collab between indie producers and community radio.

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Mar 26 24 · 4 tweets

Our last session at the Community Radio Symposium on line listening and aggregation with @TuneIn and @UK Radioplayer

Fergus from tunein highlights how they enable access to all stations to 200+ device partners devices.

Lawrence from RadioPlayer talks about how UK is “advanced market” with main players (BBC/global/Bauer) have their own platforms, but RadioPlayer is essential on things such as cars.

Provide a service to community radio to be on a level playingfield.

Chat about “what should you call your station” both say you need a distinctive name that means something to your locality. Don’t be aardvark FM if you are in Wolverhampton.

Good for voice assistants.

Interesting tech talk on audio quality. Without getting into bits and bytes a good suggestion was a need for a “good practice audio streaming guidelines” for stations.

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Mar 26 24 · 1 tweets

Summing up. Good point that it’s not common to have such different parties inc. DCMS, ministers, BBC etc to hear about Community Radio.

Overall a very good day (and of course what would a radio event be without a few microphone problems along the way…)