Radio&AudioStudies

Happy New Year to all our followers and for those who have a special place in their heart for #radio

The UK is entering a pivotal phase in broadcast radio policy. Ofcom is consulting on its future strategic approach to broadcast licensing, while DCMS has launched a broader Radio Review examining long-term sustainability across platforms. These processes are not technical exercises alone. They shape spectrum access, market structure, economic viability, and the conditions under which independent and local media can operate. They also raise fundamental questions about plurality, fair competition, and the balance between commercial consolidation and civic value. On Thursday 26 February 2026 at 2pm and 6pm, Better Media, hosted by Decentered Media, will convene two online Civic Futures Forum sessions. These professionally moderated discussions will bring together practitioners, volunteers, producers, policy specialists and engaged citizens to reflect on both social value and commercial realities. Sessions will include a clear overview of the review processes, structured discussion, and forward-looking thinking about what a diverse and resilient media ecology should look like by 2035. Contributions will be anonymised, and a Consultation Insight Report will be published to inform engagement with Ofcom and DCMS. If you are concerned with plurality, market access and the civic role of media, your perspective is welcome.

Do you remember when you joined X? We do! #MyXAnniversary #radiostudies #podcaststudies #audio

Delighted to announce I've had the good fortune of having a chapter on #CommunityRadio #journalism included in a new book, just out! On #broadcasting Thoroughly recommend since it's a great way to keep up with scholarly approaches and research findings 🤓 routledge.com/Insights-on-Br…

Season's greetings to all our friends - may peace, love and compassion be your guiding light🙏✨ And, just a little reminder of our forthcoming #onlinesymposium for #WorldRadioDay2026 …diesnetworkreadinggroup.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/wor…

📢 Just a couple of days until our deadline for Expressions of Interest in presenting at our #WorldRadioDay online symposium, taking place on 13th Feb. Please let us know you're interested by the end of this Friday. DM or email radiostudiesnetwork(at)gmail.com

We're calling for Contributors to our celebration of #WorldRadioDay2026 On Friday 13th Feb, we'll host an #OnlineSymposium for #radio #podcast researchers/enthusiasts to explore the legacy & future of audio and role of #digitechs Find out more on our blog bit.ly/3WLSlYV

Good luck @LeeDurrantShow

News like this *should* shock us into taking action; making different decisions in our own daily lives is a start. Whilst 'big' international discussions unfold, like at #COP30 we can help the environment locally, see what #localradio & #CommunityRadio do: …ecommunityradioenvironmentnetwork.com/our-earth-week/

More inspiring activity today from the #ourearthweek team and collaborators from #communityradio in the UK and beyond instagram.com/reel/DQ7CV3aCE…

Enjoying listening to this #communityradio station in #Southampton marking the start of #ourearthweek in tandem with #COP30 voicefmradio.co.uk/on-air/player/

📢Call for Contributions: our Online Symposium for #WorldRadioDay on 13th Feb 26 needs speakers: Send either a single poster slide or a 50-word written snapshot* on your #radio #audio #podcast research interests or a provocation you wish to make, before 21st Nov 25. DM or reply🤓

#LocalNews is under threat. Here's yet another story of how the #NewsDesert will spread further in the UK. This time, in Scotland. Save STV North - Sign the Petition! c.org/N5wWnw8PZp via @UKChange

On the theme of #LocalNews an article written last year points to concerns over localness in #CommunityRadio :- Don’t lose the local. Grassroots media matter! linkedin.com/pulse/dont-los…

Another organisation, pivotal to the UK's #commercialradio industry, is concerned for the future (quality) of #LocalNews :- radiocentre.org/statement-on-o…

Further research reveals more bodies unhappy with likely changes to #LocalRadio #News provision: - Ofcom’s Missed Opportunity decentered.co.uk/local-radio-ne…

This is Edinburgh Calling. Here's yours truly joining the fantastic British Broadcasting Century podcast by the great Paul Kerensa to talk about the absence of local radio in Scotland. Enjoy and spread the word. @RadioStudies @radioandsound

...The end of local radio as the early BBC knew it? Experts this ep inc Gordon Bathgate (author of Aberdeen Calling), Dr @AlexKocic on the absence of Scottish BBC local radio + @libertarianspir Prof Tim Crook's work on R.E. Jeffrey, sci-fi pioneer. Enjoy! pod.fo/e/336731

#localradiojournalism Once strong in UK, now in danger of being watered down, contributing to #NewsDeserts. The recent #Ofcom consultation on #LocalNews provision by analogue commercial radio stations aims to create guidelines but with differential impacts bit.ly/3ITnrKT