About UK Community Radio Network
The UK Community Radio Network is the national sector body that works to represent, support, and help develop Ofcom licenced Community Radio across the UK.
We're a whole sector body, without membership who work to engage with the whole sector, what we do, and how we do it is driven by the stations that engage with us, the Station Mangers and Management Reps that we meet with and speak to on a regular basis.
Set-up at the start of the pandemic as an opportunity for OFCOM managers to come together, socialise and support each other through a difficult period, we then registered as a Community Interest Company to further develop, represent, and promote the sector.
The UK Community Radio Network is a registered CIC, Company number: 13700623
Our ongoing regular activity:
- Attended regular meetings with Ofcom and the DCMS to represent and raise issues of the sector, including licence renewal, SSDAB progress and its implementation, and to lobby for the increase of the Community Radio Fund
- Monthly zoom meetings for station managers / management
Most Recent Activity (2025)
- Fed forward our thoughts to Ofcom with regard to their annual plan
- Met with the Minister for Media - Stephanie Peacock MP
Most Recent Activity (2023-2024)
- Worked with the CMA on a joint submission on the DCMS consultation on analogue community radio licensing
- Released our manifesto for the future of Community Radio for the General Election
- Wrote to the new Prime Minister, SoS and Minister once appointed welcoming them
- Represented Community Radio at the Public Interest News Foundation's Public Interest News Forum
- Submitted a response to Ofcom consultation on the changes to the Key Commitments and how community radio is regulated
- Submitted evidence and rationale to DCMS advocating for an increase in the Community Radio Fund
- Supported many community radio stations with; compliance issues (Ofcom complaints), licence renewals, licence transfers, and general advice and guidance
- Provided support for stations with election coverage
- Partnered with the BJTC for the national elections overnight coverage show
- Partnered with the CMA, DCMS and other sector people to support the organisation of the Radio Symposium which took place on the 27th of March
- Partnered with an academic from the University of Northampton on a joint research project to pilot an audience measurement methodology for community radio
- Partnered with the Advertising Standards Authority to run a “Trust in advertising” Campaign
- Partnered with Radioplayer to provide free access to their platform for supporters
- Supported the publishing of the research into the on-air impact report for Community Radio
Historically we have:
- Submitted written evidence to the Commons Culture Media & Sport Select Committee on the Media Bill, and were subsequently then invited to give evidence in person in parliament
- Continued our campaign for an increase in the volunteer value rates for the Ofcom annual report (a campaign that we won!)
- Partnered with Coventry City of Culture to host the 2021 Community Radio Conference, taking place prior to the Community Radio Awards
- Launched regular meetings for station managers and principal decision-makers to engage with the sector and provide peer support
- Under lockdown sent an open letter that was signed by half of all Community Radio stations demanding payment for playing government messages and PSAs which led to ongoing meetings with the government and supported the campaign for additional funding via Ofcom for the Community Radio
- Got #SupportCommunityRadio trending in the top 10 on Twitter (above Joe Wicks) when stations all came together to play “All you need is love” as the UK CRN launched its own music video, featuring volunteers singing along from across the sector
- Held regular meetings with Ofcom and DCMS to discuss the sector, as well as participating in and responding to consultations, engaging directly with the sector on their behalf
- Received funding via its founding member stations NLive Radio from the Ofcom Community Radio Fund to hold face to face events and conferences over the next year for the sector
