{"id":136946,"date":"2025-09-11T20:26:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/136946\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T20:26:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:26:10","slug":"we-out-here-and-the-power-of-community-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/136946\/","title":{"rendered":"We Out Here and the power of community radio"},"content":{"rendered":"

In times gone by, people would listen to the radio on the way to a festival. Nowadays, many festivals broadcast their performances live for listeners at home \u2013 Dorset\u2019s We Out Here festival<\/a> does this on founder Giles Peterson\u2019s own Worldwide FM. But We Out Here is also one of few festivals to actually weave radio stations into the fabric of the festival itself, this year spotlighting 14 community broadcasters from all corners of the UK on their own dedicated WOH Radio stage (read: shipping container). It might seem backwards to bring the recording booth into the field, especially when the likes of Pa Salieu, Noname and MJ Cole are performing just metres away, but it actually strikes to the heart of We Out Here\u2019s history and values as a festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiles Peterson is synonymous with radio, he is a broadcaster first and foremost,\u201d explains Josh Aitman, marketing manager for We Out Here and community radio expert. \u201cThis festival is about all the different ways in which we can celebrate and discover music and different artists and radio is the perfect tool for that, it\u2019s a platform of storytelling and discovery, and stations play just as much a part of the musical ecosystem as artists, musicians and DJs. It just slots perfectly into the festival to not only have all these amazing artists, but also those who are purveyors of music, the storytellers as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aitman is better positioned than most to understand this role. Before landing at We Out Here, Aitman ran his own station, Melodic Distraction<\/a>, in Liverpool for eight years, gradually snowballing from a tiny project with just half a dozen shows a month to providing a home to 450 different presenters a month. This experience in community broadcasting not only helped Aitman discover a multitude of musical niches, but also played a key role in his own personal development. \u201cI was listening back to our station the other day and I heard the voice of one of my closest friends and the first person I came out to, a lady called Danielle Moore,\u201d Aitman recalls. \u201cShe actually passed away last year, but I realised that I\u2019ve now got this beautiful time capsule of this person who meant so much to me, immortalised in radio. That\u2019s what radio creates for us. It\u2019s an incredible landscape for documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

This intimate connection with community broadcasting also reflects a shift that the medium has undergone in recent years. In community radio circles, it\u2019s common to hear the article dropped from the front of \u2018the radio\u2019 \u2013 Aitman said it himself, rather than being on the radio, his close friend was immortalised in radio. This small detail speaks to the more diffuse role that radio has taken on in the internet age: freed from the chains of centralised public service announcements, in the last ten years, community stations have sprung up all over the world<\/a>, showcasing musical niches to the world, and also creating integral networks in their own local environments. Far from being rendered redundant by the internet, it has led to a revolution in the medium.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s exactly this development that WOH Radio aimed to spotlight this year, featuring shows from 14 community radio stations centred around the theme \u2018Out of the Shadows\u2019. There were broadcasts on gender non-conformity in Japanese culture, queer jazz, women running record labels, and dozens more. Below, we profile five stations that appeared on the lineup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CROP is a community-led radio station based in Manchester\u2019s Northern Quarter. They platform voices, sounds and talent from across England\u2019s north-west, with weekly live streams, social content and print magazines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CROP: \u201cIt all began when we had the chance to transform an old pizza kitchen in the heart of Manchester into a DJ booth. We were given complete creative freedom to shape it into something new. Nowadays, we broadcast five days a week, and our doors are open for the community to come by, grab a drink from the bar downstairs, and experience live radio up close. There are not many places where you can hang out with friends while the broadcast happens right in front of you. Beyond the station, we collaborate on events across Manchester and the UK, always bringing our residents and affiliates along and creating opportunities outside of radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look back to the early days of radio, from offshore broadcasts to pirate stations risking everything on tower blocks, the spirit has always been the same. Communities that do not see themselves represented in the mainstream decide, \u2018let\u2019s do it ourselves.\u2019 That same purpose still exists today, but it now lives on through online radio. The internet made it safer and more accessible, but the essence remains. As long as you stay true to your community and continue to amplify voices and create opportunities for all, it feels right, rooted in what radio has always been.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voices Radio is a community station broadcasting from Kings Cross, London to the world.<\/p>\n

Kit Lockey, co-founder: \u201cLaunched off the back of an almost decade-long stint as a nomadic party series, Voices was intended as a small remedy to some of the issues we were seeing in the night-time industry. Initially, we continued as an events platform, but centred around discussion about things like gender and racial imbalance in the industry, and mental health and addiction, as well as a fundraising platform for those causes. When Covid lockdown hit, after some trial and error, we realised a radio station could still address those things and many more, as well as be a non-judgmental space for creative expression and personal development for our community. Four years later, and the mission is still very much about all of that, and we\u2019re proudly broadcasting the sounds of London 24\/7!<\/p>\n

\u201cNow more than ever, we need real human tastemakers, to find the gold amongst the AI- and algorithm-generated slop that\u2019s out there. For me, radio is about sharing ideas, finding your tribe and enjoying the supremely human experience of listening to something unfold live, mistakes and all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reform Radio is a multi-award-winning online and DAB station and social enterprise working with local creatives in Manchester. They aim to platform the best in music, arts and culture from Manchester to the world, as well as delivering accessible skills training through their studios, production company and workshops.<\/p>\n

Nadya Abdella, station manager: \u201cBack in 2013, three friends \u2013 Jemma, Rachel, and Sam \u2013 had a simple yet radical idea: use the power of the emerging online radio scene to help young people break into work. What started as a self-funded pilot quickly proved its potential. In just one week, five young people produced a world-class radio show. The only issue they had was that they didn\u2019t have a station to air it on. They began broadcasting from the basement of the shared house in which they met. DJs were met with hearty, home-cooked meals, and Reform Radio was born \u2013 a DIY, community-rooted initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince our founding, we’ve continued to grow to meet the needs of Manchester communities. From our space in Bonded Warehouse, we now work with over 300 participants each year, with over 450 individuals broadcasting on our station each year. As an organisation, we\u2019ve now branched out into an award-winning production company, commissioned by large media organisations like the BBC to create high-quality audio pieces, as well as our BBC Six Music show, the People\u2019s Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe resurgence of radio has been really interesting to see. I think that before the pandemic, people thought it was a medium that might die out, but during the pandemic, it gave people a central point of connection in a time when we were in silos. Throughout the history of radio, it has given underrepresented communities a place to share their sonic identities!\u201d<\/p>\n

1BTN is an online, DAB and FM radio station and not-for-profit organisation based in Brighton, providing a platform for like-minded music heads in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mickey, founder: \u201cWhen 1BTN was founded in 2015, I was disillusioned with the radio on offer back then. There wasn\u2019t really a lot going on in Brighton: clubland had slumped and the scene seemed fragmented. The opportunity of starting a radio station came up, and with no idea what to do, I just thought: \u201cif you build it, they will come\u201d \u2013 community is important to us. Lockdown was a real positive for us, as it was for many others in our field. We engaged with some wonderful artists from around the world, which led to a real spike in interest.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a tough 3 years or so, but we are right in the middle of very exciting plans, which will see us move out of the basement for the first time and into public view.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadio is a vital and important medium; it always has been. I was hooked on pirate stations as a pre-teen, and my love for them has never dwindled. It\u2019s trusted, it\u2019s honest, and it\u2019s raw \u2013 the DIY model is for sure. The soul of pirate radio remains at its core, really. It\u2019s about that unique ability to have an emotional connection with your audience. You don\u2019t get that accessibility anywhere else. Radio is boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forge Radio is the University of Sheffield\u2019s student-run station, operating out of their student union. Shows range from music, sports and talk segments, and also include event coverage and live gigs.<\/p>\n

Arko Dutta, head of music: \u201cForge was founded in 1995 under the name Sure FM. In 2000, we were honoured as the Student Radio Station of the Year by College Music Update, and a year later, we made national headlines, albeit for different reasons. The station gained national attention when it defied a university ban on playing Eminem\u2019s music, leading to a fine from the Students\u2019 Union, but helped cement an ethos of putting students first. In 2008, the three arms of Sheffield\u2019s student media combined under the name Forge, broadcasting online live 24\/7 and inspiring a generation of radio presenters who\u2019ve gone on to do some amazing things.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, the role of radio is more important than ever. In an age where people are bombarded with endless playlists and algorithms, radio gives you something those platforms can\u2019t \u2013 a real human voice, a sense of community, and a space for discovery. It\u2019s about connection: whether that\u2019s a Sheffield student tuning into Forge to hear their mate\u2019s show, or someone finding a new artist they wouldn\u2019t have come across otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n