{"id":608313,"date":"2026-05-28T10:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T10:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/608313\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T10:42:16","slug":"local-radio-day-returns-to-showcase-and-shine-radiotoday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/608313\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Radio Day returns to \u201cShowcase and Shine\u201d \u2013 RadioToday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/todayl.ink\/aiirjune\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"RTUKPackageDeal1webp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RTUKPackageDeal1webp.webp\" alt=\"\"   width=\"800\" height=\"160\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Local Radio Day returns this Friday with stations across the UK focusing on community voices, local journalism and innovation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/todayl.ink\/WiseBuddah\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/RadioToday-Small-Image-150x150-1.png\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The annual event takes place on 29 May, with organisers encouraging stations to \u201cShowcase and Shine\u201d by celebrating the role local broadcasting continues to play across towns and cities nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Stations can register through the event website ahead of Friday, where support packs and promotional material are now available.<\/p>\n<p>Originally launched in 2016 by UKRD, Local Radio Day was created to recognise the relationship between stations and their listeners. It has since expanded into a wider industry initiative highlighting the social value and future of local broadcasting.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s event is backed by the Community Media Association, Local Radio Support, Local Media Network and RadioToday.<\/p>\n<p>Organisers Sound Vision CIO have also been promoting the campaign through social media videos featuring broadcasters and sector figures.<\/p>\n<p>Media Minister Ian Murray MP said: \u201cLocal radio holds a special place in people\u2019s lives\u2026 part of the glue that holds our communities together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Referencing the Government\u2019s Local Media Action Plan, he added: \u201cWe doubled funding for community radio stations to \u00a31 million per year over the next three years\u2026 showing our commitment to ensuring the sector has the right support to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Broadcasters across the sector say the event reflects the continued importance of locally produced programming and community connection.<\/p>\n<p>Vijay Umrao, Chair of the Community Media Association and Station Manager at EAVA FM, said: \u201cAt EAVA FM we host over 15 different languages for all the diverse communities in Leicester.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Phil England from Local Radio Support described it as \u201can exciting time for community and smaller independent operators\u201d, pointing to developments around audience measurement and SSDAB rollout.<\/p>\n<p>Danny Lawrence from Gateway 97.8 said his station\u2019s plans focus directly on listeners and community groups, adding: \u201cWe\u2019re making it not about the programmes so much\u2026 more about the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alex Airnes from K107FM said: \u201cLocal radio gives a true sense of belonging because it\u2019s built by the people who live here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Organisers say further initiatives are planned later this year, including a project linked to World Children\u2019s Day on 20th November aimed at encouraging the next generation of broadcasting talent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local Radio Day returns this Friday with stations across the UK focusing on community voices, local journalism and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-608313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}