About UK Community Radio Network

The UK Community Radio Network exists to support the over 300 OFCOM Licenses Community Radio stations in the United Kingdom.

The UK Community Radio Network is a registered CIC, Company number: 13700623

We are an organisation dedicated to representing, supporting and developing Ofcom Licensed Community Radio Stations across the United Kingdom.

What we do, and how we do it is driven by our members and 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, the group has now been registered as a Community Interest Company to further develop, represent, and promote the sector.

To date, the UKCRN has:

• Partnered with Coventry City of Culture to host the 2021 Community Radio Conference, taking place prior to the Community Radio Awards
• Held bi-monthly meetings for 18 months with station managers and principal decision makers to engage with the sector
• 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
• Aided 13 stations to apply for improvement or expansion to their FM coverage.

In 2022, funding from the Ofcom Community Radio Fund will allow UKCRN to hold small regional meetings, along with one big conference next autumn, alongside the UK Community Radio Awards.