UK

Manchester Central Library is appealing for listeners to help complete its growing archive of historic Piccadilly Radio shows.

The city’s first commercial radio station went on air in April 1974, with Roger Day launching the service by playing the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations. Since last year, over 1,600 programmes have been digitised through a £99,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, preserving decades of local broadcasting history.
Many broadcasts, however, are still missing. The library is asking residents to check their cupboards, attics and cassette collections for home recordings of lost shows such as James Stannage’s late-night phone-ins, Susie Mathis and Dave Ward’s daytime programmes, Mike Shaft’s ‘Taking Care of Business’, and Stu Allan’s influential hip hop series ‘Bus Diss’.
Listeners can have their tapes digitised for free and returned once copied, ensuring these shows are preserved for future generations. The appeal coincides with the Piccadilly Radio Archive: Nobody Did It Better! exhibition, running at Manchester Central Library until 31 December 2025, which celebrates the voices that shaped Manchester’s radio scene from the 1970s onwards.
Councillor John Hacking said the project is “a chance for all of us to be part of preserving Manchester’s broadcasting history,” encouraging anyone with old tapes to contribute. Helen Featherstone from The National Lottery Heritage Fund added that “local radio holds a special place in people’s hearts,” and praised the project for inspiring future broadcasters.
The archive has also collaborated with the Manchester Digital Music Archive and the Greater Manchester Hip Hop Archive, offering young people workshops and training through ALL FM. Oral histories from Piccadilly Radio staff are also being recorded as part of the project.
Former listeners can contact the Library on archiveslocalstudies@manchester.gov.uk to share their recordings.

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Harrogate Hospital Radio has been awarded £18,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to improve its broadcasting facilities.
The grant will fund upgrades to studio and ward equipment, improving audio quality and connectivity for patients, visitors and staff at Harrogate District Hospital. The volunteer-run station says the investment will help it deliver an even higher standard of entertainment and comfort to those spending time in hospital.
Chair Bernard Mageean said the funding would have a lasting impact on both volunteers and listeners. He added: “We’re incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund and to everyone who plays the National Lottery. This grant will make a huge difference to our volunteers and listeners alike. It means we can continue improving our broadcasting equipment and ensure our output remains of a high quality for patients at Harrogate District Hospital.”
Alongside this new funding, the station is pressing ahead with its plans for growth and community involvement. It will soon be inviting new volunteers to get involved in broadcasting, producing, and behind-the-scenes roles as part of its expanding service.
Marketing Manager Oliver Johnson also expressed appreciation for the continued backing of local sponsors, saying their support — together with the National Lottery funding — helps the station’s volunteers make a real difference to patients’ wellbeing.

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Radio TechCon will return to IET London: Savoy Place this year with a programme that places radio technology, engineering and international collaboration at its centre.
The event takes place on Tuesday 25th November and will bring together specialists from the UK and overseas to share practical insight across studio build projects, transmission innovation and new applications of AI.
Sessions will look at the contrasting approaches taken by LBC and Castledown FM when creating new studios, including how community broadcasters can move operations into the cloud at short notice. Delegates will also hear how engineers at Glastonbury are isolating audio tracks live to improve clarity for broadcast audiences, and how best practice from aviation can help production teams work more effectively in pressured environments.
A strong global theme runs through the day. Contributors from Ghana will outline how solar power is being used to support radio transmission, while a team from Portugal will explain how broadcasters responded to a nationwide power outage and what UK stations can do to plan for similar scenarios. Sweden will demonstrate its award-winning interactive news app, developed using AI to answer unexpected audience questions.
AI will feature throughout the programme, including a short masterclass explaining the fundamentals and a session from the BBC on testing a new listening model designed to detect audio errors. There will also be an update on one of the UK’s largest current transmission replatforming projects and a look at how BFBS has applied broadcast skills to the fast-growing esports sector.
The event will again include a mini trade-fair with representatives from Broadcast Bionics, Arqiva, Lawo, IPE, RCS, the IET, CGI, Preco, Telos Alliance, Ferncast and Radioplayer. Delegates will be able to explore equipment at breakfast, enjoy afternoon cake and take part in networking after the main programme.
Ann Charles said, “We’re so excited to have a broad and diverse programme this year, covering everything from new studio builds to the future of AI for audio.”
The day will conclude with Stephanie Hirst’s quiz for those keen to test what they learned.

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Five local radio stations joined forces to broadcast live from the new Sandals St Vincent and the Grenadines resort in a major collaboration led by Rob Wills.

The project, run under the ‘Local Radio Promotions’ banner for Sandals Resorts UK, brought together kmfm, Nation Radio South, Radio Exe, Isle of Wight Radio and More Radio to deliver a unified week of drive-time programming.
Each station produced its own live shows from the Caribbean resort, featuring local experiences, interviews, and a competition offering listeners the chance to win a seven-night all-inclusive holiday.
Rob Wills said the campaign was one of the most rewarding projects he has worked on, adding: “This really proved what local radio can do when it works together – great content, memorable radio, and meaningful results for both audiences and our client.”
The team created a central content bank of interviews, imagery, and artwork, allowing each station to draw on shared assets while maintaining their own identity.
Support for the Sandals Foundation was also included in the broadcasts, highlighting its work to rebuild communities following the impact of Hurricane Mellisa.
Cleanfeed’s Marc Bakos provided technical support to ensure broadcast quality, with additional help from kmfm’s Lee Turner, Becca Webb, and Kamaldip Panesar. Rob thanked Sandals’ Natalie, Alice and Esme for their trust in the project, and praised the station teams and programme directors involved.

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BBC Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox has completed her 135-mile Great Northern Marathon Challenge, raising £7,651,855 for BBC Children in Need.
Sara reached the finish line in Pudsey, West Yorkshire at 3.30pm, where Scott Mills revealed the final total live on Radio 2.
Melanie C was there to surprise Sara and performed “Northern Star” and a medley of Spice Girls hits in front of a live audience, broadcast from Pudsey.
Speaking after finishing, Sara said: “I can’t believe it, oh my gosh, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never known pain like it but I’ve never had so many amazing people cheering me on. The truck drivers honking, the farmers waving, and the kids with homemade signs — it’s been the maddest, most painful, wonderful thing I’ve ever done.”
The five-day challenge saw Sara run from Kielder Forest on the Scottish border to Pudsey, taking on five themed stages through bitter rain, steep hills, and freezing wind.
The Radio 2 Team at Sara Cox’s Great Northern Marathon Challenge for Children In Need, getting Pudsey to Pudsey on Friday 14th November 2025
Day one: Sara began her journey at Kielder Forest accompanied by a piper from Morpeth Pipe Band as locals cheered her off. Trevor Nelson revealed live on air that £189,741 had been raised on the first day.
Day two: Heavy rain greeted Sara in Hexham as she faced the highest point of her challenge. By the end of the day, DJ Spoony told her the total had surged to £650,128.
Day three: The longest leg took Sara from Wolsingham to Richmond, where exhaustion and lack of sleep tested her resolve. Jo Whiley later revealed that donations had risen to £1.93 million.
Day four: The local mayor and residents saw Sara off from Richmond as Vernon Kay announced a total of £2.68 million. By evening, Trevor Nelson confirmed that the total had passed £3 million.
Day five: Sara left Ripley for her final stretch to Pudsey. A Red Arrow flew overhead, and Scott Mills played a message from Prince William, who told her: “The nation is so proud of you.”
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, said Sara’s run had “brought the nation together to raise vital funds for Children in Need” and praised listeners for their overwhelming generosity.
Sara’s challenge attracted messages from Mo Farah, Paula Radcliffe, Ant and Dec, Louis Theroux and Dame Judi Dench, and support from thousands of listeners who lined the streets along the way.
Sara Cox completes her Great Northern Marathon Challenge for Children In Need, getting Pudsey to Pudsey on Friday 14th November 2025

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Ofcom has confirmed how commercial radio stations can renew their analogue licences when no suitable DAB multiplex is available.

The clarification follows the Media Act passed last year, which introduced an additional route for renewal when a station cannot reasonably join a matching digital multiplex.
Until now, analogue renewal has only been permitted when a station also broadcasts on a relevant DAB multiplex. The new rules set out how Ofcom will judge whether a multiplex is suitable and when stations may use the new option.
Ofcom says most renewals will continue through the existing method, with stations remaining on DAB.
The new route will apply only in limited situations where a relevant multiplex does not exist or when its coverage does not align closely enough with the station’s FM or AM area.
The regulator explains that there are two qualifying circumstances. A station may qualify if there is no relevant multiplex at all, including cases where the appropriate multiplex has no capacity and no alternative is available. Renewal may also be possible where a multiplex exists but its coverage area is substantially larger or smaller than the analogue service area.
According to Ofcom, the key test is whether the mismatch in coverage is significant. The difference must be substantial before a station can rely on the new approach. The organisation’s recent consultation, held between December last year and February this year, sought views on how to judge suitability and has shaped the guidance now being published.
A spokesperson said the aim is to keep most stations on digital platforms while recognising a small number may need a different route. “We expect the vast majority of licence renewals will continue to be on the basis of DAB provision,” they said, adding that only a limited number of cases should fall under the new rules.

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