Community radio in the United Kingdom: Lessons from a demographic survey in Cornwall

Abstract

Since the establishment of community radio in the United Kingdom in 2004, it has become an integral part of the mediascape, founded on the basis of providing ‘social gain’ to the communities it serves. Little research has been done, however, into the number of people listening to the almost 300 stations now active in the United Kingdom. This article presents the data from three demographic surveys carried out in March 2020 and reports the radio listening habits of three towns served by community radio stations. A quantitative survey of radio listening habits was undertaken in the broadcast area of three community radio stations in Cornwall, United Kingdom: Source FM in Falmouth, RSAB in Saint Austell and CHBN in Truro. Data were gathered using a mixture of street interviews and online surveys. These data are presented, highlighting listening numbers and audience demographics in the three stations surveyed. It presents an analysis of potential lessons for the community radio sector in small rural towns such as those in the survey and for the rest of the United Kingdom. It advocates for the adoption of a rhizomatic, ‘agonistic’ approach to community radio to increase listenership and civil interaction and thereby social gain.