Category Archives: Radio

In the United Kingdom, campus radio is generally referred to as ‘student radio’.

Founded in 1960, the University of Hertfordshire’s Campus Radio Hatfield (now Crush Radio) was the UK’s first student radio station, though it was a pirate radio station. This was followed by the first legal station, Radio Heslington (now University Radio York) in 1967, Swansea University’s Action Radio (now Xtreme Radio) in 1968, Stirling University’s University Radio Airthrey (now Air3 Radio) from 1970, University of Essex’s University Radio Essex in 1971, and Loughborough University’s Loughborough Campus Radio in 1973.

Some student radio stations operate on the FM waveband for short periods at a time under the Restricted Service Licence scheme, while others choose to broadcast full-time on the AM waveband using an LPAM licence. There are only five UK student radio stations permitted to broadcast all year on LPFM. These are Xpression FM (Exeter), Radio Roseland (Truro, Cornwall), Storm FM (Bangor), Bailrigg FM (Lancaster) and 1386 HCR (Halesowen College).[citation needed] None of these licences provides for a reception area greater than four kilometres from the point of transmission. To counteract these licence restrictions and, in the case of AM broadcasts, poor quality audio, many radio stations simulcast on the Internet.

The UK Student Radio Association works on behalf of more than fifty UK-based member radio stations to further their development, encourage and facilitate communication between member radio stations and links to the commercial radio industry, and lobby for the membership’s interests on both a regional and national level. The association organises and hosts the annual Student Radio Awards in conjunction with BBC Radio 1.