Community Radio Station

Rockingham Radio launched in the middle of the Covid 19 lockdown in the UK with the intention of bringing music to the local communities and people who are isolated, either furloughed from their regular jobs, shielding for underlying medical reasons or finding themselves otherwise isolated from their families and friends as a result of the pandemic.

Local radio as we know it in the South Yorkshire region is being further decimated by the  consolidation of a number of stations into one single entity, focusing on a Greatest Hits branding and likely resulting in further job losses for presenters and other staff when this happens in September 2020.

We want to protect local identities, create opportunities and give members of the local community a chance to get involved with their local station, to contribute articles, engage in discussions and to share stories of interest, maybe even to present their own shows or podcasts as the radio station grows.

Everyone working with Rockingham Radio is a volunteer. It will cost around £2,500 per year to operate the station and we aim to raise money to contribute, initially, towards those operating costs. We can then concentrate our time and efforts into training new presenters and developing income streams to sustain the radio station's longer term future.

What is different about Rockingham Radio?
Making a difference to people's lives, giving them a sense of purpose and an escape from isolation, we have already made people's dreams come true by enabling them to achieve a lifetime ambition of presenting their own radio show.  One of those presenters has already gone on to touch the hearts of people in several different countries by creating a special tribute show for a friend of his who died of coronavirus complications.  That show was listened to, as it broadcast, by people who were unable to attend the funeral and it brought together friends and relatives across many continents by the power of radio and through a common love and appreciation of music.  

At Rockingham Radio, we are committed to bringing commuties together, over the airwaves, and in conversation whether under lockdown conditions, or not, because we firmly believe in, and have a passion for, community cohesion and for serving others. We are delivering music across a broad spectrum of eras and musical tastes and we give presenters the flexibility to tailor their show's format and style according to their chosen audience.

Appealing to listeners of all ages, we already have a children's entertainer delivering a show, the character is called Granny Norbag and she is a huge hit across the local schooling community and continues to grow her following during the lockdown period. Home-grown talent can find its voice and gain broader exposure if we can support and promote them from the earliest opportunity.

Our future ambitions:
We don't plan on being a one-hit wonder at Rockingham Radio; we aim to develop a full training programme and have that training meet a recognised qualification in radio presenting skills. In the next two years we also plan to build a state-of-the-art studio, where musicians can also come and play sessions, maybe even live session on the radio.  We also aim to take the radio station mobile with a broadcasting unit that can visit community groups and events, to help raise awareness and to share local stories with the wider community.

Firstly, though, we have to secure our immediate short-term future and we need your help in doing that.

Please help us maintain this momentum and sustain a future for truly local radio by donating to this cause.

This image is of our mascot - Reggie the Reindeer - and his relatives.  Watch our Facebook page for more information about these special reindeers.



Rockingham Radio on Facebook