Contents
- Community radio stations statistics: UK station governance and social gain
- Community radio stations statistics: volunteers, training and output
- Community radio stations statistics: UK finances and grant outcomes
- Community radio stations statistics: social-gain measurement and audience estimates
- Community radio stations statistics: Australian licences and specialist services
- Community radio stations statistics: Australian music output and contribution
- Sources
Community radio stations statistics: UK station governance and social gain
Ofcom’s June 2025 survey describes several organisational forms among responding UK community radio stations. Registered charities made up 55% of respondents; Ofcom’s definition includes companies limited by guarantee with charitable status and charitable incorporated organisations. The chart lists those components as 42% and 13%, respectively. Community Interest Companies accounted for 38%, and charitable trusts for 6%. The organisation-type chart had 77 responses, so these shares describe that respondent group. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, section 3.1, footnote 3 and figure 3.1
| Organisation type | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Registered charities, as described by Ofcom | 55% |
| Community Interest Companies | 38% |
| Charitable trusts | 6% |
The figures show the report’s own categories and definition. Its charity share corresponds to the charted 42% and 13% components. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, figure 3.1
On organisational structure, 88% of responding stations described themselves as standalone entities, while 11% operated as part of a wider parent company. Separately, 67% reported affiliation with trade bodies such as the CMA, UKCRN or Wales CRN. These are survey responses about structure and affiliation, not a census of all UK stations. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, section 3.1
Community radio stations statistics: volunteers, training and output
In 2023, Ofcom reported more than 20,000 volunteers in the UK community radio sector. Stations averaged 130 volunteer hours per station each week, and the sector delivered training to more than 7,000 volunteers that year. These figures describe different things: the volunteer population, weekly hours per station and training reach. Source: Ofcom, Media Nations: UK 2024, community radio section, p. 54
Ofcom’s volunteer input guide, revised in October 2023, gives a valuation rate of £15.23 per hour for a senior volunteer responsible for station outputs or other volunteers’ outputs, typically a station manager. Its rate for a standard volunteer responsible only for their own outputs is £13.91 per hour. These are guide rates for valuing input, not reported wages. Source: Ofcom, Community Radio: volunteer input, section 5, table 2
| Measure | Reported value and scope |
|---|---|
| Volunteers | More than 20,000 in the UK sector in 2023 |
| Volunteer hours | 130 hours per station each week in 2023 |
| Volunteers receiving training | More than 7,000 in the UK sector in 2023 |
| Senior volunteer guide rate | £15.23 per hour; guidance revised October 2023 |
| Standard volunteer guide rate | £13.91 per hour; guidance revised October 2023 |
The hours and training figures describe activity reported for 2023, while the guide rates provide a separate way to value volunteer input. The publications do not state a combined monetary valuation of those hours. Sources: Ofcom, Media Nations: UK 2024, p. 54; Ofcom, Community Radio: volunteer input, section 5, table 2
Community radio stations statistics: UK finances and grant outcomes
The UK community radio sector reported total income of £13.8 million in 2023, averaging about £48,000 per station. These figures measure income, not profit. Source: Ofcom, Media Nations: UK 2024, community radio section, p. 54
A 2021 Wavehill survey asked Community Radio Fund recipients what grant funding had enabled. Among 37 respondents, 84% cited developing new income streams, and 54% cited a new fundraising strategy or business plan. Reported outcomes also included more volunteers (43%), more listeners (41%), relationships with corporate sponsors (41%), relationships with trusts and foundations (41%), and relationships with public-sector commissioners (30%). The survey records recipients’ reports; it does not establish that funding alone caused each outcome. Source: Evaluation of the Community Radio Fund, table 4.1, Wavehill recipient survey 2021, n=37
| Outcome recipients said funding enabled | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Develop new income streams | 84% |
| Develop a new fundraising strategy or business plan | 54% |
| Increase the number of volunteers | 43% |
| Increase the number of listeners | 41% |
| Develop relationships with corporate sponsors | 41% |
| Develop relationships with trusts and foundations | 41% |
| Develop relationships with public-sector commissioners | 30% |
| Develop new audio content and upskill volunteers | 19% |
The final row combines new audio content and volunteer upskilling in the report; it does not give separate percentages for those activities. The respondent group consisted of grant recipients who replied to the survey. Source: Evaluation of the Community Radio Fund, table 4.1, Wavehill recipient survey 2021, n=37
The evaluation also compared recipient annual income before and after an award. For the surveyed recipients, average annual income was £32,152 before and £44,159 after, a reported difference of £12,007 and increase of 37%. Median annual income was £24,080 before and £39,633 after, a difference of £15,553 and increase of 65%. Follow-up periods varied, so these are recipient-survey comparisons rather than a uniform-time estimate for the whole sector. Source: Evaluation of the Community Radio Fund, table 4.2, Wavehill recipient survey 2021, n=37
| Annual income measure | Before award | After award | Reported difference | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | £32,152 | £44,159 | £12,007 | 37% |
| Median | £24,080 | £39,633 | £15,553 | 65% |
Community radio stations statistics: social-gain measurement and audience estimates
In Ofcom’s June 2025 survey, 55 of 99 respondents (56%) said their station currently measured social gain. Another 34 of 99 (34%) said it did not, while 10 of 99 (10%) were unsure. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, section 3.3
Among the stations measuring social gain, 91% tracked the number of volunteers and volunteer hours. Other indicators covered events attended off air (82%), programmes or features focused on diversity or new voices (69%), airtime for Voluntary and Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations (64%), work-experience placements (64%), local campaigns encouraging social action (58%), online surveys or polls via social media (44%), and apprenticeships (11%). The response base for these indicators was N=55. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, figure 3.2, N=55
| Social-gain indicator tracked | Share of measuring stations |
|---|---|
| Volunteers and volunteer hours | 91% |
| Community events attended off air | 82% |
| Diversity-focused programmes or features, or platform for new voices | 69% |
| Airtime minutes for Voluntary and Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations | 64% |
| Work-experience placements | 64% |
| Local campaigns encouraging participation in social action | 58% |
| Online surveys or polls via social media | 44% |
| Apprenticeships | 11% |
The indicators include station participation, links with local groups, training opportunities and programming. They show what respondents tracked; the survey does not establish a shared definition or a common scale for the effects of these activities. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, figure 3.2, N=55
Asked about experience measuring social gain, respondents rated their station as highly experienced (25%), moderately experienced (37%) or having limited experience (30%). These are self-assessments from N=100, separate from the N=55 indicator responses. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, figure 3.3, N=100
Listenership estimates were also not reported by every respondent: 56 stations (66%) said they had some kind of estimate, while 29 stations (34%) did not. The report passage does not state a denominator for these figures, so they are retained as printed. The presence of an estimate does not indicate that stations used the same method or audience definition. Source: Ofcom, Measuring the Social Gain of Community Radio, section 3.3.1
Community radio stations statistics: Australian licences and specialist services
The Australian Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review says the sector delivers over 500 AM/FM/DAB+ services and 2 dedicated television services. The service count covers broadcasting platforms and is not a radio-station count. Citing the Community Radio Listener Survey of July 2024, the review reports weekly reach of over 5.19 million people across Australia, described as 24% of Australians. That audience figure covers community broadcasting broadly. Source: CBAA, Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review, section 1.5.2
The review reports that 74% of Australian community broadcasting licensees were based in regional and remote areas. It also reports that 51 First Nations organisations provide 158 community broadcasting services, the great majority in regional and remote areas. No measurement date is stated for the First Nations counts. Source: CBAA, Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review, section 1.5.2
| Australian measure | Reported figure and scope |
|---|---|
| AM/FM/DAB+ services | Over 500, community broadcasters |
| Dedicated television services | 2, community broadcasters |
| Weekly reach | Over 5.19 million people; 24% of Australians, broader community broadcasting |
| Regional and remote licensees | 74% of community broadcasting licensees |
| First Nations organisations and services | 51 organisations; 158 services |
The review also describes specialist services and audiences. Australian community radio broadcasts in over 110 languages. It reports 1.5 million culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) listeners, described as 29% of the total audience, listening for an average of 16.9 hours per week. The passage does not further define “total audience.” Source: CBAA, Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review, section 1.5.2, “Multicultural Australia”
For people with disability, the Radio Reading Network provides 19 AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio services nationally and has 668,000 listeners each month. The review’s note describes this as total listening for Net RPH and Net Vision Australia. In faith-based services, it lists 32 Christian radio stations and 1 Muslim station. Source: CBAA, Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review, section 1.5.2, “People with disability” and “Faith-based communities”
A 2021 survey of Australian Christian community-radio listeners found that 95% said their station had a positive impact on their lives. The same passage reports spiritual growth for 88% and relational growth for 74%. These are findings about surveyed listeners, not all community-radio audiences. Source: CBAA, Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review, section 1.5.2, “Faith-based communities,” citing McCrindle 2021
Community radio stations statistics: Australian music output and contribution
Creative Australia’s research summary, published on 22 May 2026, identifies 292 Australian community radio stations with a developed music profile as the core of the community music-radio network. It classifies 39 stations as high-intensity music stations and 71 as medium-intensity. These are the stated categories; the summary does not give a count here for every intensity category. Source: Creative Australia, Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem, selected findings
For an average year, the research estimates that the community music-radio network generates $151 million of added value to the music industry, in addition to airplay royalties. The statement prints a dollar sign without spelling out the currency. This is an estimated music-industry contribution, not station income. Source: Creative Australia, Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem, selected findings
The network is estimated to broadcast 390,960 hours of Australian music each year. The summary compares this with about 160,000 hours of Australian music broadcast annually by commercial radio. Both are annual estimates, with the commercial-radio figure explicitly approximate. Source: Creative Australia, Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem, selected findings
The research also reports that 60% of listeners of Indigenous stations felt community-radio music contributed to their cultural experience and deserved financial support. This result describes those listeners’ reported views, alongside the separate broadcast-hour and economic-contribution estimates. Source: Creative Australia, Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem, selected findings