Coast FM

What Coast FM does

Coast FM is a community radio station serving West Cornwall (population ~60,000), broadcasting on 96.5 FM and 97.2 FM under a Cornwall Council licence, with worldwide online streaming via coastfm.co.uk, dedicated iOS and Android mobile applications, and smart speaker integration. Founded in 2005 as Penwith Radio by Chris Goninan and the Penwith 50+ Forum, the station rebranded to Coast FM in 2016 and operates as Penwith Community Radio Station CIC, a UK Community Interest Company whose structure legally mandates reinvestment of any surplus into the community. The station runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, almost entirely on volunteer presenters and producers; programming spans mainstream hits, specialist music shows, Cornish-language content (An Radyo), local sports (Sportsweek), and annual radio pantomimes produced with the Gweek Pantoloons.

The product surface extends well beyond the FM broadcast: Coast Player provides a listen-again service for missed programmes; Coast Creative is an in-house advertising production service producing 30-second commercials with commercial music rights at 44p per play; Coast FM Weather and Travel Updates deliver hourly local forecasts (presented by Martin Holland) and real-time road-works information for A30, A38, and other Cornish routes; a Surf Report widget supplies conditions for Mounts Bay and Marazion via Surf-Forecast.com; and Community Service Announcements offer free 30-second slots to West Cornwall voluntary and non-profit organisations. Supporting infrastructure includes the Coast FM Store on Spreadshop (t-shirts, hoodies, bags, mugs) and a free 30-second Community Service Announcement service.

Revenue is generated through multiple small-ticket streams rather than a single dominant line: local SMB advertising on a pay-as-you-go 44p-per-play basis (clients include Les Widden Farm Shop, TJ Carpets, Fix Auto Penzance, Carpet and Home Store, The Badger Inn); the Unity Lottery at £1 per weekly entry (administered by Sterling Management Centre Limited under Gambling Commission and Cornwall Council regulation, with at least 50% of proceeds flowing to Coast FM); listener donations via PayPal; merchandise sales through Spreadshop; and grant/sponsorship support from the Big Lottery Fund and Penzance Town Council. Leadership is Alan Shepherd (Chair) and Dave Pascoe (Station Manager), both Directors, supported entirely by volunteer programmers.

Name

Coast FM

Legal name

Penwith Community Radio Station CIC

Website

https://coastfm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coast FM is a volunteer-run UK community radio station operating as a Community Interest Company, broadcasting on 96.5 and 97.2 FM across West Cornwall (~60,000 population) with worldwide streaming, mobile apps, and smart speaker access. Revenue comes from local SMB advertising, donations, lottery, merchandise, and public-sector grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Local radio advertising
• Online radio streaming
• Volunteer-led programming
• Fundraising lottery services

Headquarters

HQ city

Penzance

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Unity Lottery: Weekly lottery costing £1 per entry with prizes up to £25,000. Minimum 50% of proceeds go directly to Coast FM. Operated through Unity Lottery platform administered by Sterling Management Centre Limited.
2. Donations: Voluntary financial support from listeners and supporters through PayPal
3. Local Advertising: Radio advertising for local West Cornwall businesses. Coast Creative in-house production creates 30-second commercials at 44p per play with commercial music rights included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coast FM is a community radio station that broadcasts local programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 96.5 FM and 97.2 FM to West Cornwall, complemented by worldwide online streaming and mobile apps. It sells radio advertising to local businesses through its in-house Coast Creative production service and raises funds through listener donations and a weekly Unity Lottery. The station is operated as a Community Interest Company (Penwith Community Radio Station CIC) and runs almost entirely on volunteer presenters and producers.

Product overview

Coast FM is a community radio station serving West Cornwall, broadcasting on 96.5 FM and 97.2 FM frequencies with worldwide online streaming. The core offering is live radio programming available via FM broadcast, website streaming, and dedicated iOS/Android mobile apps. The station operates a multi-product ecosystem including: Coast Player (listen-again service for missed programmes), Coast Creative (advertising production services), Coast FM Lottery (weekly fundraising lottery via Unity Lottery platform), and the Coast FM Store (merchandise via Spreadshop). Supporting services include real-time travel/traffic updates, hourly weather reports, surf forecast integration, and community service announcements for local voluntary organisations. The station runs 24/7 almost entirely on volunteer presenters and producers, with programming spanning mainstream hits, specialist music shows, local news coverage sourced from Sky News, sports programming (Sportsweek), and annual pantomime productions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coast FM Broadcast (96.5 FM & 97.2 FM) Local radio broadcast service for West Cornwall operating on 96.5 FM and 97.2 FM frequencies, providing community-focused programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to local listeners.
• Coast FM Online Streaming Live internet radio streaming available worldwide via the website coastfm.co.uk, allowing listeners to tune in to Coast FM online from anywhere globally.
• Coast FM Mobile App (iOS & Android) Free mobile applications for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) enabling on-the-go listening to Coast FM broadcasts via smartphones and tablets.
• Coast Creative Advertising Production In-house advertising production service for local West Cornwall businesses, creating professionally voiced radio advertisements with commercial music rights included, offered at 44p per play with pay-as-you-go billing.
• Coast FM Lottery (Unity Lottery) Weekly fundraising lottery operated in partnership with Unity Lottery, costing £1 per entry with chances to win up to £25,000. Maximum 20 chances per Friday draw, with 1 in 63 chance of winning. Licensed by Cornwall Council under account number L117_001020.
• Coast FM Sportsweek Weekly sports news programme presented by Paul Warburton covering the latest sports news from across the West Cornwall region.
• Coast FM Pantomime Productions Annual radio pantomime productions produced in collaboration with the Gweek Pantoloons, including productions such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Cinderella Island, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White and the 7 Vertically Challenged Beings.
• An Radyo (Cornish Language Programme) Weekly Cornish language cultural programme presented by Matthi ab Dewi, featuring Cornish language content, folk, rock, blues and pop music, aimed at both Cornish speakers and learners.
• Coast FM Store (Branded Merchandise) Online merchandise store powered by Spreadshop, selling Coast FM branded items including t-shirts, hoodies, bags, and mugs via print-on-demand fulfilment.
• Community Service Announcements Free 30-second advertisement service for not-for-profit voluntary organisations within Coast FM's transmission area, supporting community announcements and charity promotion.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Penzance Town CouncilcoreOthersProvides financial support and sponsorship to Coast FM as a local authority supporter of community radio
• Sterling Management Centre Limited (Unity Lottery)coreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed External Lottery Manager providing the Unity Lottery platform that Coast FM uses to run its weekly fundraising lottery. Handles all lottery administration including Direct Debit processing, prize payments, and member communications.
• Cornwall CouncilcoreOthersLicenses Coast FM to operate under account number L117_001020 and regulates the lottery operation
• Business Partners ProgrammeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal businesses including Holistic Healing Cornwall, Penwith Landscape, Les Widden Farm Shop, TJ Carpets, Fix Auto Penzance, Carpet and Home Store, and The Badger Inn provide sponsorship and advertising support

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hits Radio Cornwall (formerly Pirate FM): Commercial local radio station serving Cornwall, part of the Global Radio-owned Hits Radio network. Comparable local radio competitor reaching the same West Cornwall audience with a national-network backing.
• Source FM: Community radio station also broadcasting in the Cornwall area, operating on a similar volunteer-led, hyper-local model. Directly comparable in terms of structure (community interest/social enterprise), funding mix, and target audience.
• Frome FM: UK community radio station operating a volunteer-led hyper-local broadcast model similar to Coast FM. Useful comparison for non-profit, volunteer-driven local radio operations.
• Penistone Community Radio: Community radio station serving a small UK town under a comparable volunteer-led broadcasting model. Directly comparable in scale, structure and local-content focus.
• Bradford Community Broadcasting: UK community radio broadcaster operating under a similar non-profit, volunteer-run model. Comparable in operating philosophy and reliance on local advertising, grants and community fundraising.
• BBC Radio Cornwall: BBC's local radio service for Cornwall, broadcasting news, music and community content across the same geographic market as Coast FM. Most direct comparison as a Cornwall-focused local radio broadcaster, although backed by BBC resources.

Broad incumbents

• Global Radio: Major UK commercial radio operator owning national and regional stations including Hits Radio Cornwall. Overlaps with Coast FM in the same geography but operates at significantly larger scale with national-network programming.
• Bauer Media Audio UK: Large UK commercial radio group operating multiple regional and national stations. Represents the broader incumbent landscape Coast FM competes against for advertising share and listener attention.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YourCoastFM
• Facebookfacebook.com/YourCoastFM

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coast FM