Hospital radio bedside

What Hospital radio bedside does

Hospital radio bedside is a UK-registered charity (No. 1190210) operating a local community radio station serving the Dorset coastal area from Bournemouth, founded in 1972. It broadcasts feel-good music spanning contemporary and classic decades, with live presenters including Paul McComish and Andrew Stevens, and specialty programming such as the 'Just A Second' quiz, 'Saturday Night Floor Fillers' (a three-hour Saturday dance block), and 'Dorset Coast Non Stop' continuous music. The station serves two distinct customer segments: local Dorset residents/listeners seeking feel-good music and community information, and local Dorset businesses seeking advertising reach to that audience.

The station's technology is built on the third-party Broadcast.Radio streaming platform, which powers the website, online streaming player, and digital infrastructure. Distribution is multi-channel: live FM/online streaming, smart speaker skills (Alexa, Google Assistant), on-demand podcasts, and a catch-up service for time-shifted listening. The product surface is therefore a live broadcast core extended with on-demand modules and voice-activated access.

The business model is a nonprofit charity structure. Revenue is generated through local advertising sales (formalized via an 'Advertise With Us' page) and a supporter/sponsorship program in which local businesses and organizations receive logo placement on the website and on-air acknowledgment. Named supporters include Bourne Free, Juice Broadband, Love It Local Magazine, Minimal Risk Fire Safety, Bournemouth University, and Sandbanks Ferry. The station also runs community engagement activities such as prize draws (e.g., the Bourne Free Prize Draw) and solicits volunteers and donations through dedicated pages, consistent with a volunteer-supported community radio operating model.

Name

Hospital radio bedside

Legal name

Dorset Coast Radio

Website

https://hospitalradiobedside.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hospital radio bedside is a UK-registered charity (No. 1190210) operating a community radio station in Bournemouth/Dorset that broadcasts feel-good music and local programming to coastal listeners, funded by local advertising, sponsorships, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Local radio station
• Music streaming service
• Radio advertising sales
• Podcast and catch-up audio

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and sponsorship: Local businesses can advertise with the station to reach the Dorset Coast Radio audience
2. Supporter/partnership programs: Local businesses and organizations become supporters/sponsors of the station, with logo placement on the website and acknowledgment on-air

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hospital radio bedside operates a community radio station broadcasting local feel-good music and informational programming to patients and listeners in the Dorset Coast area. The station delivers live presenter shows, specialty music blocks, podcasts, catch-up audio, and interactive features, and is funded through local advertising, sponsorships, and supporter partnerships. It operates as a registered charity powered by the Broadcast.Radio streaming platform.

Product overview

Dorset Coast Radio operates as a unified local radio broadcasting product with several integrated service modules. The core offering is live radio programming through multiple daily shows (Paul McComish, Andrew Stevens) and specialty blocks (Dorset Coast Non Stop, Saturday Night Floor Fillers). The station extends its reach through on-demand modules including Podcasts and Catch-Up services, enabling time-shifted listening. Additional interactive features such as the 'Just A Second' quiz engage listeners during live broadcasts. The product also supports voice-activated listening via smart speaker integration. All programming is delivered through the station's online player at player.broadcast.radio/dorsetcoastradio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospital radio bedside / Dorset Coast Radio live radio service A local community radio station broadcasting feel-good hits from today and across the decades, featuring live presenters including Paul McComish and Andrew Stevens, with programming spanning music shows, local info segments, weekend event guides, and quiz features. Targeted at Dorset Coast residents and visitors.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bourne FreeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Pride event sponsor with logo displayed on Dorset Coast Radio website supporters section. Partnership involves brand visibility and community support recognition.
• Juice BroadbandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal broadband provider supporter with logo displayed on Dorset Coast Radio website supporters section.
• Love It Local MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal magazine partner with logo displayed on Dorset Coast Radio website supporters section. Represents local media collaboration.
• Minimal Risk Fire SafetyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFire safety company supporter with logo displayed on Dorset Coast Radio website supporters section.
• Bournemouth UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHigher education institution supporter with logo displayed on Dorset Coast Radio website supporters section. May involve student engagement or community initiatives.
• Sandbanks FerryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal ferry service supporter with logo displayed on Dorset Coast Radio website supporters section.
• Broadcast.RadiocoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider powering Dorset Coast Radio streaming and website infrastructure. Listed as 'Powered by Broadcast.Radio' on the website footer. Provides the streaming player and technical infrastructure for the station.

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Mixcloud: Platform enabling independent DJs and community radio stations to stream and monetize long-form programming. Comparable as the digital distribution venue that increasingly hosts grassroots/community radio content, and a partial substitute for the station's own streaming infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Nation Broadcasting: Mid-sized UK commercial radio group operating stations across multiple regions. Comparable in the sense of running local-station units of similar size with shared back-office infrastructure, though it operates at a larger for-profit scale than the subject.
• Greatest Hits Radio Dorset: Commercial local radio station broadcasting classic and contemporary hits to the Dorset area. Directly competes with Dorset Coast Radio for the same local audience and the same local advertising pool with a much larger network footprint.
• BBC Radio Solent: BBC's local radio service covering Hampshire, Dorset, and the Isle of Wight. Operates in the same geographic market with a broader programming mandate, representing the public-sector incumbent competing for the same local Dorset listenership and advertising mind-share.

Direct peers

• Hospital Broadcasting Association: UK national charity representing and supporting hospital radio stations across the country. Highly comparable to the subject company's recorded heritage as 'Hospital Radio Bedside' and its ongoing community-radio operating model.
• Radio Lollipop: UK-based children's hospital radio charity that broadcasts music and entertainment to paediatric patients. Direct conceptual peer to the subject company's hospital radio heritage and current volunteer-driven community-broadcasting model.
• Radio Jackie: Long-running UK community radio station serving South London and Surrey with a mix of music, local news, and volunteer presenters. Closely comparable in scale, volunteer-driven model, multi-platform distribution, and hyper-local community focus.
• Boom Radio: UK radio station launched in 2021 targeting older demographics with familiar music from past decades. Closely aligned with Dorset Coast Radio's 'feel-good hits from today and across the decades' format and audience demographic.

Others

• TuneIn Radio: Global radio aggregation and streaming platform that carries many community stations alongside national broadcasters. Functions as both a distribution channel for the subject company and a competing listening destination for its audience.
• Broadcast Radio: Technology platform that powers Dorset Coast Radio's streaming, player, and website infrastructure. An enabling infrastructure provider rather than a competitor, but directly relevant to the station's operating capability and cost structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dorsetcoastradio
• Instagraminstagram.com/dorsetcoastradio
• Xx.com/RadioBedside

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hospital radio bedside