What Marlow FM 97.5 does

Marlow FM 97.5 is a not-for-profit community radio station that broadcasts on 97.5 FM from studios at Great Marlow School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, UK. Founded in 2006 by Tim Ashburner and on air full-time since May 2011 under an Ofcom community radio licence, the station is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers and produces a mix of local music, talk, news, weather, travel, and community-event programming aimed at Marlow and surrounding villages. Its core product is the FM broadcast, supplemented by online streaming, an iOS/Android mobile app built by volunteer Luke Morton, an Amazon Alexa skill, and AirPlay/Google Cast support; a mobile outside-broadcast studio ('the trailer') debuted in June 2025 and a new purpose-built two-studio facility opened at Great Marlow School in July 2024.

The station operates a hybrid revenue model combining local SMB radio advertising, listener donations and GoFundMe campaigns, and community fundraising events (quiz nights, sponsored runs, Pub in the Park, Regatta broadcasts, Sundowner at the Vineyard). It does not subscribe to RAJAR audience measurement due to prohibitive cost, and its revenue and listener numbers are not publicly disclosed; an estimated 700+ daily listeners are inferred from a 4:1 over-the-air-to-online ratio. Recent operating moves include a 2021 Ofcom licence renewal for five years, launch of youth programming (Stuart on Sunday, 2025) in partnership with Great Marlow School, and a run of Community Radio Awards including Gold for Covid and Community Response (2021), most nominations of any station (2024), and Gold for Sage Person of the Year (Pat Reading, 2025).

Name

Marlow FM 97.5

Legal name

Marlow FM

Website

https://marlowfm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marlow FM 97.5 is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit community radio station broadcasting local music, news, and talk on 97.5 FM from Marlow, UK, supplemented by online streaming and a mobile app for Marlow-area residents and advertisers.

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

Community/Low-Power Nonprofit Radio (LPFM/Community Radio) (MPABADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Local music programming
• Radio advertising services
• Online radio streaming
• Mobile radio app

Headquarters

HQ city

Marlow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Radio advertising sold to local businesses at reasonable prices. Cost-effective format reaching listeners engaged in activities who switch stations less frequently.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Not-for-profit community radio funded primarily through donations, GoFundMe campaigns, and community fundraising events including quiz nights, karaoke-thons, and sponsored runs
3. Outside Broadcast Services: Revenue generation through live broadcasts from local events including Marlow Town Regatta, Pub in the Park, and other community gatherings

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Marlow FM 97.5 is a not-for-profit community radio station broadcasting a mix of music and talk programming on 97.5 FM in Marlow and surrounding areas, complemented by online streaming and a mobile app. The station delivers local news, weather, travel information, and community programming, supported by an Amazon Alexa skill and a mobile radio studio for outside event broadcasts.

Product overview

Marlow FM 97.5 is a not-for-profit community radio station offering a mix of music and talk programming. The core offering includes FM radio broadcasting on 97.5 FM in Marlow and surrounding areas, complemented by online streaming and a mobile app for iOS and Android. The station runs numerous programmes including Good Morning Marlow, Breakfast, Drivetime, Afternoon Gold music shows, and specialist programmes covering business, consumer affairs, technology, environment, and sports. Additional products include an Amazon Alexa Skill for smart speaker listening, a mobile app with voice messaging and MyMarlow news integration, an annual Hidden Gems community awards programme, and a mobile radio studio for outside broadcasts. The station also offers radio advertising services to local businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marlow FM Radio Broadcasting Community radio station broadcasting a mix of music and talk on 97.5 FM frequency in Marlow and surrounding areas, with live coverage from local events, available free-to-air to listeners.
• Marlow FM Mobile App Phone and tablet application available on iOS App Store and Google Play enabling listeners to stream live radio, control playback from the lock screen, send voice messages and texts to the studios, and view programme schedule, weather, travel, and local news.
• Amazon Alexa Skill Voice skill for Amazon Echo and compatible smart speakers enabling hands-free listening to Marlow FM.
• Radio Advertising

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Oaken Grove VineyardminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 July 2025Host venue for Sundowner at the Vineyard fundraising event featuring award-winning food, drink, and music to raise money for the community radio station.
• Marlow MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Joint exhibition partnership for 'Marlow's Mr Jazz' celebrating Michael Eagleton. Marlow FM is repeating Michael's classic programmes during the exhibition run, and hosted a jazz evening in memory of Michael at Court Garden House.
• Great Marlow SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2024Studio location partnership at Great Marlow School. The school offered use of its old caretaker's garage which was converted into two state-of-the-art radio studios. Marlow FM runs youth programmes including Stuart on Sunday with 20 young contributors and provides educational opportunities for students.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Radio Verulam: Not-for-profit community radio station serving St Albans and surrounding villages in Hertfordshire on an FM licence. Closely comparable to Marlow FM as a UK volunteer-run, hyperlocal FM broadcaster funded by donations, advertising, and community events.
• Switch Radio: Volunteer-led community radio station in Birmingham operating under an Ofcom community radio licence, with digital streaming and local event coverage. Comparable to Marlow FM as a UK community radio using a multi-platform volunteer model to deliver hyperlocal content funded by a mix of advertising and grants.
• Radio Horton: Volunteer-run, not-for-profit community radio station based at Horton General Hospital serving Banbury and surrounding Oxfordshire villages. Closely comparable to Marlow FM in operating model (volunteers, Ofcom community licence, donations/fundraising plus local ad sales) and in running value-driven community programming.

Broad incumbents

• Global Radio: Major UK commercial radio group operating Capital, Heart, Classic FM, LBC and Smooth, with significant local and national advertising sales infrastructure. Comparable to Marlow FM as a UK radio advertiser and programmer but at national scale with professional sales teams and RAJAR-measured audiences.
• BBC Local Radio: The BBC's network of regional and local stations broadcasts across England on FM and DAB with local news, travel, weather and talk. Comparable to Marlow FM in format and on-air proposition but operates at vastly greater scale with full-time paid staff and public funding.
• Bauer Media Audio UK: UK radio division of Bauer Media operating Absolute Radio, Kiss, Magic, Hits Radio and regional stations. Comparable to Marlow FM in selling local advertising against music and talk formats, but at national scale with RAJAR-tracked audiences and paid production staff.

Regional players

• Boom Radio: UK national radio station targeting baby-boomer listeners with music and nostalgia-driven talk formats. Partly comparable to Marlow FM in its talk-and-music offering and advertising-funded model, though operating nationally and competing in the same time slots as a community-station demographic of older listeners.
• Notts Radio: Local radio station serving Nottingham on FM and online, with a community-led programming remit and digital streaming. Comparable to Marlow FM as a regional UK radio broadcaster targeting a single city-plus-surrounds catchment but with similar volunteer production and local-advertising economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marlowfm
• Facebookfacebook.com/marlowfm
• Instagraminstagram.com/marlowfm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Marlow FM 97.5