Ujima Radio

Name

Ujima Radio

Legal name

Ujima Radio

Website

https://ujimaradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles) (MPAIAEAL), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• African Heritage media
• Digital audio broadcasting
• Community radio station
• Radio programming services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising & Sponsorships: Commercial advertising opportunities for brands targeting African Heritage communities. Sponsorship of shows and time slots.
2. Partnerships & Grants: Funding from Bristol Recovery Fund, Bristol City Council, West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund for specific projects.
3. Membership & Subscriptions (Developing): Plans to develop membership and subscription models for sustainable income streams.
4. Training & Consultancy (Planned): Exploring new income streams including training, consultancy, and media services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ujima Radio is a non-profit community radio station broadcasting on 98 FM, DAB digital radio, and online streaming from Bristol, UK. It delivers 50+ weekly programmes spanning Afrobeat, Drum & Bass, Reggae, Gospel, Hip Hop, House, Jazz, talk, and cultural formats aimed at African Heritage communities and broader Bristol audiences. Supporting services include the Powerplays monthly artist-promotion programme for West Country & Wales artists, Listen Again on-demand podcasting, a popup web radio player, and special branded shows such as the Full Cycle Records Show.

Product overview

Ujima Radio is a unified community radio broadcasting platform offering live radio programming across 98 FM, DAB digital radio, and online streaming worldwide. The core service features over 50 weekly programs spanning diverse music genres including Afrobeat, Drum & Bass, Reggae, Hip Hop, House, Jazz, and cultural talk shows. The platform operates supporting modules including the Powerplays artist promotion program, Listen Again podcast service, and Popup Radio Player. Notable specialized programming includes the Full Cycle Records Show featuring Mercury Prize-winning Drum & Bass artists, and the annual Powerplays initiative supporting emerging West Country and Welsh artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ujima Radio Broadcasting Service Non-profit community radio broadcasting service delivering 50+ weekly programmes on 98 FM, DAB, and online streaming worldwide, covering music genres from Afrobeat and Drum & Bass to Gospel, Hip Hop, House, and Jazz, plus talk, news, and cultural programming for Bristol's African Heritage communities and broader audiences.
• Powerplays Monthly music promotion programme selecting 10 of the best tracks released in the West Country and Wales, rotating those tracks twice an hour across primetime shows including Rise Up Breakfast, Cruising Show, and Urban Grooves Playouts to give independent and emerging artists radio exposure.
• Listen Again On-demand podcast and replay service that allows listeners to access previously broadcast Ujima Radio shows and content beyond the live broadcast schedule.
• Full Cycle Records Show Drum & Bass-focused weekly radio programme featuring Mercury Prize-winning Full Cycle Records artists, including Roni Size, Kit, and Becci Morgan, hosted by DJ Siva Gold with guest mixes from label artists. Broadcast on 98 FM, DAB, and online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ weekly programmes across diverse music genres
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Estrella VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Bristol-based B Corp Certified marketing agency that helped refresh Ujima Radio's media pack and rate cards with customisable templates reflecting the station's spirit.
• The Rise Collective's Radicle RadiocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 May 2026Radicle Radio takeover for Diaspora Festival 2026 celebrating cultural diversity through the arts. Aisha Campbell and T Chev from The Rise Collective broadcast on Ujima Radio celebrating the 100-event festival platforming marginalised artists from global diaspora communities.
• Diverse Artists NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Co-presenters of Diaspora Festival 2026, a multi-venue city-wide event celebrating cultural diversity through arts with over 100 marginalised artists from global diaspora communities.
• Compass PresentsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Facilitated 'A Love Letter to Broadmead' pilot project - a month-long pop-up radio studio in Galleries Shopping Centre, Broadmead, combining art, music and community engagement.
• Full Cycle RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Mercury Prize-winning record label founded by Roni Size and Krust. Launched 'Full Cycle Records Show' hosted by DJ Siva Gold on Ujima Radio. Label artists including Kit and Becci Morgan featured in rotation, bringing authentic Bristol Drum & Bass heritage to the station.
• BCfmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026Collaboration with BCfm (Bristol Community FM) to produce documentary 'We Don't Do That Here' documenting 2024 unrest in Bristol. Two community stations joined forces to create a one-hour audio documentary with support from Bristol Recovery Fund, weaving interviews with refugees, activists, police, youth workers, and community broadcasters.
• Access Creative CollegeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided sound engineers and equipment for Bristol Harbour Festival 2025 broadcast takeover.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Capital Bristol: Major commercial FM station in Bristol (Global Media), competing for the same Bristol advertising pound and overlapping with Ujima's primetime urban/music audiences on FM and DAB.
• Kiss (Bauer Media): UK-wide commercial Black-music focused station (Kiss, formerly Choice FM) that historically dominated the urban/contemporary Black music audience Ujima also targets; major competitor for both listeners and brand advertising spend.
• BBC Radio Bristol: Public-service local broadcaster for Bristol, sharing Ujima's geographic market and event sponsorship/booking ecosystem; offers overlapping news, talk, and community programming at much larger scale.
• BBC Radio 1Xtra: National BBC network dedicated to Black music and culture (grime, Afrobeats, hip hop, R&B), reaching millions UK-wide and serving an overlapping audience and genre mix to Ujima, but at significantly greater scale and budget.

Direct peers

• Mi-Soul Radio: UK digital/soulful music radio station targeting Black music enthusiasts (soul, dance, RnB, jazz-funk, jazz); overlaps with Ujima's genre breadth across soulful Black music genres and serves a comparable adult African Heritage listening audience.
• Reprezent Radio: London community station broadcasting on 107.3 FM, founded to amplify underrepresented youth voices; positions itself similarly to Ujima as a Black-led station for young multicultural urban audiences with heavy artist-development and social-impact programming.
• BCfm (Bristol Community FM): Bristol's other community radio station, operating on a parallel community/co-op model over nearby DAB/FM frequencies and partnering with Ujima on documentary projects like "We Don't Do That Here." Operates under the same Ofcom community radio licensing framework with a similar non-profit, locally-rooted value proposition.
• Colourful Radio: London-based community station targeting African-Caribbean diaspora audiences across the UK, mirroring Ujima's positioning with niche music, news, and cultural programming aimed at British African Heritage listeners.

Regional players

• Kool FM: London-based long-running pirate/station-to-community Drum & Bass broadcaster; shared genre programming with Ujima's Full Cycle Records Show and serves a similar underground dance music community in a different geography.
• Somer Valley FM: Nearby Somerset/Lansdown-based community radio station, operating on a comparable small-scale, volunteer/community-led model in the broader West of England region; faces similar constraints around grant funding and modest commercial reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ujimaradio
• Facebookfacebook.com/UjimaRadio98fm
• Instagraminstagram.com/ujimaradio_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@ujimaradio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ujima Radio