Durham OnAir

What Durham OnAir does

Durham OnAir is a local community radio station operating in County Durham and the wider North East of England, run by Grim Up North LTD, a private limited company established in 2021. It broadcasts free-to-air live radio to a defined regional audience and supplements its live output with specialty shows (including 'Sunday Late & Live' and 'On Stage'), podcasts, and on-demand 'Listen Again' content. The listener base consumes the service at no cost across multiple channels: traditional FM, a branded iOS/Android mobile application, an Alexa skill, a Google Assistant action, and Mixcloud for podcasts.

The underlying technology stack is built on the Aiir broadcast CMS for scheduling, playout, and content management, with integrations to Mixcloud for podcast and on-demand distribution and to AccuWeather for localized weather content. Distribution is intentionally multi-platform, designed to extend the station's reach beyond its FM footprint into mobile and smart-speaker environments without geographic expansion.

The business model is advertising- and sponsorship-led. Revenue is generated by selling airtime and sponsorship packages to local businesses; YuMe World is the only named sponsor disclosed (for the weather segment). The customer base is two-sided: end-consumer listeners (no direct revenue) and local advertisers/sponsors (revenue side). The company is small (11–50 employees), privately held, with no disclosed external funding, institutional investors, or geographic expansion plans beyond County Durham and the North East.

Name

Durham OnAir

Legal name

Grim Up North LTD

Website

https://durhamonair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Durham OnAir is a County Durham-based community radio station broadcasting free-to-air live and on-demand programming to local listeners, monetized through regional advertising and sponsorships, and distributed via FM, mobile app, smart speakers, and podcasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles) (MPAIAEAL)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• Community radio station
• Digital audio streaming
• Podcast publishing
• Radio advertising sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The station offers advertising opportunities to local businesses seeking to reach the County Durham and North East England audience, as evidenced by the dedicated Advertising page on the website.
2. Sponsorships: Program sponsorships such as weather app sponsorship by YuMe World, a games and entertainment destination in the North East.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Durham OnAir is a free-to-air local radio station broadcasting live to listeners in County Durham and the North East of England, delivering music programming by decade, talk shows, local news, weather forecasts, and regional sport coverage. The station is accessible through website live streaming, iOS and Android mobile apps, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice integrations, and podcasts with on-demand Listen Again replays via Mixcloud. The business monetizes its local audience primarily through regional advertising spots and program sponsorships (e.g., weather app sponsorship by YuMe World).

Product overview

Durham OnAir is a local radio station serving County Durham, operated by Grim Up North LTD. The core offering is live radio broadcasting featuring music programming across multiple decades, talk shows, and community content. The station is accessible via a live streaming player on the website, a free mobile app for iOS and Android, Amazon Alexa voice assistant integration, and a Mixcloud-based Listen Again service. Additional features include podcast content, local weather forecasts (powered by AccuWeather), news aggregation, and specialty programming such as Sunday Late & Live and On Stage (musical theatre).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Durham OnAir Live Radio Broadcast Continuously broadcast live local radio station featuring music programming across multiple decades (80s, 70s, 90s, 00s, 2010s), talk shows, local news, sport coverage, and community content for County Durham and North East England listeners. Accessible free via website streaming.
• Durham OnAir Mobile App Free smartphone application available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, allowing listeners to tune into Durham OnAir live broadcasts and access station content on iOS and Android devices.
• Durham OnAir Alexa Skill Voice-activated Amazon Alexa skill that lets users listen to Durham OnAir live broadcasts through Alexa-enabled smart speakers and devices.
• Durham OnAir Podcasts On-demand podcast content published on the Durham OnAir website and podcast platforms, providing access to archived show recordings outside the live broadcast schedule.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AiircoreTechnology or IntegrationAiir is the platform provider powering Durham OnAir's online presence, providing the website CMS, streaming infrastructure, and digital content management system. The platform is hosted on www.aiir.com and provides the technology infrastructure enabling online radio operations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Mixcloud: Digital audio platform that powers Durham OnAir's Listen Again on-demand replay service. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but Mixcloud represents an alternative audio distribution and discovery platform that competes for listener attention in the long-form audio space.
• Aiir: Technology platform provider that powers Durham OnAir's website CMS, streaming infrastructure, and digital content management. Acts as a key enabling technology partner, and similar platforms serve as the underlying stack for hundreds of other community and commercial radio stations globally.

Broad incumbents

• Radio X (Bauer Media): Bauer Media's digital-first rock and alternative music radio station with strong smart speaker and streaming distribution. Comparable to Durham OnAir in its digital-only, multi-platform listening experience and decade-spanning music programming, though operating nationally rather than locally.
• Greatest Hits Radio (Bauer Media): National commercial radio station owned by Bauer Media that leans heavily on classic hit music and local news/travel inserts. Directly comparable to Durham OnAir's decade-based music programming (70s, 80s, 90s) but at a national scale with significantly more resources.

Direct peers

• Sun FM (Nation Broadcasting): North East England commercial local radio station operated by Nation Broadcasting, serving South Tyneside, Sunderland, and Durham. It is a direct competitor in the same local advertising and listener market with comparable format and content focus.
• TFM Radio (Bauer Media): Commercial local radio station broadcasting to Teesside, County Durham, and North East England, also owned by Bauer Media. It competes for overlapping regional audiences with comparable music-led local radio programming.
• Metro Radio (Bauer Media): Commercial local radio station serving the Tyne and Wear and wider North East England region, owned by Bauer Media. It directly competes for the same local audience and local advertising market with similar music, news, and sports programming formats.
• BBC Radio Newcastle: BBC's local radio station for the North East of England, serving the same County Durham and Tyne and Wear audience with comparable local news, sport, weather, and music programming. It is the most direct competitor for both listeners and local advertising budgets in the same geography.

Regional players

• Radio Tyneside (Hospital Radio): Long-running hospital and community radio service broadcasting to the Newcastle and Tyneside area. Comparable to Durham OnAir as a non-commercial community broadcaster serving a regional North East audience with locally-focused programming, though much smaller in scope and not advertising-supported.
• Spire FM (Nation Broadcasting): Local commercial radio station serving Salisbury and South Wiltshire under the Nation Broadcasting group. Compares to Durham OnAir as a small-scale, locally-targeted commercial radio operation with similar audience, advertiser, and format dynamics, though operating in a different UK region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/durhamonair
• Facebookfacebook.com/durhamonair
• Instagraminstagram.com/durhamonair
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/durham-on-air

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 Durham OnAir