Pen FM 95.7 & 97.7 Local Radio + ONLINE + APP

What Pen FM 95.7 & 97.7 Local Radio + ONLINE + APP does

Penistone FM is a not-for-profit community radio station operating under the legal entity Penistone Community Radio Limited, a company limited by guarantee headquartered in Penistone, South Yorkshire. The station was founded in 2005 and officially launched on 6 June 2009, broadcasting on 95.7 FM to the Penistone area and, since 1 August 2023, on 97.7 FM to the adjacent Stocksbridge valley. The service targets a hyper-local catchment of approximately 22,000 residents across Penistone, Stocksbridge, Thurgoland, Millhouse Green, Thurlstone, and Oxspring, delivering music, news, weather, community event coverage, and original radio drama.

The technical platform is built on licensed FM broadcast infrastructure, supplemented by online streaming via penistonefm.co.uk, on-demand 'Listen Again' audio, and voice-activated smart speaker access (Alexa). The station operates under continuous scheduled programming with a minimum of 49 hours per week of original output and 13 hours per day of locally produced content, as required by its Ofcom key commitments. A wholly-owned subsidiary, PenFM Media, extends the platform into video production for local businesses and community organizations. The station is staffed entirely by volunteers, with a board of six directors covering HR, fundraising, finance, technical, advertising, and spoken features.

The business model is multi-stream and grant-dependent. Revenue is generated through (1) commercial advertising — 30-second spots, sponsorship packages (hour, weather, community news, show), and a website banner — sold in 1/3/6/12-month campaigns with discounts for longer commitments; (2) voluntary donations from listeners; and (3) grants from organizations including the Big Lottery Fund. Named advertisers are predominantly single-location SMBs (HLS Landscapes, The Taste of India, Auckland Opticians, The Fountain Inn, Barrier Glazing, JB Autos) supplemented by a small number of larger institutional accounts (Barnsley College, BBIC). Public health partnerships with NHS Barnsley and the Cancer Alliance add campaign-driven content and funding diversification. The station does not have a mobile app, has no parent company, and operates without any disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or geographic ambitions beyond the South Yorkshire micro-market.

Name

Pen FM 95.7 & 97.7 Local Radio + ONLINE + APP

Legal name

Penistone Community Radio Limited

Website

https://penistonefm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Penistone FM is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run community radio station broadcasting on 95.7 FM and 97.7 FM to Penistone and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire. It generates revenue from local SMB advertising, listener donations, and Lottery grants, reaching an audience of roughly 22,000 residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Local FM radio
• Online radio streaming
• Local radio advertising
• Community media services

Headquarters

HQ city

Penistone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Income from commercial advertising packages (30-second adverts broadcast multiple times daily), sponsorship packages (hour time sponsorship, weather sponsorship, community news sponsorship, show sponsorship), and website advertising (homepage banner). Operates on 1, 3, 6, or 12 month campaigns with discounts for longer-term commitments.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Voluntary donations from listeners and community members supporting the not-for-profit station
3. Grants: Funding from grant organizations including Big Lottery Fund (confirmed as Lottery Funded), supporting community radio operations and development

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Penistone FM is a not-for-profit community radio station broadcasting on 95.7 FM (Penistone) and 97.7 FM (Stocksbridge), with online streaming, smart speaker access, and on-demand listen-again functionality. It also sells commercial advertising packages (30-second audio spots, programme sponsorships, and website banner ads) to local businesses, and operates a video production sub-brand, PenFM Media. The station is volunteer-run, Ofcom-licensed, and funded by advertising, donations, fundraising, and grants.

Product overview

Penistone FM is a not-for-profit community radio station operating as a single integrated broadcasting platform. The core offering comprises FM radio broadcasts on 95.7 and 97.7 FM frequencies, supplemented by online streaming and smart speaker access. Related services include the 'Listen Again' on-demand feature, original radio drama productions, and PenFM Media video services. The station generates revenue through commercial advertising packages (audio spots, sponsorships) and website banner advertising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FM Radio Broadcasting (95.7 FM & 97.7 FM) Continuous FM radio broadcasting service covering Penistone on 95.7 FM and Stocksbridge on 97.7 FM, delivering original local programming of music, news, weather, community information and radio drama to listeners in South Yorkshire.
• Online Streaming Live audio streaming of the Penistone FM broadcast via the station website, allowing listeners to tune in from any internet-connected device.
• Smart Speaker Access Voice-activated listening on smart speakers (e.g. Alexa), allowing users to request Penistone FM by voice command.
• Listen Again (On-Demand Audio) On-demand playback of previously broadcast shows and archived audio content via the station website, including radio plays and serialized features.
• Radio Plays and Original Drama Original radio drama productions created by station volunteers, including multi-part plays and serialized features such as the Still Alive series and the Doris and Percy feature.
• PenFM Media (Video Production) Video production service in partnership with PenFM Media CIC, producing promotional video content for local businesses, community events, and organisations.
• Commercial Advertising Packages (Audio Spots) Professionally produced 30-second audio adverts broadcast multiple times daily across the FM and online streams, available in 1, 3, 6, or 12 month campaigns with flexible scheduling and discounts for longer-term commitments.
• Sponsorship Advertising Packages Annual branding and awareness sponsorships including End of Hour, Start of Hour, Weather, Community News, Just The Job, Rewind Hour, and Individual Show sponsorship slots sold to local businesses.
• Website Banner Advertising 578x300 pixel banner placement on the penistonefm.co.uk homepage for 12 months, linking to the advertiser's website and reaching over 13,000 monthly site visits.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PenFM Media CICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated media company that produces video content for local businesses and organizations. Brian Robinson leads the video section, PenFM Media.
• Healthcare Partners in Barnsley and the Cancer AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth partnership for 'Take Action, Live Longer' cancer awareness campaign, working to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage early diagnosis.
• NHS (Barnsley)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NHS for Type 2 Diabetes awareness project targeting 18-39 year olds. Includes interviews with doctors, clinicians, and patients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ujima Radio: Bristol-based not-for-profit community radio station licensed by Ofcom, mixing volunteer presenters, local advertising, and grant funding — a similar community-broadcaster peer with comparable UK regulatory and operating characteristics.
• Riverside Radio: Wandsworth-based community radio station delivering local content under an Ofcom community licence with volunteer involvement and SMB advertiser relationships — directly comparable in mission and operating model.
• Radio Verulam: St Albans-based community radio station operating under an Ofcom community licence with volunteer presenters, local advertising, and grants/donations funding — closely comparable in scale and regulatory model.
• Radio Exe: Exeter-based community radio station with Ofcom licence, volunteer-driven programming, and SMB-led local advertising revenue — operates at a comparable scale and serves a similar hyper-local audience niche.
• Kane FM: UK Ofcom-licensed community radio station broadcasting to a defined local area with a volunteer-led model and mixed advertising/fundraising revenue — structurally and operationally analogous to Penistone FM.

Broad incumbents

• Hits Radio South Yorkshire (formerly Hallam FM): Commercial regional radio station broadcasting across South Yorkshire, including the Penistone catchment. Operates as a broader commercial incumbent with significantly larger audience reach and ad-sales capability, overlapping Penistone FM's core local-advertising value proposition.
• BBC Radio Sheffield: BBC's regional local-radio service covering South Yorkshire, including the Penistone and Stocksbridge areas. A broader incumbent serving the same geography with substantially greater resources, competing for the same local listener and SMB-advertiser attention.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PenistoneFM
• YouTubeyoutube.com/penistone957fm
• Facebookfacebook.com/penfm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/penistone-fm-community-radio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Pen FM 95.7 & 97.7 Local Radio + ONLINE + APP