Rossendale Radio

What Rossendale Radio does

Rossendale Radio is a community radio station headquartered at Hardman's Business Centre in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, United Kingdom, broadcasting on 104.7 FM under an Ofcom community radio licence first secured in December 2017. The station is operated as Rossendale Radio Limited (a private limited company) and is run primarily by volunteer presenters — over 35 in total — alongside a four-person board of directors that includes Tony Nixon, Joanne Griffin, and Barry Hyde. Its programming spans weekday breakfast (Valley Breakfast), drivetime (Valley Drive), magazine (Valley Today), and rotating-presenter shows, with a listen-again on-demand archive and supporting Community Hub, business directory, and weather pages. Distribution extends across the local FM signal, the website's online stream, native iOS and Android apps, the Radioplayer aggregator, and Amazon Alexa voice integration, all powered by the Aiir radio website CMS platform.

The station serves two primary commercial constituencies: local residents of the Rossendale Valley seeking news, weather, travel, and community connection, and local small and medium-sized businesses seeking affordable advertising. Revenue is generated almost entirely through advertising — on-air 30-second commercials played a minimum of three times daily (with guaranteed placements during breakfast or drivetime and discounts for long-term commitments), website banner advertising starting at £40 per month plus VAT, and individual show and feature sponsorships — supplemented by an affiliate share from the Helping Hands Lottery run in partnership with Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service. The pricing model is deliberately positioned as accessible to local businesses, with tailored packages, monthly billing, and bundled directory listings. Marketing and audience engagement relies on organic social channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram), a WhatsApp contact line for live interaction, and a network of community partnerships with organisations such as Rossendale Hospice, Broadway Primary School, the M3 Project, and Tesco Rawtenstall.

The business is structurally capped: as a UK community radio licensee, its broadcast remit is geographically bounded by Ofcom to the Rossendale Valley, headcount remains in the 11–50 range with a volunteer-driven cost base, and no external funding rounds have been disclosed. Recent years have added non-broadcast surface area — mobile apps, a vouchers storefront, the Community Hub, and the Helping Hands Lottery partnership — while the station publicly validated its community role with the Community Enterprise category win at the Rossendale Business Awards 2024. The company carries no patents, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and no subsidiaries or parent entities.

Name

Rossendale Radio

Legal name

Rossendale Radio Limited

Website

https://rossendaleradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rossendale Radio is a UK community radio station broadcasting on 104.7 FM from Rawtenstall, Lancashire, delivering local news, music, and community programming to Rossendale Valley residents, funded by SMB advertising and community lottery partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Local Radio Stations (MPABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Local radio station
• Radio advertising services
• Digital radio streaming
• Community broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Rosendale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising - On-Air: 30-second commercial advertisements aired minimum 3 times daily with guaranteed plays during Breakfast or Drivetime. Discounts available for long-term commitments.
2. Website Banner Advertising: Website banner advertising starting at £40 per month plus VAT. Includes tracking and weekly/monthly reports on views and clicks.
3. Show and Feature Sponsorship: Individual show and feature sponsorship opportunities including Weather Reports and Travel News bulletins.
4. Helping Hands Lottery: Community fundraising through lottery participation where 60p from every £1 played goes towards community causes including Rossendale Radio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rossendale Radio is an Ofcom-licensed community radio station broadcasting on 104.7 FM across the Rossendale Valley in the United Kingdom. It provides live local programming, online streaming, mobile apps, and a Community Hub, supported by on-air advertising, website banner ads, and show/feature sponsorships sold to local businesses and community organizations. The station is operated by a board of directors and a network of more than 35 volunteer presenters.

Product overview

Rossendale Radio is a local community radio station offering a unified broadcast platform across multiple channels. The core offering includes 104.7 FM radio broadcasting, online streaming via their website player, and native mobile apps for iOS and Android. Programming consists of live shows including Valley Breakfast (weekday mornings), Valley Today (magazine show), Valley Drive (drivetime), Happy Hour (rotating presenter format), and various specialist music shows. The station provides additional services including Listen Again archives, radio and website advertising packages, a local business directory, and a Community Hub connecting residents with local organizations and events. Weather reports are integrated via AccuWeather. The station operates as a volunteer-driven community organization supported by advertising and community partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 104.7 FM Radio Broadcasting
• Online Radio Streaming
• Rossendale Radio Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

• Community Enterprise category winners at Rossendale Business Awards 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AiircoreTechnology or IntegrationAiir provides the radio website CMS platform powering Rossendale Radio's online presence, streaming capabilities, playlist management, and digital infrastructure.
• Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCVS organization runs the Helping Hands Lottery scheme of which Rossendale Radio is a beneficiary. 60p from every £1 played goes towards community causes.
• OfcomcoreOthersUK radio regulator that licenses Rossendale Radio as a community radio station for a five-year term.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Switch Radio: Knowsley-based community radio station with a volunteer-led model and digital distribution footprint directly analogous to Rossendale Radio's operations.
• Radio Reverb: Brighton-based Ofcom community radio station with volunteer presenters, local advertising packages, and online streaming distribution matching Rossendale Radio's operational blueprint.
• ALL FM: Ofcom-licensed community radio station serving the Greater Manchester area, with a comparable mix of volunteer presenters, local advertising packages, and digital streaming distribution model.
• Forest FM: Dorset-based Ofcom community radio station serving a defined geographic catchment with volunteer presenters and local advertising, closely comparable in scope and business model.
• Phoenix FM: Volunteer-driven Ofcom community radio station broadcasting in the Brentwood/Basildon area; operates a comparable local SMB advertising model and digital streaming architecture.
• Cambridge 105: Cambridge community radio station with Ofcom licensing, volunteer presenters, and local advertising/sponsorship revenue streams that mirror Rossendale Radio's go-to-market.
• Kane FM: Guildford-area community radio station with Ofcom licensing and a similar mix of community programming, presenter volunteers, and local advertiser sales.
• Radio Verulam: St Albans community radio station operating under an Ofcom license with a volunteer presenter base and local business advertising focus, structurally analogous to Rossendale Radio.

Broad incumbents

• BBC Local Radio: BBC's network of local radio stations across England provides free professionally-produced local content, serving as a public-sector incumbent that competes for both listeners and advertiser attention in regional markets.
• Global (Capital, Heart, LBC): UK's largest commercial radio group operating major brands such as Capital, Heart, and LBC; competes with Rossendale Radio for regional advertisers and audience attention from a position of much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RossendaleRadio
• Facebookfacebook.com/RossendaleRadio
• Instagraminstagram.com/1047rossradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rossendale-radio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Rossendale Radio