Open Airwaves

Every Monday to Wednesday evening at 7pm, Outreach Radio presents Open Airwaves – the chance for our listeners to take over the airwaves and present your own radio show.

Think of it as a cross between open-mic night and podcasting! You create the content, and we’ll broadcasting it to our listeners across Hampshire, the UK and online around the world.

We know there’s a huge amount of talent across our local area that “traditional radio” doesn’t allow for.  Often, it’s not feasible to produce a regular programme, so a one-off or occasional spot is all that’s needed.  Because Outreach Radio is here to serve you, we’re rewriting the rules of local radio, and innovating new ways to bring interesting content and information to our listeners – and what better way than from our listeners themselves!

Whether it’s a music programme, musician or band performance, comedy show, poetry reading, storytelling, sharing thoughts and opinions or providing support, we’re open to anything – within ethical reason 🙂  We’ll leave it to your imagination!

We have endeavoured to make the on-boarding process as straightforward as possible, using the following steps:

1. 1. 1. Firstly, we need you to familiarise yourself with the “rules” of radio broadcasting. These can be found on the OfCom website at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code
      2. We also ask that you familiarise yourself with the guidance notes on Offensive Language on Radio, which can be found online at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/40541/offensive-language.pdf
      3. You will be required to fill in an online compliance form confirming you have familiarised yourself with the OfCom rules, and to ensure you’re eligible to broadcast on the radio. This can be found at: https://www.outreachradio.co.uk/compliance
      4. As soon as you receive email confirmation from us that your compliance form is approved, you are free to go-ahead and record your radio programme, which must be provided in a high-quality, (256 kbps or greater), MP3 file of up to 56 minutes in length
      5. Once complete, please send the MP3 file to us at openairwaves@outreachradio.co.uk  using WeTransfer (https://wetransfer.com/)
      6. We’ll compliance double-check your programme to ensure it doesn’t break OfCom rules, (e.g. not offensive, no bad language, no advertising or promotions, no political bias/agenda, etc), and advise you if anything needs tweaking
      7. We’ll schedule your programme in, and advise you of the date it will be broadcast.

If you’re presenting a music programme, you are also required to fill in an online “Programme Return” form, which can be found at https://www.outreachradio.co.uk/programme-return.  This captures the timing, artist and title of the tracks you play, allowing us to pay the relevant copyright fees.

Please Note: You are not allowed to play content sourced from third-party platforms, such as YouTube, Spotify, etc.  If you own a copy of the content, whether MP3, CD or vinyl, then it’s fine.

Please email openairwaves@outreachradio.co.uk to find our more, and don’t forget to include a contact phone number so that we can reach you for a chat… it’s sometimes easier than going back & forth on emails, and helps answer your questions quickly and openly!

We look forward to hearing you soon 🙂

The current schedule for Open Airwaves is as follows:

DATE	PRESENTER	LOCATION	DURATION	DETAILS	CATCH-UP
FEBRUARY 2025
4th	Peter Symonds College Symonds Radio	Winchester	60m	The Symonds Radio cohort from Peter Symonds College, Winchester take to the airwaves for this months radio show.