The government has launched a wide-ranging review of the UK radio industry, aimed at ensuring the sector continues to flourish as audiences shift rapidly to digital platforms.
The review will examine whether there should be a managed transition away from FM (a question first raised in 2021), how decisions on digital terrestrial TV could affect radio distribution, and the role emerging technologies such as AI will play in the future of the sector.
With the review set to conclude in autumn, feeding directly into future policy development and the BBC Charter Review, the stakes are high. The decisions taken this year will shape spectrum access, distribution models, and public service obligations for the next decade.
There are two areas where the implications are most significant.
1. Local news: a tipping point for regional radio?
Radio remains one of the UK’s most trusted and unifying media platforms, with 89% tuning in every week.
Local and regional radio stations deliver news and social value in a way few other platforms can replicate. A 2020 Radiocentre report found that over 12 million people rely on commercial radio as their principal source of information and are far less likely to seek news elsewhere.
But the direction on travel has raised concerns.
Recent decisions by major commercial groups to scale back local and regional programming, consolidating output in London and closing regional offices, have already led to job losses and the disappearance of longstanding local brands. Meanwhile, changes under the Media Act have loosened some local programming requirements.
Taken together, there is a risk of increased London-centrism in UK radio. The Radio Review, alongside the ongoing Public Service Media and BBC Charter Review, could have a major impact on plurality and diversity across the sector.
Under the current Charter, BBC radio stations are required to meet specific quotas, including obligations around distinctive music and speech output designed to ensure range across services. Any dilution of these requirements in the next Charter period could see regional and community stations being squeezed out during a digital transition.
Whilst the government has recognised the importance of community radio – including through an uplift to the Community Radio Fund – future policy must ensure that local news and locally made content are structurally embedded in the system.
2. Listening habits and the role of AI
The review comes at a moment of rapid behavioural change. Ofcom data shows that 74.6% of radio listening is now via digital or online platforms. More broadly, 93% of UK adults consume some form of audio content every week. YouTube and Spotify are dominant online services, while BBC Sounds leads among broadcaster platforms. Younger audiences are also increasingly listening through smart speakers and connected devices.
At the same time, The Department of Culture, Media and Sport are reviewing the future of UK television distribution, with the potential phasing out of digital terrestrial TV (including Freeview) in the next decade.
If broadcast infrastructure is scaled back for television, the implications for radio distribution are significant. A managed switch-off for FM could represent one of the most consequential media infrastructure decisions in decades. The central question then is no longer whether listening habits are changing, but how to guarantee universal access as platforms fragment.
AI further complicates the picture. From AI generated presenters to personalised audio streams and automated news production, emerging technologies have the potential to increase efficiencies across the system. However, they also raise issues around authenticity, copyright and audience trust, particularly in a medium prized for its human connection and credibility.
The Radio Review presents an important opportunity for the government. Handled well, it could modernise distribution and strengthen the sustainability of local and community provision. Handled poorly, and it risks accelerating centralisation and ceding too much control to global technology platforms.
Radio remains one of the UK’s most trusted and accessible media. The challenge for policymakers is to ensure that, in going digital, it does not become distant – from communities, from local voices, or from the audiences who rely on it most.
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