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Siren Radio
  • Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Broadcast areaLincoln, Lincolnshire
Frequency107.3 FM
Programming
FormatCommunity
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
11 August 2007
Links
Websitehttps://www.sirenonline.co.uk

Siren Radio, sometimes known as Siren and formerly as Siren FM, was a community radio station based at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts to the city of Lincoln on 107.3 FM and at its website, Siren Online. It ceased broadcasting on Sunday 30th June 2024.

History

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Launched in August 2007, Siren FM won its licence after a series of annual student RSLs (Restricted Service Licences) at the campus in Lincoln (UK) and previously at the university's Hull campus from 1996, when the institution was known as the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. Siren moved to Lincoln in 1998 during the first stages of the gradual move of the university to the city. After operating its annual RSLs on FM each April or May[1] it began to augment its output by broadcasting online for much of each academic year.

The university was awarded its community radio licence by Ofcom in 2006,[2] and began test transmissions for the new station at midday on 14 July 2007. The primary aim of the station is to serve the young people and communities of the greater Lincoln area, meaning that Siren is catering for a younger audience than its mainstream neighbours BBC Lincolnshire and Lincs FM. As a result, the station is more involved with diverse communities outside of the university since it began broadcasting programmes on 11 August 2007 under the leadership of Managing Editor Andrew David, a former BBC television and radio broadcaster.[3][4] The station fitted a new antenna with a co-linear stacked dipole aerial on 20 August 2008 to improve reception in the north of the city.

Its situation on a university campus offers opportunities for students to showcase their work and in some cases undertake assessments live on air[5] with Journalism students producing weekly news and current affairs programmes.[6] Catering for a younger audience than the mainstream stations heard in Lincoln, once a year schoolchildren are invited to produce and present their own programmes.[7] There have also been projects aimed at communicating language and science education to a wider audience[8] and funds granted to support the development of community journalism.[9] The Station is home to a number of radio shows, including music shows, talk shows like the Midweek Drive hosted by Alex Lewczuk and Lincoln Elevenses hosted by David Harding-Price, and shows about film, like The Reel Show Hosted by Corey Allen & Murray Arthur.

Siren has supported a number of organisations in the Lincoln area to facilitate young people's access to the media. From November 2008 it has been involved with the Lincolnshire Young Journalist Academy (LYJA)[10] and from Sept 2009 to June 2010 was working with c1Media, the Lincolnshire Employment Accommodation Project (LEAP), Lincoln College and others in a Media Box funded project.[11]

The station has been keen to raise funds for a range of charities including the Haiti earthquake in 2010[12] and the BBC's Children in Need.[13]

Young people on Siren have been recognised with a number of broadcasting and journalism prizes. One of the contributors won 2 International Edward R Murrow Awards in 2010 for documentary and factual programming,[14] the station was nominated in the same year for a BBC Partnership Achievement Award for its journalism and community outreach work[15] and in 2009 a volunteer on the station was short-listed in the same category.[16] The University's School of Journalism won the Broadcast Journalism Training Council's (BJTC's) Award for Innovation in Broadcast Journalism Training in part for their work with Siren.[17]

In 2015 it was named East Midlands Station of the Year and has won its 6th Edward R. Murrow RTDNA award for News Documentary.

On 25 September 2017, Siren FM rebranded to be known of as Siren Radio. Its new slogan is "A Fresh Sound for Lincoln".

In 2022 Ryan Jones took over as station manager.

In January 2024 the University of Lincoln's Senior Management Team announced that they were going to hand the OfCom licence back at the end of the summer term 2024. A campaign to save Siren Radio was set up.

References

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  1. ^ "Success Stories". University of Lincoln. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  2. ^ Ofcom awards nine new community radio licences | Ofcom Archived 4 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Q&A: Siren community radio managing editor, Andrew David". Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010. [Accessed 16 August 2010]
  4. ^ "Siren fm; Andrew David managing editor talks about community radio - Channel Lincolnshire". Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2010. [Accessed 16 August 2010]
  5. ^ "Public airing of students' exams". 16 May 2001. Retrieved 18 May 2018 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Pupils, aged nine, to host radio shows". 1 May 2003. Retrieved 18 May 2018 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  8. ^ Lincoln, University of. "Forensic science goes under the microscope in radio series". University of Lincoln Press Office. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Applying principles to practice: Developing civic journalism on a University based community radio station — ADM-HEA". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  10. ^ YJA (20 November 2008). "LYJA meets Siren FM". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "Media Box – Siren Radio". www.sirenonline.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  12. ^ Lincoln, University of. "Siren FM pitches in to raise £300 for earthquake victims". University of Lincoln Press Office. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Q&A: Siren community radio managing editor, Andrew David". 7 January 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  14. ^ Lincoln, University of. "US awards for University documentary". University of Lincoln Press Office. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  15. ^ "BBC Connect and Create – Siren Radio". www.sirenonline.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  16. ^ Lincoln, University of. "Katy supporting dreams of young sports reporters". University of Lincoln Press Office. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  17. ^ Lincoln, University of. "Award for broadcast journalism training". University of Lincoln Press Office. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
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