Building Partnerships: An Overview

Having been described as an "advice line on the airwaves" and a "community noticeboard in your living room", Radio Regen's two Access Radio Pilots WFM and ALL FM have proven to be economical and winning ways for mainstream services to communicate directly with hard-to-reach communities. Regeneration, health and arts agencies as well as schools, colleges, housing providers and the police have all been involved with these community radio pilots and are enthusiastic about their experiences.

Just how many people really read the posters on library noticeboards, the health leaflets at GP's surgeries or the endless council pamphlets that come through the door? Realistically, very few. "Most agencies are notoriously ineffective at publicising what they do to the people who need it most," says Radio Regen's founder Phil Korbel. "Community radio is a really effective way of getting information across because there's no reading involved and it isn't delivered via a piece of junk mail - it's just someone speaking direct to you in your accent or language."