Confirmed by the Community Media Association, the University will be home to this year’s conference, which will build upon the successes of the 2019 Community Media Conference held last September at BBC MediaCityUK in Salford.

Last year, the conference addressed a number of key themes, including production, Small Scale Digital Audio Broadcasting (SSDAB), funding and sustainability, as well as industry discussions. This year's programme is in development but SSDAB will be a big topic and funding advice is always in demand. The Conference will feature a number of practical workshops and a range of panel format sessions.

Terry Lee, Senior Tutor in Radio and Audio in the School of Culture and Communications at Bedfordshire, said: “We are very proud to welcome individuals representing community media organisations from across the UK to our Luton campus for the 2020 Community Media Conference this summer.

“With three Ofcom licensed community radio stations in the town, including the University’s Radio LaB 97.1FM, I also hope local volunteers and media makers will come along to the conference to learn, share experiences and network.”  

The 2020 Community Media Conference will be held on Saturday 27th June at the University of Bedfordshire in Luton.

Please leave your suggesions for the sort of sessions you would like to see at the 2020 Community Media Conference. https://t.co/o60dE936wP#communityradio pic.twitter.com/9QRPArrSCw

— Community Media Association (@community_media) January 17, 2020

Danny Lawrence, Chairman of the Community Media Association, commented:“The University of Bedfordshire is a fantastic venue where we have held several events before and this year's Conference will again be an outstanding success.

"I'm looking forward to delivering another successful Community Media Conference this year building on the success of last year's conference at BBC MediaCityUK.

“We have responded to feedback from our members and the wider sector to provide practical training as well as addressing issues such as funding. We hope to see as many people from the sector there as possible." 

Bill Best, Operations Manager of the CMA added: "It's always a pleasure to come to Luton as the venue works so well for us and is very well connected to transport links. There is an amazing range of community media organisations in the area and we expect to see many of them on Saturday 27 June.

“The Community Media Conference is our most high-profile outreach event and I'm delighted to be working with Danny and my colleagues on the CMA Council to produce another for the sector.

“The Community Media Conference is a unique opportunity for our family of community media people to come together, share best practice, and go back home refreshed and renewed."