The University’s Luton campus was the association’s first choice location for the ‘BBC Radio 1922 – 2022: Navigating the waves of change’ conference, due to the work of its Research Institute for Media, Art & Performance (RIMAP), as well as the School of Art & Creative Industries' state-of-the-art production and performance facilities and successful radio and media courses.

The full day event on Saturday 26^th November will take place in Bedfordshire’s Postgraduate and CPD Centre, and will see a variety of speakers take to the stage, including RIMAP researchers, respected radio and media historians, published authors and journalists, with talks set to mark the centenary of the world’s oldest national broadcaster.

Professor Alexis Weedon, Director of RIMAP, said: "We are delighted host this conference on the history of BBC Radio on its one-hundredth year anniversary and meet other researchers working in this exciting field."

The University is home to its own on-campus community station, the award-winning Radio LaB, which was founded in 1997 by former Principal Lecturer in Journalism & Communications, Dr Janey Gordon.

Dr Gordon, now a Visiting Research Fellow at the University, commented: “I am proud to have initiated radio teaching at the University and to have founded our on-air community radio station, Radio LaB, which has resulted in a fantastic number of radio alumni now working in all areas of the industry, both in the UK and globally.

“I am very pleased to be able to welcome colleagues to the University for our first face-to-face radio studies conference since the pandemic. Radio has been and remains such an important backdrop and audio friend to the lives of everyone, both entertaining and informing them.”

This isn’t the first time that the University has been selected to host an international media conference, after welcoming the annual Community Media Association Festival on campus earlier this year.

Alongside this, the University also has a long history of successful media alumni who praise Radio LaB for their success, including BBC Radio 1 presenting duo Rickie and Melvin , Sky Sports News’ Tom White, and Sam Darlaston of KISS FM.

Dr Carlota Larrea, Head of the School of Arts & Creative Industries, said: “Radio LaB provides a platform for student volunteers to be creative and collaborative, and to enhance their communication and technical skills. The station has gone from strength to strength since its early years.

“This year, student work has been recognised through an increased number of prize nominations at the Student Radio Awards and the Community Radio Awards. I am delighted to see these acknowledgements of the quality of their work, and also to be a part of the network of academics working in the area of research in radio.”

Tickets to the conference include refreshments and lunch, and cost £25 for students (£40 full price). For more information and to buy tickets, click here.