The face of local media has changed drastically. Long gone are the sprawling newsrooms, vast camera crews and endless focused content for very specific audiences. 

Nowadays, the landscape has changed to include more syndicated content, newsrooms have been stripped back, and journalists, producers and presenters are asked to be solo acts a lot of the time. 

The changes can’t be ignored, and they also throw into focus the importance of hyper-local news, be that print, online, radio or television.  They can play a vital part in a media relations strategy, depending on the target audiences. 

But don’t underestimate either the value or the quality of output of these outlets, many of which are working on a fraction of the budget of some of their larger contemporaries.  The content can form the backbone of many communities, is highly focused and understands the audience. 

One such example is Burton Radio. Set up in 2019 as Micro Brew Radio, the station has focused on local people, businesses and organisations to shout about the local area and bring awareness to matters that bigger stations may miss. 

“It’s been a whirlwind that’s for sure,” said Tom Drysdale, Commercial Director at Burton Radio, “No two days are the same. One minute I’m networking with local business organisations and community leaders; the next I’m lugging heavy equipment between rooms or acting as tech support. It’s not for everyone, but for me there’s beauty in the chaos. 

“While we’ve evolved a lot since 2019, our core tenets have remained constant: providing a platform for local people, organisations and businesses to shout about the great work they’re doing in the community.” 

The station hosts over 30 shows with more than 35 volunteer DJs covering a multitude of topics from sport to LGBTQIA+ to local festivals to business and much more. While the station’s focus is on the area it serves, Burton, like many places, still grapple with issues in the national consciousness and so the topics have that sweet spot of having local insight on national issues. 

They’re not competing with big radio stations –  what they’re offering is more unique: a deeply embedded sense of what its community cares about. 

“At a time when traditional broadcasters are facing rising costs, shrinking advertising revenue and shifting audience habits, community media is growing precisely because it plays by different rules. We’re hyperlocal, volunteer-led and built from the ground up. We’re not chasing mass audiences, but serving the people who live here. 

“Our success stems from the fact that we are a community-driven platform, led by local people from our volunteers to our sponsors and patrons. Burton Radio provides local people with the platform, skills and infrastructure to express themselves creatively, highlight the work they’re doing in the local community, and shine a light on the different communities within our extremely diverse area.” 

That authenticity is what people crave. They want to hear voices like theirs on the radio or television. They want events they donated to, attended or helped arrange get some of the spotlight. Ultimately, they want engagement with issues that directly impact their daily lives. 

Those factors have played a pivotal role in Burton Radio growing from 4,000 monthly listeners in 2024 to 11,600 monthly listeners across their platforms and 74,000 organic views on Facebook and Instagram combined. 

If you look across the country, these stations dot the map and deliver great stories with a fraction of the resources bigger, national stations have. From Wycombe to Loughborough to Tyneside and Durham and beyond, there are hundreds of stations with thousands of volunteers serving their communities. 

They should form a key part of any media relations strategy for any public relations person or agency. Why? Because no matter your client, no matter the service or message, the roots are always local. There is an eagerness to measure success by national hits, social media views and beyond – and they are fair measuring sticks. But if part of your communications strategy doesn’t involve how you engage with those who walk the streets of your local area, then you’ve missed a huge part of any media relations. 

Despite the ongoing challenges facing traditional outlets, the public’s appetite for local media remains strong. Ofcom’s 2024 Review of Local Media in the UK report found that 92% of UK adults access local news or information, demonstrating just how vital it continues to be. However, the way people consume it has shifted dramatically. Of those engaging with local content, 89% now do so online, with more than half accessing it via social media platforms. Traditional formats still play an important role: 53% watch regional or nations TV news bulletins, 34% listen to local radio and 22% read print newspapers, but digital platforms have clearly become the primary gateway to local information. 

The importance of supporting hyperlocal outlets cannot be overlooked. The lifeblood of them is often donations from patrons, local business sponsorships or partnerships and providing services to the community at an affordable price. 

To keep those listeners tuning in, they also need good stories. And that’s where relationships with PRs can come in very handy. Pitching hyperlocal stories with a local spokesperson is always helpful to the station. But further to that – if you’ve got a very well-regarded spokesperson, be they a former athlete, well thought of businessperson, musician – whatever their vocation, booking them a slot on a community radio show can be a real shot in the arm. 

But, as we’ve seen with bigger stations, being sustainable is hard. Burton Radio is constantly adapting. In fact, they helped spearhead the Burton Echo, the first newly printed newspaper in the area for decades. They’re even looking at other broadcasting avenues to reach new audiences and demographics. 

“We’ve launched our Twitch and YouTube channels,” said Tom. “We’re constantly looking at how we can reach even more people in the area – we recognise that not everybody listens to the radio or absorbs content in the traditional ways we’re used to. 

“With the support and input of our community, volunteers, patrons and sponsors, we envision 2026 as a real launching pad for ourselves as the area’s not-for-profit community radio station.” 

In the media, if you’re standing still, you’re going backwards by proxy. Many outlets have the resources to plan for such changes and navigate them. Others, less so. Alas, they still find a way. 

Like Burton Radio, many small, community stations stay relevant in a multitude of ways be they starting newspapers, newsletters, more social media engagement, mining new platforms such as YouTube or Twitch, giving local artists a platform to shine on. 

Whatever the pivot, the core values remain the same: it must appeal to your neighbour, to the local shopkeeper, to the local pub proprietor. And if, as PRs, we can offer up timely stories and insightful guests, we’re playing a tiny part in helping that journey.