The first time I sat in a BBC radio studio, was as a 16 year old sixth-former watching the flamboyant author, artist and presenter Molly Parkin doing her thing on BBC Wales. Dressed in her distinctive floaty garb and colourful self-styled turban, I watched her twiddle the buttons and chat to guests with ease. Between tracks she’d tell me about the role of the regional radio station in serving our little province, before wafting through the corridors of Llandaff broadcasting house to give me a tour of the station. It was indeed a glamorous introduction to radio for my Media Studies O’Level.

Interesting as it was, I never expected to venture into a studio again. More listener than participant, my ears have firmly remained on the speaker side of the airwaves... until one day, when hurtling towards my forties far from my Welsh homeland, I found myself back in a studio, this time not as a voyeur but being interviewed by presenter James Hazell for BBC Radio Suffolk.

Admittedly, I’d never listened to Radio Suffolk until that morning and I felt a very nervous interviewee sat in the hotseat talking about my blog and my Zero Waste challenge. But that moment reignited my fascination with radio, in particular BBC local radio.  In me, the station had immediately gained an extra listener and I’d gained not only another platform to talk about rubbish, but also a new way of feeling part of the local community with a fabulous opportunity to learn more about the county I had adopted.

But don’t just take my word for it. In preparation for this month’s blogpost I managed to catch up with other local listeners and contributors, to find out what BBC local radio means to them. Participants included people who are in full-time employment or retired, a mother on maternity leave, a housewife, a fire-fighter and a wedding dress designer. From their feedback, it is clear that what they love about their BBC radio station is that it is local, friendly and free of advertising, covering topical issues that not only give them a sense of community, but offer an opportunity to directly participate in important debates.  

Using Facebook, text or simply phoning in, they all felt the significance of contributing, whether it’s to raise awareness of disabilities such as Ataxia, promote theatre shows or share their latest business news. Other topics that attract their involvement include family, health, the environment, social networking, pensioner issues, gardening and local food.  For some, they gain much valued on-air experience and for others, including one respondent with limited mobility, it provides a lifeline to the outside world and a chance to contribute to the local community without further commitment.

Commenting on the value of listener participation to a local station, Peter Cook, the editor of BBC Radio Suffolk adds "The listeners are the lifeblood of what we do in local radio. A large part of our job is to reflect what the people of Suffolk are talking about, airing their concerns and their passion for the place we live in. They call, email and text to tell us their stories and take part in our programmes and their feedback helps shape our output and our strategy for the station. We also know that our listeners will answer our calls for action, whether it's planting seeds for Springwatch or helping us raise millions for the Treehouse hospice appeal we're always delighted by the way they respond. The BBC puts audiences at the centre of what we do and we strive every day to provide the best service we can."

And it’s obviously working. BBC Radio Suffolk, which is one of 40 local BBC stations in England has just announced an increase in audience figures, with 5,000 extra listeners and a listenership that now tunes in for longer.

I don’t think I’ll ever lose my fascination with the power of the BBC’s local network and it’s thanks to the enthusiasm of our local presenters that I’ve become involved in fundraising, litter picks as well as having the chance to promote my waste reduction ideas around the county.  These days, being interviewed live on air is no longer the scary prospect it once was.

Whether you’re someone looking for new inspiration in your area or you’re a potential contributor seeking a new platform to raise awareness of an issue close to your heart, your local BBC radio station can really open up unexpected avenues.

So if you have the time, why don’t you become part of it too? There are lots of local topics waiting for you out there.  The best bit is, it only takes a few seconds to tune into them and just a few minutes to join in the conversation.

To find your local station, just click here.

Next month: Find out how you can get involved in community or hospital radio.

More from The Philanthropic Housewife
The Philanthropic Housewife: An Introduction
The Philanthropic Houswife: Rolling Up my Sleeves for 2011

About the author
Describing herself as a philanthropic housewife, Karen balances the challenges of modern parenthood with support for community projects and freelance writing, with an emphasis on mainstream, yet sustainable lifestyle issues. She's also the creator of The Rubbish Diet blog and a frequent contributor to BBC local radio. To find out more about Karen, just visit www.karencannard.co.uk.

Picture kindly from here