Predecessor | National Association of Student Broadcasting (NASB) |
---|---|
Formation | January 2002 |
Type | Private Company Limited by Guarantee |
Purpose | Student Radio |
Headquarters | 30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA |
Location | |
Membership
|
65 member stations |
Chair
|
Jonty Usborne |
Website | StudentRadio.org.uk |
The Student Radio Association (SRA) is a representative body which supports and acts on behalf of the UK student radio community, comprising radio stations that are associated with or linked to a place of education. It is a not-for-profit organisation, which exists to encourage and facilitate communication between student stations.
The SRA was formed following the liquidation of the National Association of Student Broadcasting (NASB), which was formed as a limited company on 5 August 1988. NASB, a Private Company Limited by Guarantee, was dissolved in January 2002, although had collapsed as a business in 1991. That year saw the creation of the SRA as a community. In November 2007, the SRA was incorporated as a Private Company Limited by Guarantee. There are 65 member stations of the SRA, which includes student radio stations across the UK. Membership to the SRA is on a yearly basis.
The SRA receives support from a number of industry partners, some which have been associated with the organisation for many years. The Radio Academy provides a registered address for the SRA, as well as free membership for SRA members. Students involved with the SRA automatically become part of the Association of Student Radio Alumni (ASRA) following their graduation, which is a network of people formerly involved in student radio. Other associated organisations include Skillset, which offers employment opportunities in the radio industry, and RadioCentre, which provides speakers at SRA events.
The SRA is run by officers that have various roles within the organisation. The SRA is governed by an elected executive team, with elections held annually and voted by the station managers of member stations. The latest elections took place at the 2015 SRA Conference, with the following individuals elected to office from July 2015:
Administrative roles within the SRA are chosen by the departing executive team. The SRA also appoints regional officers that provide support for stations in a region of the UK. Candidates for regional officers are elected to the role following a vote by the station managers in their region.
The Student Radio Awards (SRAs) is an awards scheme celebrating talent within the UK student radio industry, held annually since 1995 and supported by BBC Radio 1, the ASRA and Global Radio. The awards are announced in a ceremony in November, with past presenters including well-known radio personalities, such as Fearne Cotton, Scott Mills, and Nick Grimshaw. The first awards took place at the University of London Union. Due to the increased popularity of the event, the SRAs moved to The indigO2 in London in 2008. The awards on offer range from Best Newcomer, Best Interview, and Best Live Event, up to the most prestigious, Best Student Station of the Year. The current Awards Chairperson is Annie Mac. Previous chairs have included Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq, and Jo Whiley.