Association of Student Radio Alumni

About Student Radio

Student radio - two words that mean different things to different people. Some loath to mention that they were ever involved, some use it proudly on their biogs or use it as a major starting point for their careers in and out of radio. Most people however can fairly say that it was part of their best years at University. Plus if you’ve made it to this site you’re obviously a proud fan of student radio and your background in it.

A rough calculation seems to suggest that student radio began over 30 years ago in the UK with the advent of URE - Essex and URY in York. From the humble beginnings of the traditional red brick Universities establishing the induction loop campus. By the turn of the century student radio has grown up to be a force to be reckoned within the UK media fields today as well as outside the media world with a high amount of RSL stations, Internet radio and Low Power AM stations. This is partly to the success of the Student Radio Association - the organisation that pulled the working 18 stations into Loughborough University to its Inaugural General Meeting on November 9th 1991. There, student radio created a new national identity. As Chris Russell, SRA’s first Secretary minutes ‘The meeting closed. NASB is dead. Long live the SRA’.

The Student Radio Association itself has gone through its own changes. 1995’s AGM at Liverpool John Moores has been noted as the defining moment in the development of the association. In April 2001 the SRA celebrated its tenth birthday in its birthplace of Loughborough with many guests from student radio alumni present. Now with over 65 student stations, the backing of the Radio Academy and a fully re-vamped student radio awards supported by the BBC, commercial radio and record and media industries - currently - the SRA has began to work effectively as the only organisation in the UK that fairly represents the work of Student Radio.

That isn’t to forget that those party to student radio since the 1960’s pre-both NASB and SRA have added nothing. More and more individuals are sighting their student radio experience as a huge influence on their own lives and a major factor in the creating of many friends and relationships. Off the back of this, ASRA has gathered wide and varied alumni from all aspects of society in and out of radio.

The Association of Student Radio Alumni was the idea of former Chair of the SRA, Nick Wallis as an incentive for former SRA members to meet up with their past and catch up on the present. Since the first ASRA Social in 1998 many of the then graduates have moved onwards and upwards. ASRA is now seen as the perfect place to meet up and ‘have a beer’ with old friends. It’s only real value to the current intake of station volunteers is when the SRA Events call upon their trustee alumni to help speak at local, regional or national events to help develop and strengthen the current stations of the SRA membership. Past ‘Presidents’ of ASRA have been Mark Goodier, Wise Buddah and Simon Cooper, GWR and former station manger of CUR.

If you have anything you would like to add to the ASRA site as it develops, or you spot some historical fact that may have been smudged with the passing of time then please email asra@studentradioalumni.com

Most of the established stations have their own working Alumni. Please notify us of any of your events, success stories or station birthdays. In fact the site is designed so that we can let you update your sections as well as being able to email the past members who’ve registered here. Please make sure that you do give us your email address - by registering here, as joining ASRA is totally free. You don’t have to be still working in the media to be part of what is actually your alumni association.

Remember, if you were in student radio - you’re already a member of ASRA. We just need your email address!