In 2024, the Community Media Association is launching a new look to our membership offer. This is so we can better represent you, our members, in meetings with stakeholders, and improve the quality and diversity of services provided.
The CMA plays a pivotal role in fostering community engagement, amplifying diverse voices, and advocating for media literacy. However, to continue delivering on these crucial missions, it is imperative that we consider the sustainability of our financial health. Increasing operating costs, inflation, and the evolving landscape of media consumption contribute to the financial strain on the CMA in the last couple of years. An (overdue, we last changed our fees nearly 10 years ago in 2014!) adjustment in membership fees will ensure a stable financial foundation, allowing the CMA to fulfil its commitments and expand its impact.
A stronger financial position will empower the CMA to engage in more robust advocacy efforts, influencing policy decisions that directly impact community media. Additionally, increased funding will support broader outreach initiatives, attracting new members and expanding the CMA's network and influence.
It is crucial that the membership fee accurately reflects the value that the CMA provides to its members. This increase will better align the fee with the current and future benefits, fostering a sense of fairness and transparency among the membership.
We understand that any increase in our fees has an impact on our members, who have diverse financial capacities. We hope that you can see the value in the following tiered-membership offer, which comes into force in 2024, reflecting the resources & energies channelled by the CMA:
New 2024 Membership Tiers
Ofcom-Licenced Community Radio Stations – Voting Rights
New annual fee: £110 (ex VAT)
Other Media Organisations (not an Ofcom-Licenced radio station) – Voting Rights
New annual fee: £80 (ex VAT)
Supporter Organisation – No Voting Rights
New annual fee: £60 (ex VAT)
Individual (unwaged) – No Voting Rights
New annual fee: £20 (ex VAT)
Individual (waged) – No Voting Rights
New annual fee: £30 (ex VAT)
What are the benefits?
As well as being part of a democratic, members-based representative organisation, we offer the following exciting benefits to being a member of the CMA:
Starting in 2024, the CMA will be working with Radioplayer to ensure all our Ofcom-licenced community radio members are represented on their platform. Radioplayer has been innovating and building engaging radio experiences on digital platforms for over a decade. From their consumer products – like their app, web players and smart speaker skills, to exciting integrations in car dashboards and beyond, Radioplayer continues to invent the future of radio. We’ll be moving members who aren’t currently on Radioplayer first, before transferring existing Radioplayer users onto our offer when their annual contracts expire in March. Best of all, being a CMA member on the Radioplayer platform is going to cost less in 2024 than it would have in 2023.
Of course, other aggregators are available – including ones that play their own advertising when listeners ask for your station. Radioplayer is run with the radio stations in mind. One of the key lines in the Media Bill for radio is that any Ofcom regulated station should be able to choose an aggregator to deliver its services on smart speakers. This means that Radioplayer will be available to be nominated for any CMA station on Alexa and Google Home and there will be no need for others for any community stations that have managed to stay on that platform. Find out more at https://www.radioplayer.co.uk/
Promo Only, leading supplier of broadcast quality radio edits, is offering a free month-long demo of any subscription to our members. Chart Audio Daily is their most popular subscription which gives pretty much all the new 100 singles charts tracks, plus many others not yet in the main charts, with around 200-250 track releases month including radio edits, clean edits, remixes, etc. You can also purchase and manage I Like Music back-catalogue content in the Promo Only POOL software and you will get free credits as a welcome with this trial.
See more here: https://www.promoonly.uk/products/subscriptions/chart-audio-daily. To access this offer, email office@communitymedia.uk with a phone number and choice of subscription.
CMA Members are able to apply for affiliate membership of the Radio Academy. The Radio Academy is the UK radio and audio industry charity, established in 1983. They are dedicated to the promotion of excellence in UK radio and audio. https://www.radioacademy.org/
CMA Members can get a discount to Radio TechCon, the UK radio and audio industry’s technical and engineering conference.
Radio TechCon 2023 takes place in November at IET London: Savoy Place.
Plus more membership benefits to come! We will update our members offers page soon.
If you have any questions about the new CMA membership structure, please contact office@communitymedia.uk
We have appreciated your support in 2023, a year where we celebrated 40 years as an organisation. We are very excited about 2024, and the longer-term future that we are all influencing for community media in the UK. Thank you. And keep up the good work.