Radio LaB 97.1FM

Radio LaB 97.1FM is the University of Bedfordshire's community station, with students playing a central role in running and creating its programmes. Based in Luton, it serves students and young people while also making some content for older listeners. The station combines a public broadcasting role with a setting where students can develop confidence and practical experience in radio.

Student managers work with the university's coordinator, taking part in the decisions and production behind the output. Music programmes share the station with podcasts, audio projects and original work created through university activity. This gives listeners access to changing student interests while allowing contributors to learn how an idea becomes a finished programme.

A three-day takeover by Luton Sixth Form College in July 2025 gave students responsibility for daytime broadcasts, with the college's head of media, Andy Waterfield, opening each morning. Radio LaB has also reported recognition at the Student Radio Association's Amplify awards. Terry Lee and his daughter Primrose make The Coeliac Shack, a project that received a Voice of the Community award. These examples show how the station accommodates educational collaborations and personal stories alongside its student music programmes.

Radio LaB's community work extends to local colleges and organisations, with projects intended to benefit audiences beyond campus. College takeovers introduce new contributors, and collaboration with other university departments creates opportunities for distinctive audio work. The connection between education and broadcasting is therefore heard in the programme itself, through new voices, experiments and locally rooted projects.