Riverside Radio

Riverside Radio is a volunteer-made station for South West London, covering Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton and Lambeth. Its programmes give local news, cultural activity and the area's different communities a shared outlet. The project grew from a meeting organised by presenter and journalist Jason Rosam at Battersea Arts Centre in 2013, where residents brought ideas for a new local service.

The programme collection spans daytime conversation and specialist music. Jason Rosam is among the breakfast voices, while other strands include jazz, country with Laura, soul from South London and vinyl selections with Eel Pie Records. DJ Cafècito presents Salsa del Rio, and arts-focused programmes sit alongside sport and local reporting. The range reflects the interests of a large volunteer team rather than one tightly defined musical format.

Radio drama has a place through The Wandsworth Way. The story follows novelist Tash returning to the area to research a book and hiring local driver Mike; their initially difficult relationship develops as they travel together. Setting the drama in Wandsworth gives familiar local surroundings a different role from their appearance in news or interviews, adding fiction to the station's ways of representing the area.

Riverside also works with educational charity Sound Vision to provide training for young people. The Riversiders club, led by Fayon Dixon, welcomes participants aged eleven to sixteen to develop programmes, interviewing skills and confidence through teamwork. This practical involvement complements the broadcasts: residents can hear their neighbourhoods discussed while younger contributors gain experience of creating radio themselves. Local participation is therefore part of both what goes on air and how the station is made.