Morley marks World Radio Day

World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February each year, and is a global opportunity to celebrate the power and uniqueness of radio. 2024’s theme is Radio: A Century of Informing, Entertaining and Educating.

As Morley looks forward to its own centennial moment – it was in 1924 that the college settled at its current Waterloo site, 61 Westminster Bridge Road – and indeed to Morley Radio’s fifth birthday later this year, we spoke to Morley Radio and Studios Manager Camilo Salazar about the power of radio at Morley.

“An amazing year”

“2023 was an amazing year for Morley Radio,” said Camilo. “It all starts with content of course, and I’m particularly proud of two collaborations that have really come to life in the past year: Art Cast, which has given students the opportunity to work with some real movers and shakers in the art world; and Powered By You, a collaboration with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that gives local young people a voice in discussing the latest hot topics that impact their lives. In fact, we’re releasing series premieres for both podcasts today on World Radio Day.”

“We’ve also had a year of construction, and with the reopening of the Chelsea Centre for Creative Industries late last year, I’m delighted that we now have state-of-the-art studios up and running in all three of our teaching sites. Only last month Chelsea students staged a ‘takeover’ of our live output, hosting three hours of content broadcast live from the new basement studio.”

“And we’ve been busy getting
the Morley College London and Morley Radio name out there: from exhibiting at the
Podcast Show in Spring, to
sponsoring one of the Audio Production Awards in November, we’re really
determined to position Morley as one of the best training locations in the industry.”

A new era in 2024

“We’ve spent a lot of our first
five years building: building
studios, a website, building up our content, building the team…all the things we had to put in place for a working radio station. This year we’re moving into a new era, where we’ll look to refine our approach to content and further build up our collaborative relationships.”

“We’ll be back in force – bigger and better – at this year’s Podcast Show in May, and we’re looking to use that as a real platform for building new partnerships…so I hope to see you there!”

A new qualification for a new era

This September will see the launch of a new year-long Podcasting, Radio and Audio Production Diploma at our Waterloo Centre – in effect, an opportunity to really embed yourself in Morley Radio’s ecosystem.

Over the span of one year, students will be encouraged to curate and host their own shows, explore innovative formats, and experiment with fresh content ideas, all while benefiting from the support of tutors and industry experts. And all in the surrounds of our state-of-the-art studios.

The course starts in September 2024: click here to find out more.

“Allowing Students to Express Themselves Through Radio”

Watch a short film created by radio.co about the reach and impact of Morley Radio, featuring Camilo and Radio Production Assistant Kody Wilson: