MeCCSA Radio Studies Network

We had our technical rehearsal today for the MeCCSA Radio and Audio Studies Symposium 2026. This free event will be hosted online by Falmouth University on Friday, 13th February, from 9:00 to 12:30, coinciding with UNESCO’s World Radio Day.

The symposium will feature keynotes from:
- Siobhan McHugh
- Richard Berry
- Kate Lacey

A range of further speakers will present their papers, along with networking breaks for attendees to connect.

To see the full line-up, please visit the RAS website: https://shorturl.at/o7SYw
And to book a free place for the symposium: https://shorturl.at/zi2P1

Please note, the closing date for registration is 23:59 UTC/UK time on Thursday, 5th February.

Season's Greetings, one and all. We hope this post finds you safe, well, contented and in good company 🙏✨🎙️🎧

Just a heads up reminder, a for our online symposium to celebrate

WORLD RADIO DAY 2026 – draft List of Panels and Presenters, Friday 13th February 2026, 0900 – 1230 UTC/GMT Here’s our proposed timetable for the forthcoming Online Symposium marking World Radio Day 2026. We’re very excited with the enthusiastic response to our earlier Call for Expressions of…

Reminder: Express your Interest in taking part in our online symposium celebrating on 13th February 2026.

Send either a single poster slide or a 50-word written snapshot (to potentially be featured on our blog) about:

•Your research interests or areas of engagement within radio, audio, or podcasting studies
•Any provocation or contribution you wish to make on the theme

Reply to this post, or via Messenger, or you can email radiostudiesnetwork[at]gmail.com

Please get in touch before 21st November 2025. Thank you 🤓

REMINDER: Call for Papers (to publish!)
This is from our colleagues at ECREA Radio and Sound Section

Cog in a wheel? Radio and Sound in the Changing Mediascape
ECREA Radio and Sound Section - Radio Journal Special Issue
October 2026 issue

Call for Articles
Following on from the highly successful ECREA Radio and Sound Section Conference held at the University of Sheffield in September 2025, we are delighted to announce the call for articles for a special issue of the Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media.

We invite participants from the international conference Cog in a Wheel? Radio and Sound in the Changing Mediascape to submit articles based on the papers they presented for inclusion in a forthcoming special issue.

Theme
The conference highlighted the enduring and evolving role of radio and sound across the globe, from its foundational role in nation-building in the early twentieth century to its current position within a rapidly transforming media environment. Radio’s resilience and
adaptability were central to the conference — whether in its importance during times of conflict and crisis, its integration with podcasts and digital audio, or its redefinition within the wider field of sound media.

By drawing together expanded versions of conference presentations, this special issue aims to consolidate these debates and provide a platform to explore the multiple roles of radio
and sound in a changing mediascape.

We invite articles that help conceptualise “radio/podcasting/sound” as a cog in a changing wheel and focus on the dynamics that have shaped, over time and across the globe, the role of radio/podcasting/sound, be these roles assumed, attributed, or presumed by both broadcasters and listeners and be these radios private, public, university, community, clandestine, political, and more.

We seek articles which explore the resilience and ongoing
transformation of radio/podcasting/sound, emphasising their vital role in a shifting media environment and welcome interdisciplinary perspectives. We also welcome articles that contribute to investigating the various roles and forms that radio/podcasting/sound have occupied, as well as the various topics tackled since radio’s inception to the present day
across different political, geographical, economic, and cultural contexts. We are particularly interested in exploring the contexts and reasons behind these evolutions.

Scope
We can accept a maximum of 8 papers and the selection will be based on our aim to have a diversity of papers that address the various dimensions mentioned above.

We particularly welcome submissions that:
● Deepen or expand on themes presented at the conference.
● Explore the diverse forms and functions of radio (public, private, community, university, political, clandestine, diasporic, and more) and podcasting.
● Reflect on the intersections between radio, podcasts, and broader sound media.
● Address conceptual, theoretical, and interdisciplinary approaches to radio and sound studies.
● Engage with the perspectives of both scholars and practitioners.

Submission Details
● Eligibility: Submissions are invited from those who presented at the Cog in a Wheel? Radio and Sound in the Changing Mediascape conference.
● Articles: 8000 words max including all headings, notes, appendices and references

Please submit articles to the Radio Journal using their 'Submit' button on their website:
https://www.intellectbooks.com/radio-journal-international-studies-in-broadcast-audio-media

Please include a separate cover page with: article title; author's name and affiliation; brief abstract (150 words); keywords (5–6); author's biography (150 words); author's institutional postal and email address. No identifying information should appear on
any other pages of the article, to aid in the blind review process.

● Style: please consult the Radio Journal’s Notes for Contributors for information on format and style of submissions.
https://www.intellectbooks.com/radio-journal-international-studies-in-broadcast-audio-media

● Deadlines for submission:
○ Friday 16th January - Submission of full articles for peer review
○ Friday 17th April - Articles to be returned to authors for revisions
○ Friday 19th June - Final submission of articles to the Radio Journal

● Contact: Queries should be directed to [email protected]

Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media; The Radio Journal publishes critical analyses of radio and sound media across a variety of platforms, from broadcast to podcast and all in between. Articles focus on both historical and contemporary issues in sound-based journalism and...

Call for Expressions of Interest: World Radio Day 2026 Online Symposium

The MeCCSA Radio and Audio Studies Section invites scholars, practitioners, podcasters, and enthusiasts to participate in our online symposium celebrating World Radio Day. This event will take place on the morning (GMT) of Friday, 13th February 2026, and will feature a keynote, short presentations, and breakout networking sessions.

Symposium Focus
This year’s symposium will explore the enduring legacy and future potential of radio, audio, and podcasting, with particular attention to the transformative role of artificial intelligence. We welcome contributions that address the adaptability of radio and podcasting, their roles in crisis communication, and their significance as platforms for diverse voices and communities.

Call for Contributions
We invite expressions of interest from individuals wishing to contribute to the symposium. Please share with us now, in the form of either a single poster slide or a 50-word written snapshot (to potentially also be featured on our website/WordPress blog https://radiostudiesnetworkreadinggroup.wordpress.com/
) :

• Your research interests or areas of engagement within radio, audio, or podcasting studies
• Any provocation or contribution you wish to make on the theme

Why Participate?
World Radio Day provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the achievements of radio and podcasting, and their potential to foster unity, education, and cultural exchange. The resilience and adaptability of audio media render them vital assets for communities worldwide. The symposium encourages investment in the future of radio and podcasting, from advancing digital technologies to supporting community stations and independent creators who amplify marginalized voices.

Background
World Radio Day was established by UNESCO in 2011 to commemorate the founding of United Nations Radio in 1946. It is observed annually on February 13th, highlighting radio’s unique role in bridging communities, disseminating information, and fostering social engagement across cultures and continents.

How to Express Interest
To express your interest in participating, please submit a brief outline of your research interests or proposed contribution to the MeCCSA Radio and Audio Studies Section.

Email [email protected] before 21st November 2025.

Join us in celebrating the legacy and shaping the future of radio and podcasting!

The ECREA Radio and Sound Section was a buzzing two days of paper presentations, panel discussions, and networking in the splendid University of Sheffield building, The Wave. We closed with a super inspiring keynote by *Tanja Bosch* on the important role of sonic methods in research and how we must remember that "audibility is unevenly distributed" and "listening is never neutral"!

Great start to the ECREA Radio and Sound Section 2025 Conference at the University of Sheffield today with *Emma Heywood* and Mia Lindgren

We are delighted to announce that we (the MeCCSA Radio and Audio Studies Section) have sponsored a prize for the Most Original Research to be presented during the Radio and EECREA Radio and Sound SectionStudies Post-Graduate Conference ‘Thinking Through Sound’.
https://sheffield.ac.uk/ijc/events-index/ecrea-radio-and-sound-2025

It is fantastic that the two sections are coming together to support our postgraduate radio and sounds community YYECREA


Thanks also to the *Faculty of Social Sciences at Sheffield*

Another Ofcom Consultation - this time on the provision of local news and information on analogue commercial radio stations in the UK. If you are an academic researcher and have experience or an interest in this, and would like to join our online discussion on 28th August, 3-4pm, let us know and we'll send you the Teams link.