How many radio stations are there in the UK?

Positive radio: any UK radio stations that aren't negative?

• Hello,It seems like a lot of radio stations these days try to be provocative. There are many to choose from. Listening to a snarky station for any length of time is very irritating, so I've never really done a preview of lots of different stations. Could someone please recommend positive UK radio stations? My local gym plays Kiss FM a lot which I find to be a mixed bag, but I do like Classic FM. Politically, I'm centre-left, but I can listen to right-leaning stations as long as they're progressive. My geographical area is the North of England. Thanks for any advice.

• Answer:

  I could answer better if you were a bit more specific than the north of England, but have you tried dumping the big regional and national stations, and finding and listening to your local community radio station? There are some amazing examples out there - the first that springs to mind is http://www.bcbradio.co.uk in Bradford, a fantastically positive local resource which really showcases the best of the local community's creativity, culture and diversity. There's Newcastle's http://www.ne1fm.net which offers a similar service, with loads of local musical and other talent. Manchester has a whole host of them, including the diverse http://www.allfm.org, the urban youth-based http://www.unityradio.fm and the brilliantly upbeat http://nw.gaydio.co.uk. It's all happening out there and you just have to spin the dial and look for it. You really don't have to listen to the few big BBC and commercial stations - I personally find Radio 5 Live depressing in the extreme, for instance, with its endless regurgitating and speculating over the most minor of rolling news stories. The Today Programme on Radio 4 gets on my nerves too - it's too early for shouting matches! Community radio as a rule is generally positive about its area and its community, and offers a seriously refreshing alternative to the daily arguments on mainstream stations. I live in the North and community radio is my area of work. There is a http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/html/radio-stations/community/community-main.htm of stations online, but you can just MeMail me with your actual location if you want me to connect you with your local community radio stations, I'm likely to know them personally. Unless you live out in the sticks (and in a lot of cases, even if you live out in the sticks!) there's one near you these days, I guarantee it.