Running a radio station with Frederick Sugden of Threads

by Jessica Pretorius

Founded in January 2019, Threads is a community-focused and London-based radio station that broadcasts across the world. Last November, I sat down with Threads founder, Frederick Sugden, to ask about his journey and discuss the highs and lows of running a radio station.

JP: Tell me how it all started. Why radio?

FS: I’ve been interested in radio as a medium for a long time. My parents always had the radio on, and I started to do the same, listening to everything from alternative and underground shows, through to more mainstream shows from the US and even the breadth of the BBC. I’ve always been endeared by the mysterious feeling that comes from listening to the radio - an audio-only medium connecting with you via music and personality, often transporting your mind to another place.

JP: As people may or may not know, you went to LSE, too. Did uni shape your career in any way?

FS: To be honest, choosing music, radio and the arts as a field to live and work in came off the back of my experience at LSE, but probably not in the way you’d expect though. I went to university as an academia-focused person – I studied philosophy and politics – but the academic focus on drilling down on the specifics of a certain subject frustrated me. At the time I craved a much more holistic and lived approach to learning about the world around me; one that was grounded in engaging with people from all walks of life, passionate about culture and the impact one can have on people’s lives. In that sense, academia had a positive impact on me, and it pushed me to want to be involved in community-focused projects. 

Moving to London was probably the most important thing that uni gave me. I really enjoyed the colour and diversity in London’s flourishing music scene. It was a real contrast to Devon, where I’m from - a beautiful space but one that of course moves at a slower pace. That being said, I do have Devon to thank for the origins of my music tastes - learning about various shades of electronic music, hip hop and soundsystem culture. It was then in London that I connected more closely with many of these sounds I was already so interested in.

I wasn’t really involved in university life a huge amount. Pulse Radio gave me a space to do radio shows but mostly I was just doing my own thing, meeting new people, embracing independence. Not engaging with LSE so much at the time in an extra-curricular sense disappoints me somewhat looking back, but regret isn’t positive. Everything happens for a reason, and I’m much more excited by engaging in LSE’s discussions now as an alumni.

I wouldn’t recommend that approach to anyone - the resources and possibilities made available are incredible - but we all learn that via our own route!

JP: Talk me through your trajectory from there – what experience did you have before Threads?

FS: I left university very music-obsessed and just started looking for any opportunities I could find. I eventually managed to get an internship, which essentially came from just meeting people out and about. I first worked for an absolute legend called Bobby Connolly, who was the label manager for 2020vision at the time, a label from Leeds that had an incredible back catalogue and regular output, focused mostly on house music but also electronica, electro and other quality club music. In many ways, it was a classic industry route but one which was managed by them with real love and care; I started as an unpaid intern and then as I learnt more, they continued to take me under their wing and invested in me. I learnt a lot about music publishing while working for them, as well as indispensable industry lessons on managing a record label, distribution and managing people. The organisation was always ambitious and growing; it seriously opened some doors for me.

Threads, however, was a DIY project launched by true trial and error. The confidence to do it was informed by the chances I’d been given in the music world, but it wasn’t directly related to those. In 2016 I was spending a lot of time socialising and going to gigs at a special space in Manor House called New River Studios. After getting to know the people running the venue, the shared passion for radio became clear. The owner had a space free and was a radio fanatic looking for someone equally passionate to run a radio station in there - the rest is history!

The project initially got funding from UK Music for the necessary equipment to get it off the ground, allowing us to launch what was called 199radio - a really organic coming together of people interested in grassroots music, discussion and art. After 2.5 years, the team managing the radio and the venue parted ways, but what was built there was the foundation for Threads. Threads has NRS to thank for enabling what it evolved from  - in terms of space, ideation and community. In January 2019, Threads began - co-directed by myself and my good friend Lee Fagan who had been instrumental throughout the time of 199Radio. Its goal was to evolve into a reputable international broadcast platform, connecting local communities across the world and empowering them to express themselves. 

JP: what’s been your favourite part of running a radio station?

FS: The most rewarding part has definitely been creating a welcoming space. We wanted to open our space up to various communities, making sure people felt no pressure coming into our space and thus could share and explore their narratives in a way that was as true to themselves as possible. This supports people to talk about things they might not have felt comfortable talking about otherwise. It's so fulfilling to see the meaningful stories, DJ sets, and performances that then come from people.  

I also really love the way that the station’s output blurs the lines between cultural and musical boundaries. It’s called Threads as its ambition is in ‘threading’ communities, music, and cultures together, from around the world. The connections created from this are so special and are the fabric of a more cohesive society. 

In creative projects that are growing, especially those that are interested in quite niche styles,  it is possible for exclusivity and pretentiousness to creep in, but I am proud that if nothing else, the Threads team have sustained something which genuinely avoids that pretence. That might almost sound like an easy win or an obvious target when reading this, but the reality of actually achieving that, in a space where you see real-life community collaboration in action, is something ultimately so special that it has made me and many others want to focus so much of their life around enabling it.

JP: the community-based aspect seems important and really special. Could you give me some examples of what that looks like in practice?

FS: Of course. I think even the way that Threads started shows this strong community bond. 199Radio was a unique project and when that chapter ended, the sacrifices made and the connections that allowed that previous energy to thrive, couldn’t be more apparent. It was so special to then see so many of the show hosts and volunteers embrace Threads’ mission statement, and we genuinely felt truly hugged and supported by the people around us. It was a sign that if you trust others and believe in building an honest project, that trust can be re-invested when times are tough. To this day, that’s why Threads has kept going - the energy invested from various individuals, which then inspires others to do the same.

It’s also been great to see how radio can directly impact local groups who might not think of radio as a medium they’d usually engage with. Threads’ outreach team have worked on a range of community radio series, related to Black History Month, Hospices, International Women’s Day, Refugee Week, Windrush Day and many more. An inspiring example of this was working with an organisation called The Hospice Biographers, to produce a series of shows documenting the importance of Hospices and telling the stories of people’s lives, to share an archive for their families after they’d gone. Apart from being very moving, it allowed us to work with and learn from a charity and a range of ages that a more purely music-focused radio might not have. Also, I can’t forget watching such a show precede a live modular performance themed around beekeeping - that was truly unforgettable - a moment that epitomised the cross-section of creators involved in the project!

From the start, these often discursive projects have been an essential part of Threads’ programming. We didn’t want the radio to be entirely music focused, because radio has a lot of potential to offer more than that. It can also tell stories and explore what’s going on in the world, locally and globally. If you have reach and responsibility it doesn't seem right to use that platform only for music. I think it is hard to perceive the power of music and community, without perceiving the environments around it that support and negate it. I hope we’ve managed to programme a blend of music and discussion that complement one another. 

We wanted to strike that balance that allows listeners to discover new esoteric music, and engage with issues they care about, but not feel excluded by consistently overly-academic discussion.  Delving into important topics in various ways, doing our best to ensure that people have different shows to familiarize themselves with - some more light-hearted, some more informative. Ultimately, the common theme is that our programming likes to explore local issues that are important for their communities, giving a voice to people that need it and deserve it.

JP: We’ve talked a lot about the good parts of running a radio – and it sounds remarkable – but what are the challenges?

FS: This is quite an obvious answer, but finances are the most difficult. For ages, I didn’t realise that many others didn’t realise that this was the case with the project, but Lee and I have never been paid. Before 2022’s break and our current interim period, Threads was operating as a 24-hour two-channel station operating on a full volunteer model, from management through to trainee producers. The only people that have been paid has been through a government kickstart scheme. This came with many sacrifices and was only made possible by a drive and passion fuelled by what we’ve spoken about. There weren't any trust funds or hidden investors - it was personal sacrifice at times. For the culture. For what we love.

At some point, you do end up hitting a glass ceiling. Commitment is admirable but we all have to look after ourselves and think about sustainable working models as well. We’ve been ambitious with Threads, but we have to sustain it and we also want to sustain other people. We’ve had to address these challenges and have taken a bit of a break to work on something new, although the essence of the project is still the same.

Including the time at 199, I’ve been working voluntarily running a radio station for nearly 7 years now, which is immensely difficult in one’s personal life. I’ve survived by working other jobs on the side – for years I was a firefighter – but it’s difficult to balance. I tried working full-time, but it wasn’t possible to do that while running the radio in the way I wanted to. I’ve, of course, had loads of support in various ways from those close to me, but there’s a limit to how you can creatively lead an organisation when you’re working at your max and beyond like that. The irony with such an all-encompassing grassroots project like a DIY radio station is that the things which are needed to be done to address questions of sustainability (e.g. funding applications, business plans) can drop down the list at the expense of raw, passionate functioning. It’s not always been clever but at that time, the role that the project came to play for its listeners and community, came first. I wouldn’t blankly recommend working this way though always try to plan and structure one’s ambitions at the beginning. I jumped straight in and learnt on the job. it’s been as incredible as it's been maddening, and I wouldn’t change it for the world; Threads wouldn’t be the same without it.

Radio can be a difficult endeavour, but I’m determined to keep it going. Managing such a project has at times taken a hit on health and relationships, and it is important to be honest about those lessons. Instead of letting that kill the project though, I am determined to find ways to allow them to complement each other. 

JP: thanks for sharing – it really seems like a labour of love. For those interested in radio, could you talk me through the structure of how Threads works?

FP: this is either going to be really boring or really interesting, depending on who you are. As I mentioned, it’s all volunteer-based, and there are a number of different areas of radio to learn about. There are different departments, like outreach or marketing, and now we’ve built specialist teams in different areas so people can develop more fine-tuned skills. As well as volunteers helping us, we want to be an asset to them, by giving them a direct role and rewarding experiences. Springboarding others is important to us and it's wonderful to have seen many of our volunteers and show hosts go on to roles in other inspirational broadcast organisations, such as Rinse, NTS & the BBC. 

We’re a 24/7 station so we have a repeat curation team for those hours when not broadcasting new shows, who work with all of our archives. Since November 2022 we’ve now been broadcasting our residents and guest shows, on 1 channel,  usually 3 days a week (+ special occasional takeovers on weekends). We have around 25 people working with Threads. As you say, it’s really been a labour of love, and Lee and I have had a really special circle of volunteers that have worked with us since 199.

JP: And finally, where is Threads going?

FS: Well, for now the priority is to keep it going. We have some exciting physical plans around the world but I’m not going to give away too many of those here!

We definitely also want to find a really special physical space in London, which can become a new hub, but we’re not rushing into this. Ideally, somewhere that can be public-facing with the capacity for events and offering space to local community groups who really need it. Threads has the potential to continue evolving into a grounded international multi-media hub, with localism at its heart, but to do that, we will continue to work on visioning more sustainable models. 

Threads are open to hearing new show proposals and welcomes those who want to get involved in a volunteer capacity. You can find their Instagram @threadsradio, their website is https://threadsradio.com/ or you can get in touch with them at threadsradiocomms@gmail.com