Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Privacy Policy

Last updated:  31st May 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Kennet Community Radio, trading as Kennet Radio, collects and uses personal information.

Kennet Radio is a volunteer-run community radio station serving Newbury and Thatcham. We collect and use personal information only where we need it for the operation of the station, our website, our broadcasts, our community activities, our dealings with advertisers and supporters, or our legal and regulatory responsibilities.

For the purposes of data protection law, the data controller is:

Kennet Community Radio
Broadway House
4-8 The Broadway
Newbury RG14 1BA
Email: privacy@kennetradio.com

What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It may include:

  • your name;
  • email address;
  • telephone number;
  • postal address, where needed;
  • organisation or business name;
  • messages, enquiries, complaints or feedback you send to us;
  • information you provide when entering a competition or taking part in a promotion;
  • information you provide when applying to volunteer, present programmes or work with us;
  • information connected with advertising, sponsorship, donations or other support;
  • payment and billing information, where relevant;
  • photographs, audio, video or other content where you take part in station activities, events, interviews or broadcasts;
  • technical information generated when you use our website, such as server logs.

We do not deliberately collect special category data unless there is a clear reason to do so and a lawful basis applies. Special category data includes information about health, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership and similar sensitive information.

How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information when you:

  • contact us by email, telephone, post, website form, text message, social media or in person;
  • enter a competition or promotion;
  • ask us to broadcast, publicise or consider information;
  • advertise with us, sponsor content, donate or otherwise support the station;
  • apply to volunteer, present, contribute to programmes or take part in station activities;
  • attend or take part in events, outside broadcasts, interviews or recordings;
  • interact with our website or social media pages.

How we use personal information

We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Where we rely on legitimate interests, our interests are the effective operation of a community radio station, responding to listeners and the community, managing station activities, protecting the station and its systems, maintaining appropriate records, and supporting our broadcasting and community purposes.

In limited circumstances, we may rely on the lawful basis that processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. Where we do so, this is limited to processing that is necessary and proportionate for specific activities connected with our Ofcom-licensed community radio broadcasting, public service/community content, and related broadcast regulatory compliance. We rely on this basis only where there is a clear connection between the processing and the statutory framework under which community radio and digital sound programme services are licensed and regulated. We do not rely on public task as a general basis for all station activity.

We use personal information for the following purposes:

Enquiries, messages and listener contact

We use contact details and message content to respond to enquiries, comments, requests, complaints and other communications.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests, and in some cases legal obligation.

Competitions, promotions and listener participation

We use information provided by entrants or participants to run competitions, select winners, contact entrants, deal with eligibility, and administer prizes.

Lawful basis: performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and legal obligation where rules or records must be kept.

Broadcasts, interviews, events and community content

Where you take part in a programme, interview, event, outside broadcast or other station activity, we may use your name, voice, image, contribution or other relevant information for broadcast, online publication, publicity, archive and related station purposes.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests; consent where appropriate; performance of a contract in some cases; and, in limited cases, the performance of a task carried out in the public interest where the processing is necessary and proportionate for Ofcom-licensed community radio broadcasting, public service/community content, or related broadcast regulatory compliance.

Advertisers, sponsors, suppliers and supporters

We use business contact details, billing information and related correspondence to manage advertising, sponsorship, supplier relationships, donations, invoices, payments and records.

Lawful basis: performance of a contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation.

Volunteers, presenters and contributors

We use information provided by volunteers, presenters and contributors to assess applications, manage station participation, organise rotas, communicate with team members, maintain station records, support training and meet safeguarding, insurance, regulatory or operational requirements.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests, performance of a contract where relevant, legal obligation, and consent where appropriate.

Compliance, legal and regulatory purposes

We may use personal information to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, keep appropriate records, deal with complaints, maintain broadcast standards, protect rights and interests, and comply with regulatory obligations.

Lawful basis: legal obligation where the law requires us to process or keep information; legitimate interests where processing is necessary to protect the station, maintain appropriate records, respond to complaints, support regulatory compliance, or manage legal, insurance or operational risk; and, in limited cases, the performance of a task carried out in the public interest where the processing is necessary and proportionate for our regulated role as an Ofcom-licensed community radio broadcaster.

Website operation and security

We may process limited technical information, such as server logs, IP addresses, browser information and security records, to operate, maintain and protect the website.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests and legal obligation where applicable.

Cookies and website tracking

Our use of cookies is fully explained in our separate Cookie Policy.

Social media and third-party platforms

Kennet Radio uses social media and other third-party platforms to communicate with listeners and the community.

If you interact with us through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn or similar services, those platforms may process your personal information under their own privacy policies. Kennet Radio does not control how those platforms use your data.

We may see information that you make available to us through those platforms, such as your username, profile information, comments, messages, reactions or public posts.

Who we share personal information with

We do not sell personal information.

We may share personal information where necessary with:

  • service providers who help us run the station, website, email, IT systems, hosting, payment processing or administration;
  • professional advisers, insurers, accountants or legal advisers;
  • regulators, public authorities or law enforcement where required or justified;
  • competition or event partners, where needed to administer a competition, promotion or event;
  • other people or organisations where you have asked us to share the information or where it is necessary for the purpose involved.

Where we use service providers, we expect them to handle personal information securely and only for the purposes for which we provide it.

International transfers

Some services we use may process personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy arrangements or contractual safeguards where required.

How long we keep personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, regulatory, insurance or operational reasons.

As a guide:

  • general enquiries are usually kept only as long as needed to deal with the enquiry and any follow-up;
  • competition and promotion records are kept for as long as needed to administer the competition and deal with any queries or complaints;
  • advertiser, sponsor, supplier, invoice and payment records may be kept for up to six years for accounting and legal purposes;
  • volunteer, presenter and contributor records are kept for the duration of involvement with the station and for a reasonable period afterwards;
  • complaint, compliance and regulatory records may be kept for as long as needed to deal with the matter and protect the station’s legal and regulatory position;
  • website security logs are kept for a limited period unless needed for investigation or security purposes;
  • broadcast material and station archive material may be kept for longer where it forms part of the station’s broadcast, historical or community record.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have rights to:

  • ask for a copy of your personal information;
  • ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances;
  • ask us to restrict how we use your information;
  • object to certain uses of your information;
  • withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
  • ask for certain information to be transferred to another organisation;
  • complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

These rights do not apply in every situation. For example, we may need to keep certain information to comply with law, protect legal rights, maintain regulatory records, or complete a contract.

To exercise your rights, contact us at:  privacy@kennetradio.com

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO is the UK regulator for data protection.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. No website, email system or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we aim to use proportionate safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information and the resources of a volunteer-run community radio station.

Children and young people

Kennet Radio may work with young people as part of community, educational, broadcast or event activities. Where appropriate, we will take additional care when handling information about children and young people, including seeking parental or guardian involvement where this is necessary or appropriate.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of websites operated by third parties. You should read the privacy information provided by those websites.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on this page with the date of the most recent update.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Kennet Radio uses personal information, please contact:  privacy@kennetradio.com