SUNDERLAND is getting a brand-new radio station.
Sunderland Music City has announced Sunderland Music City Radio, a new station to promote Sunderland as a go-to music destination.
The station will be a new way for music fans, both local and around the world, to savour the
sounds of the city and will be officially launched at the end of February.
Sunderland Music City Radio has been backed by The Rank Foundation as part of their Profit for Good programme, which agreed to fund the development phase and initial set-up costs of the station.
Rank Foundation Associate for Sunderland and Northeast, Jen McKevitt, “Sunderland is a city full of creativity, ambition and enterprise. Through Rank’s Profit for Good programme, we’re supporting local organisations to use enterprise and trading for positive change. Sunderland Music City Radio is a brilliant example of that in action, celebrating local talent,
creating new opportunities, and turning up the volume on the sound of Sunderland. We’re proud to support this exciting initiative for the city.”
The radio station will be available to listen to online via musiccity.uk and will play wall-to-wall
Mackem music from morning until night, with the official strapline being ‘the sound of Sunderland’.
The Sunderland Music City team hopes the station could one day be a platform for budding
presenters to gain experience and forge a career in music, as well as live sessions and more.
Frankie Francis, Music Officer for Sunderland Music City, said: “We initially floated the idea of a new radio station for Sunderland back in January 2025 and thanks to support from The Rank Foundation we’re now able to make this happen.
“We want to help people discover and enjoy the live music that’s all around them here in
Sunderland – and what better way than through the medium of radio, available to access and listen to wherever you are in the world, from Roker Pier to Reykjavík.
“In the short-term you can expect at least 100 artists in the initial playlist database all from, or with links to, Sunderland and at least 1000 tracks created by people from Sunderland in the music bank for broadcast within the first 6 months.”
Sunderland Music City Radio will go live, with a dedicated launch event at the end of February.