STUDIO

Worldwide FM is an award-winning community and platform where marginalised voices, alternative perspectives and shared progressive values are brought to the forefront through music and culture. Whether our programming comes from Palestine or New Orleans, we try where we can to give voice to progressive artists and cultural figures who fight inequality in all its forms.

We have been showcasing subcultures and stories from across the world since 2016, and regularly broadcast from London, New York, Mumbai, Seoul, Johannesburg, Brussels, Kyoto, Berlin, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Paris, Rio, Detroit, Tokyo, Istanbul, Chicago and beyond. Our partners, WeTransfer, help power the platform, and their mission statement is rooted in the same ambition as our own – to explore and tie together the evolving diversity of global creativity. Our wider organisation includes Brownswood Recordings and Future Bubblers, and our shared values of respect, tolerance and inclusivity are detailed below. Worldwide FM supports the Black Music Coalition and their list of demands/action points and also have signed up to the progressive Equality In Audio pact, as well as Radio Silence's Women In Radio pledge.

What We Believe

Worldwide FM are committed to playing our part in helping to create a fairer and more equal society. We want to see a world without discrimination of any sort and where every person is able to reach their full potential. We believe that we have a part to play in that and we are committed to doing so. We are also committed to creating a working environment where our staff and presenters feel comfortable, are supported and helped to improve and develop their skills.

We need to be inclusive in our outlook and our practice, and to draw on a diverse workforce. We will do all we can to make sure that our work, and the people who make it are fully representative of the richness, depth and diversity of the music in which we operate and of London, the city in which we are based. We see ourselves as custodians of a rich cultural heritage that we greatly value and respect and want to highlight to the world.

We believe that the music industry in which we operate has a problem with inclusivity. Traditionally a white male preserve, the industry has been slow to change and there are very few people of colour at all levels but particularly within leadership positions. Likewise too often women are marginalised and have little access to creative decision making. We want to work together with other like-minded organisations to improve this situation and offer more opportunities to a wider group of people.

We believe in benchmarking our progress and being transparent about the work we have to do and to this end calculated a 14% gender pay discrepancy in Autumn 2021. This number should be around the 0% mark in a fair and equal company and society. This pay gap is something we commit to improving and to which we should be held accountable.

Staff Inclusivity Action Policy

A commitment to analyse and improve the diversity of workforce from entry level to senior leadership.
Rigorously applying our inclusivity policy to staffing hiring, promotions etc.
Jobs will be advertised more widely to ensure broader accessibility.
We are committed to a senior leadership team that reflects the diversity of our platform, home and worldwide mission.
We will help to identify individual career goals for staff and identify potential career paths.
We will research and utilise programmes which give work opportunities to a wider pool of people who might not otherwise get that access.
We will provide a platform for staff members to discuss issues around race and diversity more generally.
We will offer training opportunities for staff members.
We will publicly and internally highlight relevant resources.
We will look for opportunities to platform people of colour within our organisation.
We will appoint an Inclusivity Team to monitor progress, create opportunities and create an evaluation programme.
We will regularly review progress in all areas, at least 4 times a year.
We will appoint a team of Mental Health First Aiders, and support them in providing help to staff and presenters.
We will offer staff an allowance to purchase relevant books and resources on anti-racism and inclusivity.

Artform Radio: Ben Merlis with Cut Chemist & RZA // 20-02-20

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