Editorial policy

This page explains who writes the texts on Radioguide.fm, how we check them, how station owners are involved and how you can ask for a correction.

Who writesHow we writeChecksStation ownersIndependenceReviewsCorrections

Who writes the texts

There are two kinds of station texts on Radioguide.fm:

• Texts by our editorial team. These show a byline with the name of the writer, the person who reviewed the text and the date of the last update. The names link to an author page with their background.
• Texts by the station. Station owners and the people who added a station can write their own description. These texts have no byline from our team: they are the station's own words.

Blog articles carry the name of the writer, and where a second person checked the article, the name of the reviewer.

How we write station texts

• We start from facts we can check: the station's own website and social profiles, what the station broadcasts (listening to the stream and the song titles it sends), its genre and location, and our own measurements.
• We describe what a listener can expect: the kind of music or programmes, the language, the region, and what makes the station different.
• We do not copy texts from other websites, and we do not invent details such as founding years, presenters or frequencies when we cannot confirm them.
• Figures such as stream quality, uptime, most played songs and listener numbers are not written by hand: they come straight from our data and are labelled with the date of measurement. See the methodology.

How we check

• Team texts can be checked by a second editor; the byline then names the reviewer.
• We re-check texts when a station changes (new name, new stream, new owner) and when listeners or owners report something; the "Updated" date in the byline shows the last check.
• Streams of all listed stations are checked every night; a station whose stream keeps failing can be hidden until it works again.

Station owners

Station owners can claim their page after verifying that they run the station (for example with an address on the station's own domain, a tag on the station's website or a code in the stream title). Verified owners can update the details and description, and reply publicly to listener reviews. A verified station shows "Owner verified" in the station facts.

Independence and advertising

• Charts, station facts and listener ratings cannot be bought. Paying stations get extra tools, not better numbers.
• Paid placements (promoted stations, sponsored listings and ads) are always labelled as such.
• We do not accept payment for writing or changing a team text.

Listener reviews

Listeners can rate stations with one tap and add a short review. Written reviews are checked by our team before they appear. We remove reviews that contain spam, insults, personal data or links, or that are not about the station; we do not remove reviews because they are negative. Station owners can reply publicly. Details: how ratings work.

Corrections

Spotted a mistake? Mail [email protected] with the page address and what is wrong, or use the contact form. We check every request. When we correct a team text, the "Updated" date in its byline changes. Station owners can also correct their own page after claiming it.