He is a well known figure in Midsomer Norton, but now Don Chambers has taken (or more correctly) retaken, up as chair of the Community Media Association.

That is the national body for all community radio in the UK and is a powerful voice for shaping the future of media.

Currently there are over 300 community radio licences broadcasting across the UK, and Dom has been busy, personally visiting over 75 stations and directly contacting over a hundred more.

He stepped down as the chair of the CMA in 2015 and is now back in the post, with potentially five years ahead in this important role.

Nub New started by asking Dom what has changed since he was last in charge?

So what is different about the media landscape now in 2020?

" The main difference is that in 2015 there were three main local licences: BBC local radio, there were the community licences such as those for the likes of Somer Valley FM, and there were the commercial radio stations, known as ILR's, independent radio stations set up by Ted Heath in the 1970s. There was a huge growth of these in the 1980s and then suddenly and most recently a few organisations have bought up all these licences, such as Bauer. The outcome of that many of those radio stations have disappeared - literally overnight - as of September. Now we have Greatest Hits Radio right across the UK. "

Which is good news for community radio which is not a one size fits all type station ?

" It means community radio has grown enormously, much more than it was ever assumed possible. It hasn't surprised me that we have seen this renaissance in community radio. It is growing and it is very pleasing to see."

So why is it?

" I think there is an appetite for community radio and it has been created by coronavirus. That has shunted us from where we were and what we wanted. One of those things I am picking up on what I call 'A Non-Murdoch' approach to media. I don't have any issue with commercial media, but there are forms of journalism which eventually attract public disdain. But community radio comes from a grass roots not for profit beginning.

"I think that the Covid pandemic has forced us to be much more focused on what is going on around us. Added to which there is the huge issue of isolation. It is now almost number one of the social challenges of our times, and it has been exacerbated by coroanvirus. During lockdown many people simply haven't been able to get out and see or meet anyone, so a local voice is so important."

It is a question of who do you trust

" In order to connect people need to know their local radio, it has a big part to play in that. It is about trusted local voices. Here at Somer Valley FM for instance Jo Davies is quite obviously from our area. We love her for that. You are not going to hear Jo on a station in Birmingham or Manchester. When she talks we feel we are chatting over the fence to our neighbours, which is crucial. Local radio has a part to play in connecting local communities and helping people. And if the commercial sector is pumping out Greatest Hits (which between you and I, I love) then there is a demand for local voices on community radio."

There has been a huge demand for local services like yours at Nub News

As well as praise for the hyper local news model of Nub News, Dom tells us that Somer Valley FM's audience has grown over the coronavirus pandemic. " Because we don't just give people local information, as important as that is, we also divert them from the horror by pumping out some great tunes. And all local.

" The headline is that the local radio market place is squarely the province of community radio. The future of non-profit media needs to be better managed strategically, but in my opinion, the future of broadcasting is that we will work with the BBC. They have regional local radio, but they do not have hyper local radio. Somer Valley has hyper local radio.

Isn't this the best basis for a developing relationship? Why not go and get that extra knowledge from the local level? We here in Midsomer Norton Radstock know much more about what is going here than they do down in Taunton, where BBC Somerset comes from.

"I am driving that relationship nationally and by the time five years is up I can almost foresee a fusion between some BBC stations and some community stations. Which is quite a radical thing to say. I think the BBC will be put on a new funding basis and part of that deal will be to continue the commercialisation of BBC services : I think part of that deal could be to be release funding support for community radio stations and supporting community reporting. "

What about making the social media giants pay for news organisations including community radio stations?

While accepting that might be a good idea, Dom sees an issue on how it would be in practice. " A great idea but I can't see how you get it (the funding) . Facebook is a bit faceless. In this country we have very obvious decision making circles, like the government, or the local authority, or the department of Digital Cultural Media and Sport. There are organisation which you know who to approach.

"In the French model of community radio, they have a tax on commercial radio, a levy which then goes out to community broadcasters. There is a direct relationship between the sectors like that. But our approach in this country is different and here community radio is essentially an amateur thing, becoming more professional, we need to help the resilience of it by shoring up the skill set and experience of those in community radio.

" You have lots of people who want to be DJs and lots of people who love their communities, a lot of older people wanting to help younger people. But are we getting people with retail experience ? Are we getting people who know human resources work ? These skills are needed and some publicly-funded workshops would really help.

" I also don't think our government is about to say 'we like community radio, here's ten million pounds, go for it'. I just don't see that as happening. "

According to Dom , the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sports currently sets aside £400,000 a year to give out in grants to community radio stations, which this year has been re-aligned into coronavirus relief funding.

"Other organisations could give into this fund and the money could be used to really shore up and support business plans. So if a community station was to come up with a three year business plan, the grant could help make that happen. This doesn't exist at the moment.

"What typically happens is that a station has a proposal on how to increase the community radio reach over the next year. So they bring in a paid part time manager, or a sales person and then they spend all their time setting up things and then they disappear in year two because no one can afford to keep them."

But meantime this Midsomer Norton radio stalwart is busy putting together a bid for lottery money and keeping busy with his educational hat, focusing attention on some student media work, polishing the podcast training , all while, of course, tuning in to Somer Valley FM.

" Community radio needs to become more resilient and more professional if it is to survive and I want to drive that."