Journalism trainers and students have rallied against their university’s plans to close its community radio station – despite it being the first of its kind to be awarded an Ofcom licence.

Almost 1,000 people have signed a petition opposing the University of Lincoln’s plan to replace Siren Radio with a ‘next generation’ audio production platform.

Siren, formed as Siren FM in 1997, became the first university radio station to be awarded a full-time Ofcom radio licence in 2006 and is fully funded by the university.

There are more than 60 current volunteers at Siren, including journalism students who work on it in various roles.

Senior journalism lecturer Alex Lewczuk, who is also a co-founder of Siren, told Lincolnshire Live of the decision: “It came like a bolt from the blue. There was no indication whatsoever that Siren Radio was under threat.

“Only 10 months earlier, [university pro vice chancellor] Professor Abigail Woods is on record speaking on Siren Radio saying that the station was very much a key asset to the university. I don’t know what’s happened in the last 10 months.

“We were told at a very brief encounter with Professor Woods that it was not a financial decision.

“Even if it was a financial decision, the cost of Siren Radio is £18,000, literally the cost of two undergraduate fees.”

Callum Davis, a third-year journalism student and co-editor of Siren Radio, added working at the station has “bettered his mental health” and helped him to secure a role at BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

He said: “To hear that Siren altogether was closing was shocking and didn’t really sit right. It was so confusing because all the reasons they’ve given can be rebuked with five minutes of research.

“As students, we feel like our voices haven’t been heard. All too well as students, and young people as a whole, we’re used to this idea of the older generation not really understanding how we feel about things that are important to us – but to know that we’ve got the lecturers behind us is really nice and quite pleasing.

“I’ve lost faith in the university’s ability to know what’s right. I want people to have the same opportunities I’ve had and I hope I can do something that will make a difference.”

A university spokesperson told Lincolnshire Live: “We acknowledge the affection that many people feel for Siren and we are committed to maintaining student opportunities to access an audio production platform.

“The university is beginning a new broadcast provision to reflect the national developments in traditional radio broadcasting, which have shaped audience participation and behaviours in recent years.

“To evolve with and acknowledge this change, our consultation on ‘The Sound of The Future’ – a period of business model innovation and visioning for an audio-based output for the University of Lincoln will launch this week, and we will be inviting evidence from internal and external stakeholders.

“It will identify the optimal audio production platform that will equip students with the knowledge and skills to support their careers in the digital media landscape and will enable us to simulate more traditional, Ofcom-regulated audio forms.

“The replacement options we are exploring will prioritise quality, community and result in a curated experience for listeners. These important objectives can be achieved in various ways which do not require an Ofcom-regulated environment.

“The benefits of the new platform will go above and beyond what Siren can offer currently.”