Connor Naismith MP met with the senior leadership team at BBC Radio Stoke to discuss the station's coverage of Crewe Alexandra matches after fans complained of unfair treatment compared with other local teams.
Representatives of The Railwaymen Podcast approached Mr Naismith regarding the coverage of Crewe Alexandra games at BBC Radio Stoke at the start of the 2025/2026 football season. BBC Radio Stoke has a contract to cover Crewe Alexandra FC, Port Vale FC, and Stoke City FC across FM, DAB and Freeview.
The station has received criticism from fans of the Crewe team that their matches tend to be covered on Freeview alone, which is not accessible outside of the house, even when there is only one other team playing.
Following a meeting between BBC Radio Stoke and The Railwaymen Podcast, it was agreed that, where only two teams were playing at a given time, BBC Radio Stoke would ensure that the Crewe Alexandra Game was featured on Freeview and another channel (either FM or DAB). However, this has not been happening since the team was relegated.
During his meeting with BBC Radio Stoke, Mr Naismith referred to evidence in The Railwaymen Podcast's Report, which stated that on a given Saturday, no other BBC Local Radio Station would broadcast a match on Freeview alone.
In response, Radio Stoke stated that coverage across other stations was down to individual contractual agreements and the splitting of Freeview from radio, which the station has been able to do to maintain consistency of 1 club per platform.
Connor Naismith also questioned - like The Railwaymen Podcast - whether consistency was more important to fans than remote availability (i.e. covering an important match on DAB or FM, even if that means changing the normal order of affiliation between team/channel).
The Radio Station said that based on their own internal research, consistency was more important to listeners than prioritisation of a particular game depending on its significance.
BBC Radio Stoke also confirmed that match coverage was reviewed each season and that Mr Naismith's comments would be taken into consideration ahead of the next season.
Connor Naismith, Labour MP for Crewe & Nantwich, said:
"Clearly, there's a gap that needs to be bridged between BBC Radio Stoke and Crewe Alex fans over what good coverage looks like, though I know both groups are passionate supporters of community football.
"BBC Radio Stoke is entitled to make editorial decisions as they see fit. However, it is important to have an open dialogue with the station, and I will also be exploring other avenues to improve coverage of Crewe Alex games for my constituents."
--Ends--
Notes to the Editor Connor Naismith has spoken about this issue publicly on social media here: https://www.facebook.com/connornaismithlabour/posts/pfbid0bvJ6jrVAQRAyJ2a7oGKFzpGvRsYQ9vegvkP65RNTqckqKc2AQhfmk7PwbxEx2ay9l
The report on BBC Radio Stoke coverage of Crewe Alexandra football games, written by Tim Robinson for The Railwaymen Review, can be found here: https://therailwaymenreview.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/analysis-of-bbc-local-radio-coverage-from-stations-with-multiple-teams-with-clashing-kick-off-times/
Image Description Connor Naismith MP outside the Crewe Alexandra stadium on Gresty Road in Crewe.
