Radio Skye is a small commercial radio station that broadcasts across Skye and Lochalsh and to an online audience nationally and internationally via a web stream through all the major radio apps. It has 24/7 transmission with a full programme including daily breakfast and drive time shows, a varied schedule including outside broadcasts of local events such a Hogmanay celebration, community meetings, political events, and sporting and music events. It is a key local service to the community, broadcasting locally relevant information throughout the day and is reactive to breaking news in the local area providing updates to the local community as and when it is needed.
About
Meet the Team…
Suzy Lee – Station Manager
Suzy came to Radio Skye (formally Cuillin FM) in 2019. After 8 years of working in the art sector and previous managerial experience in retail, she combined both her creativity, sales and management experience into running the station plus doing a the presenter training earlier that year kind of piqued her interest in radio broadcasting. When she’s not presenting or managing the station, she probably drinking coffee and trying to resist the many cakes and bacon rolls Hector brings to the station! Suzy is always on the hunt for new supporters and presenters so give her a bell if you want to give it a go. The rest of Suzy’s life revolves around her two fab kids and er the radio station…which has become the families second home!
Robert John MacInnes – Youth Space Mentor
After completing six years at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton, Robert joined Radio Skye (previously Cuillin FM) in October 2016, aged 17, and launched his show Friday Night Trad to showcase the best of his ‘home’ music genre. He is now also on the Breakfast Show and Drivetime presenters team. Robert comes from Kishorn and has experience not just in radio broadcasting but also in TV presenting, social media managing, communications, creating short films and teaching music and media to young people. He always finds time for a Gaelic song or three, a swim in the sea, or a trip on a ferry as a self-confessed ferry geek!
In April 2023, Robert joined Radio Skye as the mentor on the YouthSPACE training scheme. Prior to this, he was a member of the board.
Sam MacLelland – Studio Assistant
Sam is from Dunvegan and was the first recruit to our YouthSPACE training scheme in April 2023. After deciding to leave school and start on his career based media journey, Sam started a six month Paid Placement through the Highland Employability Partnership with Radio Skye as his chosen host organisation. As part of the placement, Sam covers a wide range of tasks from presenting shows to leading interviews, to producing adverts and carrying out general admin tasks.
Ross Mackenzie – Chair of the Board
Ross took up the charge of Chair this year in January 2025 after many years of supporting the station as a presenter. Outside of the station he is a funeral director so knows all about caring for people in their hour of need, a skill we think is handy for running a local radio station too! Like all good Skye men, he has a fondness of tractors and organises the north end tractor run each year to raise money for Cancer Research Skye Branch. He’s also a Caley Thistle fan so gets on pretty well with the Station Manager Suzy!
Sam Hinks – Secretary
Sam has presented different forms of media over the past few decades. He started as a club and outside broadcast DJ, has presented training videos, worked with STV, Radio Forth and independent studios doing voice-overs. He has also worked doing corporate voice-overs in Canada and the U.S. Running alongside that Sam started a design consultancy in the 90s and currently runs another design-led branding consultancy in Edinburgh. A recording and performance musician for over 30 years, playing at corporate events throughout the UK as well as being a talent intermediary for some top-level ‘A’ listers, Sam is now developing a video offshoot to the Edinburgh design business; life is both challenging and rewarding indeed. Now things have come full circle as Sam is back on the radio. He has spent the last year helping a central Scotland community radio station with programming, presenting and technical advice. The past six months have been particularly rewarding presenting a Saturday evening show on Radio Skye; an island he knows very well. Sam is delighted to join the board of directors at the station as they forge a path forward towards a colourful and successful future.
Fiona Henderson – Trustee
Fiona presents a very popular traditional music show Coolin Ceol on Tuesday nights and when she’s not busy preparing that, she is even busier being a community district nurse, travelling all over the islands taking care of those who need her. Fiona hails from Kyle of Lochalsh and is mad about shinty, we think she is possibly Kinlochshiel Shinty Club’s biggest fan! She brings local knowledge and as a Gaelic learner, she is part of our Gaelic promotion team to make sure Radio Skye represents everyone in our listening area.
James Martin – Trustee
James joined the Radio Skye board in 2024. In his professional life, he is part of Highlife Highland Executive team as Director of Sport, Leisure and Safeguarding so comes to Radio Skye with key skills along with plenty of fundraising experience. In terms of radio, James says he has been ‘doing his thing’ on the airwaves for longer than he cares to remember, having been involved in radio and music in some form or another for the last three decades. He is absolutely committed and passionate about radio, extolling its virtues as a constant friend and companion to so many people, any time of the day or night. You’ll hear James on his ‘Just Winging It’ show every Thursday night between 8pm and 10pm
Luke Eveling – Trustee
Luke is our youth board member and has been part of the station since he was 14, taking part in a joint media day with Highlife Highland. At 18 he joined the Board of Directors to champion youth broadcasting and to bring new ideas for the station. Luke is an award winning presenter, winning a Young Audio Award in 2022 and a finalist in the Community Radio Awards for his show ‘The Monday Youth Project’. Luke is a keen DJ and in 2022 he took part in Scotland’s Big Night In at Nevis Radio and loves doing club nights. At the age of just 16, he wrote a book ‘ A Series of Essays on Mental Health’ which documents his own mental health struggles. He states radio broadcasting has made a huge positive impact on his life and given him a voice, improved his self esteem and confidence. Luke is definitely one to watch!
Hector MacInnes – Trustee
Hector is a sound artist, musician and producer who was born and brought up on Skye. He works with spoken word, installation, text, composition, radio and speculative design among other things, often in collaboration with other artists and a diverse range of communities. He has a socially engaged and research-informed practice, with an interest in how sound intersects with, and influences, place, ethics and belonging. His recent projects have included working with the Culture Collective and Remembering Together, two of the Scottish Government’s flagship responses to the pandemic in the arts. He has also co-led experimental choirs exploring disobedience and prehistoric architecture, has restored the last remaining gondola from a long forgotten Hebridean Cable-Car company with designer/printmaker Philippa Thomas, and has exhibited or performed in venues ranging from small highland village halls to stadiums and the Arsenale in Venice. Hector is currently a PhD student at CRiSAP (Creative Research Into Sound Arts Practice) at University of the Arts London, where he is undertaking practice-based research around the concept of the field, anthropocene rurality, and the New Weird.
Training Facility & Volunteers
The radio station is also a training facility for young people, and it connects with local schools and colleges providing mentoring and training to groups and individuals. Over forty volunteers are currently involved at the station, either presenting, on the board or part of a support team.
Fair Work First Policy
Radio Skye is committed to advancing the Fair Work First criteria as set out within the Scottish Government guidance document. Click here for the full policy
Commitment to Gaelic Language
At Radio Skye, we are committed to providing Gaelic content on air. At present we fulfil our Gaelic content but we are always on the look out for more shows in Gaelic.
Partnerships
Radio Skye partners with local organisations such as the community trusts on their events and special one-off projects.
Current partners include:
Portree and Braes Community Trust
We are commercial…
Radio Skye offers businesses a variety of advertising and sponsorship opportunities with social media support, all of which can be tailored to the needs of the client. Head to our advertising page for media pack and rate cards.
Our History
Up until July 2020, Radio Skye was known as Cuillin FM which first had its outing as a radio station in the mid-90s under a restricted service license in a room in Aros. Its inception came about from a local meeting where a steering group was formed, 3 of those on the steering group are still broadcasting with Radio Skye and are as committed as ever! The station then moved from Aros into a leaking portacabin in a building site before moving into its forever home in Stormyhill Road, Portree. The studio was purpose built with two recording studios, an office, kitchen and welcome area and is still the home of the local radio station for Skye and Lochalsh. We are always forever grateful to the original group of local volunteers who dedicated their time freely to bringing the radio station into fruition and help make it what it is today.