Ryan Johnstone is a Scottish radio presenter, DJ, and digital media entrepreneur based in Gretna, Scotland. Inspired by his passion for 90s dance tracks and music technology, he founded GFM Radio and its electronic sister stream, GFM Dance, building it into a prominent community platform.

The story of Ryan Johnstone is a classic tale of a young, passionate music fan turning a bedroom hobby into a fully functioning community broadcasting platform. The Spark & Inspiration In the summer of 2025, Ryan was a 16-year-old student who had recently finished his time at Annan Academy. He decided to pursue his love for media and music by enrolling in a radio production and podcasting course at New College Lanarkshire. His passion for radio wasn't accidental. Growing up, Ryan was constantly exposed to electronic music by his father, who loved classic 90s dance anthems. Over time, Ryan's obsession with the genre overtook his dad's, and he found himself constantly tuned into major UK commercial networks like Heart Dance. Listening to those high-energy dance broadcasts gave him a specific dream: he wanted to be a radio presenter, and he wanted his hometown of Gretna to have its own voice. Building From the Bedroom While many people wait until after college to look for a job in media, Ryan decided to build his own station immediately using the industry-standard broadcasting software he was mastering at college. On September 30, 2025, the network officially went live to the public. In the early days, it was a pure grassroots operation. To keep the digital streams running continuously without dropping, Ryan had to leave his personal home PC running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What started as a teenager keeping a computer powered on in his room quickly caught the attention of the local region. Local residents in Gretna, Annan, and Carlisle were incredibly impressed by the professional quality of the audio. Expanding the Empire Ryan originally launched the network with a heavy electronic focus called GFM Dance. He acted as the sole presenter, pulling gruelling on-air shifts every Saturday morning from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, and returning to the decks the same night from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM to spin club classics. As listenership grew, Ryan expanded the vision into two distinct sister streams:

• GFM Radio (Main Station): A community-driven hub playing "Non-Stop Hits" and top-40 music.
• GFM Dance: The original 24/7 home for high-tempo electronic beats, hardstyle, and bounce classics.

Recognising he couldn't run a growing network entirely alone, he began opening the doors to other local talent. He built a technical infrastructure featuring web managers like Luke Graham and brought in a heavy roster of resident electronic music DJs—including DJ GANTY, Tattoo Tony, ARCTON, Kommsvert, and DJ Steeno. The 24/7 Routine Ryan has maintained a relentless schedule to keep the station relevant. Over the last year, he has balanced the programming automation backend with several demanding weekly shows:

1. The Mainstream Crossover: Stepping onto the main GFM stream on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM alongside co-host Brian Dorrance to spin commercial throwbacks.
2. The GFM Weekender: Stepping back into his first love—90s and 2000s club classics—to headline the network’s flagship Saturday night rave lineup.

Major Milestones Ryan's bedroom project has expanded significantly. He has taken the station on external live remote broadcasts, including a major summer "GFM Live in Ibiza" beach bar takeover, and hosted the massive Gretna Get Together community events. Most recently, in September 2026, Ryan celebrated a massive personal and professional milestone as the network officially passed its 1st Birthday Weekend. To mark the occasion, Ryan spearheaded a massive two-day digital festival line-up, performing headlining live-mix sets to thousands of streams. Today, Ryan's focus is on pushing the station out of the purely digital app and smart-speaker landscape, actively working on plans for a physical DAB+ and FM radio rollout across Dumfries and Galloway.