In November 2009, after public consultation, Ofcom reported to the Secretary of State (Culture, Media and Sport) on the review of the media ownership rules, as required by statute. One of Ofcom’s recommendations was to significantly liberalise the local cross media ownership rules. Government now intends to implement this liberalisation.

Once this liberalisation is implemented the only prohibition on local cross media ownership will be that one person cannot own in a local radio coverage area:

• a local analogue radio licence; and
• a regional Channel 3 licence whose potential audience includes at least 50% of that radio stations potential audience; and
• one or more local newspapers which have a local market share of 50% or more in the coverage area ( the Remaining Rule).

The Secretary of State (Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport) has now asked Ofcom to look at the feasibility and implications of removing the Remaining Rule. The Secretary of State is required by statute to consult with the Regulator before making any changes to the media ownership rules which Ofcom has not already recommended.

In considering this request, Ofcom has updated the evidence for changes since the November 2009 recommendation. In summary, there are two relevant developments.

Firstly, the evidence shows a significant deterioration in the revenues available for local / regional newspapers between 2008 and 2009, accompanied by continued structural pressure on television and radio as the internet increases its share in a total advertising market that has been under pressure from broader economic circumstances. While there are signs of a recovery in the general advertising market this year, as noted in the original report, these structural challenges are unlikely to ease.

Secondly, Ofcom notes that Government policy in relation to local media has changed significantly since the  original recommendations were published. Government has placed emphasis on local media, in particular making proposals for local television, which have the potential to have a positive impact on both the diversity and plurality of news and information at the local level. Although this remains in development, and is therefore speculative at this stage, it is clearly a relevant development.

The issue that Ofcom highlighted in earlier advice was that a combined ownership of the channel 3 television licence, a local commercial radio station and the main local newspaper(s) may deliver too much control over the local news agenda into the hands of one person or company. Limited plurality of news and opinion in a local area could restrict local debate and accountability. This remains a serious consideration which needs to be weighed against the arguments for further relaxation.

As Ofcom’s report notes, the cornerstone of plurality in this context is the combination of the BBC and the commercial sector. With a BBC service (television at the regional level, radio and web based services more locally) there is a guarantee of a minimum of at least two providers of local news.

It is also important to note that competition policy may be relevant to the extent that competition authorities prevent concentrations in local media through the merger regime. The Secretary of State (Business, Innovation and Skills) also has the right to intervene in cross media mergers where he considers that it raises public interest considerations, including considerations of the need for there to be sufficient plurality.

All three of these factors exist as safeguards in addition to the residual restriction on cross ownership of local commercial media.

Ultimately, whether the remaining rule should be removed is of course a matter of judgement and one which is rightly made by Government and Parliament.

In making this judgement the risk of the concentration of control over local commercial news provision needs to be balanced against the arguments and factors which tend towards removal:

• Local media is facing significant economic pressure which the most recent evidence suggests is becoming more acute removing the remaining rule could allow local media greater options to consolidate to respond to these pressures.
• While only a limited group of consumers (5%) consider the internet their main source of local news, there is a growing diversity of local news available through non-traditional media. There are therefore increasingly alternative sources of plurality.
• As noted, there are protections for plurality which would continue to operate the combination of the BBC and the commercial sector, the public interest test operated by the Secretary of State and the merger regime would all continue to operate in parallel.

In addition, there are the potential benefits to diversity and plurality that may emerge in the coming years from the Governments policy on local television.

Finally, it is also worth noting that there is probably a reasonably low risk of the kind of consolidation that the remaining rule protects against actually occurring even if the rule was removed. At present the evidence suggests there is very limited interest in this form of consolidation.

The Secretary of State has also asked Ofcom to look at possible regulatory barriers to entry in local media. In summary, Ofcom does not consider that there are significant regulatory barriers to entry to the local media market (within Ofcom’s remit).

This paper is structured into four sections:

• Section 1 Context: in this section we set out why we are undertaking this further analysis of the local cross media ownership rules and what we recommended to the Secretary of State in 2009.
• Section 2 Updating the evidence: in this section we set out the evidence on which our 2009 recommendation was based. We also update our analysis for changes to the local media landscape since our 2009 recommendation.
• Section 3 Advice to the Secretary of State: in this section we set out the factors to be taken into account in considering removal of the Remaining Rule.
• Section 4 Wider regulatory issues: in this section we look at possible regulatory barriers to entry to local media, within our remit.

The full document is available here [PDF].

Source.

The Highways Agency is making the digital station’s content available free of charge to community radio stations across England. Community Media Association members with Ofcom licences are able to re-broadcast audio reports for their region, and access Trafficlink’s “Regis” information database as already used by commercial and BBC stations.

Traffic Radio’s regional reports cover six areas across England, and are recorded by Trafficlink broadcasters in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and London.

The service is administered by the Community Media Association. To receive the service, please complete this form, sign and return to the CMA.  Could you also let us know what your nearest BBC/ILR stations are (to set up the Regis profiles) and which Traffic Radio regional report you want to receive.

Once we have your agreements back, we will check eligibility (CMA membership is up to date, full time licensed station etc – sorry re RSLs, we are hopeful that the scheme might be extended to RSLs in the future) – and we will forward details to GTN, who will then issue passwords and logins for Regis and Content Bank.

Community stations outside the new deal are able to receive a comprehensive travel information service from Global Traffic Network’s “Network Drive Light” package – please contact GTN directly about this.

Speech by the Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey, to the Intellect Consumer
Electronics Conference, 8th July 2010

Introduction

Thank you to Intellect for inviting me to speak today.

The early twentieth century US President Woodrow Wilson said “if you
want to make enemies then try to change something”.

Or to quote Lord Fowler from earlier this week digital radio
switchover could cause a ‘major row’.

We must not under estimate the challenge of radio’s transition from
analogue to digital.  The relationship between the radio and listeners
is a personal and emotional one.

That is why I would like to make it clear today that the needs and
concerns of radio listeners will be absolutely central to our approach
to Digital Radio Switchover.

So.

We will not switch over until the vast majority of listeners have
voluntarily adopted digital radio over analogue.

We will not switch over to digital until digital coverage matches FM.

And we will not switch off FM, FM will remain a platform for small
local and community radio for as long as these services want it.

Nevertheless, it is essential that we maintain the momentum towards
digital, and that we start to really pick up the pace and make some
real progress.

That means a digital radio Switchover in 2015 remains a target we
aspire to, but for which a lot more work needs to be done before we
can make it a cast-iron commitment.

Why Digital Radio?

I want to make it clear why I believe that digital radio is both
necessary and beneficial to radio listeners in this country.

Digital radio is a huge opportunity for radio and for radio listeners.

Britain already leads the world in digital radio.  Three of the
leading digital radio manufacturers, Roberts, Pure and Bush, are
hugely successful British companies who are already taking their
success here abroad.

Some of our commercial radio companies are world-beating, with the
potential to become international media companies.

And of course the BBC’s radio content is some of the best in the world.

But most importantly of all, consumers in the UK should not be
limited, in effect, to eight national radio stations across FM and AM.
If I were to suggest today that TV viewers should go back to five
main channels, there would be outrage.  I hope in a few years time,
when we approach switchover, radio listeners will see the benefits of
multi-channel national radio in exactly the same way that television
viewers have seen such benefits.

Perhaps we have already seen a glimpse of this in the public outcry
about the proposed closure of 6 Music.

Digital radio is the opportunity to strengthen, to innovate, and to engage.

Digital radio is already a good consumer proposition.  Twenty-four
percent of radio listening is already on digital and over 11 million
digital radio receivers have been sold.

But it can, and I believe will, be much more.

The FM spectrum is now full and it simply does not have the capacity
to deliver the range of services and functions that digital can.

The Cs

The challenge for us all  is to overcome the remaining barriers and
allow people to make the choice to move to digital radio.

Conveniently, they all begin with a C:

• Content
• Coverage
• Cars

However, there is a fourth C which is even more important:

Consumers

Consumers, not government, through their listening habits and
purchasing decisions will ultimately determine whether a switchover to
digital can happen.  The challenge for the radio industry is to drive
consumer demand by providing great content.  In this I agree with Lord
Fowler’s recent comments that ‘the public have got to be taken with
the process’.

Manufacturers and broadcasters will need to work together to launch
new stations and add value to existing ones, and to develop new
functions which are easy to use and engaging, such as the ability to
record and pause programmes, or to download music and other content as
you hear it.

The BBC is central here, because it currently has more than 50% of all
radio listening.  The furore and subsequent saving of 6 Music shows
that the BBC is already building a fantastic portfolio of digital
radio content, which has already established a passionate following,
myself included.

So we need more 6 Musics. And not just from the BBC but also from the
commercial sector.

But the BBC must not simply provide great digital content.  It must
also lead the way in the promotion of digital, across all its
platforms, as a medium through which to access all radio

But great content and promotion is not enough if your digital radio
can’t receive a signal.  So coverage is crucial.  Coverage of digital,
specifically DAB, has long been understood as a barrier.  However,
action to increase coverage has been far too slow.

There is only so much the commercial sector can do, both in terms of
their own financial resources, and their specific commercial needs.
The key to coverage has always been, and remains, again, the BBC.  The
BBC has already got us to a position where we have 90 per cent
coverage.  But I believe it can do more over the next two years,
especially at a local level, even before we begin negotiations on the
licence fee.

In-car, or for the techies amongst you, “in-vehicle digital
conversion” is a challenge we did not have to address in the Digital
TV Switchover.  However, in radio it is essential.  There has been
some significant progress in this area and we believe the inclusion of
digital radio in the vast majority of new vehicles is a matter of
when, not if.  I intend to meet with the major car manufacturers
shortly and will re-affirm our view that digital radio should be
standard in all cars by the end of 2013. This is of course only half
of the answer.  There are many millions of cars already on the roads
and there needs to be an affordable and easy conversion solution.

I believe we should be clear about the scale and complexity of the
problem.   There are already some excellent in-car convertors on the
market but we should not assume that the market alone will provide the
solution for all motorists or vehicles. However, I am confident that
such a solution is achievable with a joined up and concerted effort.
Fundamentally, it will need integrity and innovation from the
manufacturers, many of which are represented here today.

Related to this will be radios built into mobile phones – or perhaps I
should call them cell phones to fit with my C-based approach.  I will
be talking to mobile phone manufacturers over the next few months to
encourage them to replicate the efforts of the car manufacturers, so
that digital radios are available in new phones from the end of 2013.

Myth Busting

Before I give more details of the Action Plan I would like to take a
few minutes to address some of the common complaints about digital
radio.

First, radio’s digital future will not be delivered by the internet
alone; at least not in the immediate future.  There would be massive
implications for capacity and energy use if all listeners listened to
the radio on the internet.

Instead we believe radio’s future is a mixed ecology, with DAB, which
is mobile, free at the point of access and cost efficient providing
the ‘spine’ of the digital radio offering and the internet providing
the added value.  We have already seen a trend towards the integration
of internet and DAB in radio receivers.  We welcome this not least
because it allows the listener to decide which platform best suits
them.

While on the point of technologies I should say that we believe that
DAB remains the most appropriate digital broadcast platform for the
UK.  A change in technology, to say DAB+, offers little benefit to the
industry or listeners compared to the impact it would have.  The
benefits of DAB+ are primarily a more effective use of spectrum, but
DAB already offers significant capacity for new services and there are
only so many which the market can sustain.  DAB+ offers very little in
terms of data services and functionality which can’t also be achieved
through DAB.  However, we must protect against any future change and
DAB+ must be a feature of future digital radio receivers.

I would like also to tackle the issue of energy consumption.  We have
today published independent research, commissioned jointly with the
Departments of Environment and Business.  This shows that the
difference in energy consumption between digital and analogue radios
is minimal – and certainly not the ten, twenty or even hundred times
that is often quoted.  The research also shows that energy consumption
of digital radios continues to improve.

However, energy consumption of digital radio receivers represents only
half of the story.  There are significant energy savings for the
transmission networks.  At a national level the transmission provider,
Arqiva, believes that transmitting Classic FM via DAB uses less than
7% of the electricity of transmitting the service via FM, while at a
local and regional level the energy savings are around 50%.  We
believe this is a positive story to tell and we will be conducting
more independent research in this area.

Another myth is that, by switching over to digital, we plan to switch
off FM.  We do not.  Let me repeat this – we do not intend to switch
off FM.

FM will be available to local listeners as long as is necessary.
There is a fear that when the majority of listeners listen to digital,
FM will somehow become a ghetto,.  This will not be the case.  Even
today, digital radios allow a relatively seamless transition between
digital and FM.  Integrated station guides should, in future, allow
the listener to switch seamlessly between their favourite stations,
oblivious to whether they are broadcast on digital or FM.

Finally, there is concern about the cost to the consumer of buying new
digital radios.  There are more than 130 million FM radios in the
country, so this is a big issue.  But consumers are already switching
voluntarily, just as they did with television.  The key drivers, as I
have said, are content and cost.  A good basic digital radio now costs
around £35, and I am confident in the next couple of years the cost
will fall.  However, there is clearly a balance to be struck between
delivering the innovations needed to build a strong consumer
proposition and driving down costs.  It is an issue that many of you
here today know better than me.  Initiatives such as the industry’s
radio amnesty will help consumers to switch, and I am looking to
retailers to come up with innovative schemes to help consumers make
the transition as quickly and easily as possible.

Switchover

I would like to finish with another C, although I sense as a running
theme this is starting to wear a little thin.  However, here goes.

Certainty

We recognise that that for businesses, opportunities also mean risks
and that innovation requires investment.  We also acknowledge that
uncertainty is not a great incentive for either risk-taking or
investment.

That is why today we have published the Digital Radio Action Plan.
The Action Plan reaffirms the Government commitment to a Digital Radio
Switchover programme   Key elements of the plan include:

• a detailed assessment of the impact of switching over to digital radio, including the costs weighed against the benefits, how to ensure
• rural areas are not left behind and the need for a proper environmental plan
• agreeing a plan for DAB coverage build-out to match FM
• devising a kitemarking scheme for digital radio devices underpinned by a set of minimum receiver specifications
• developing a strategic marketing and communications plan
• determining the case for a Helpscheme and how it might be implemented

More importantly it sets out for the first time the means under which
a switchover date could be set.

On this point I should be clear.  We agree that 2015 is an appropriate
target date; a point at which all parts of the supply-chain can focus
on.  If, and it is a big if, the consumer is ready we will support a
2015 switchover date.

But as I have already said it is the consumer, through their listening
habits and purchasing decisions, who will ultimately determine the
case for switchover.  Therefore, the target date is secondary to the
criteria.  We will only consider implementing a Digital Radio
Switchover once at least 50% of all listening is already on digital,
or to put it another way when analogue listening is in the minority.
The decision will also be dependent on significant improvements to DAB
coverage at a national and local level.

I would like to leave you with a final thought.  This afternoon I
chaired my first Ministerial Group meeting for Digital Switchover of
Television.  A key element of the success of the TV Switchover
programme to date has been to co-ordinate and focus the efforts of
broadcasters, transmission providers, manufacturers, consumers and
Government.  This will again be essential in the lead up to a Digital
Radio Switchover. Therefore, I hope that today represents just the
beginning of the dialogue with you all.

Thank you.

Source: http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/ministers_speeches/7226.aspx

Ofcom has published its Annual Report 2009/10 covering the financial year to 31 March 2010.

The document may be found here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/files/2010/07/annrep0910.pdf

Ofcom has announced the award of seven new community radio licences to:

Betar Bangla (Stratford, east London)
Betar Bangla will provide a radio service for the Bengali community of
Tower Hamlets and the east end of London. The station is committed to
providing people of British-Bengali heritage in east London
opportunities to engage with the station through training and
broadcasting. Betar Bangla will offer a platform for output in Bengali
and Sylheti.

Generation Radio (Clapham Park, south west London)
Generation Radio aims to bring together the diverse community that
makes up the Clapham Park area by helping to inform, promote and
highlight local initiatives. The station will offer a local radio
service to residents and opportunities to volunteer with the service.

Training opportunities will include broadcasting training, as well as
accredited courses and workshops.

Greenwich Kasapah (Greenwich, south east London)
Greenwich Kasapah will be an innovative and primarily speech-based
community radio service targeting the African communities in and
around Greenwich. The service will promote dialogue, local
participation and community cohesion. The station will offer training
in media and ICT as well as outreach to schools, youth groups and
community organisations to encourage development of media and
communications skills.

This prestigious National Honour recognises outstanding contributions made to local communities by groups voluntarily devoting their time for the benefit of others.  It sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged of the highest standard.

Attracting more than 200,000 listeners a week, Awaz, which translates as ‘voice’ in Urdu and Hindi, is the only media platform where information and services can be delivered in a multilingual format.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises the outstanding contributions made to local communities by groups in the UK voluntarily devoting their time for the benefit of others. It is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK for outstanding work done in their local communities.

Ali Malik, director at Awaz FM said, “We are honoured to win this very prestigious award and accept it on behalf of our many volunteers, without whose support the voice of Glasgow’s ethnic communities would fall silent.

“In accepting this award, I would like therefore to acknowledge the tremendous support Awaz FM has received from volunteers, local organisations and business and, of course, our many listeners. I am confident that this recognition of our achievements will help ensure that Awaz FM continues to provide an important community service to Glasgow’s ethnic communities for many years to come.”

Awaz FM will receive a certificate signed by the Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal, presented by the Lord Provost of Glasgow Bob Winter at a special ceremony. The station has also received an invitation for representatives to attend a Royal Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the summer.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Main Award Committee Chair and former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis CBE said,

“Outstanding volunteer groups across the UK all too often go without recognition for the truly amazing work they do, despite the vital part they play in helping bind our communities together.  It’s a great pleasure to celebrate the efforts of Awaz FM with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and help raise awareness of all they do for the benefit of others.”

One of the first community radio stations in the UK to win a license and operated by more than 50 volunteers ranging in age from 11 to 65, with even its directors working on a voluntary basis, Awaz FM employs only three full-time staff. Amongst its many community initiatives is a ‘Basic Radio Skills’ media training course aimed at anyone interested in developing new skills for further education or to give them confidence to enhance their employment opportunities.

Anne McLaughlin MSP has put down a motion in the Scottish Parliament congratulating all those at Awaz on receiving the award.

Awaz FM serves the Asian and African community in Glasgow, delivering entertainment, community information, local, national and international news broadcasting in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Swahili and English. It works with many organisations including Glasgow City Council, Greater Glasgow Health Board, Community Planning Partnership, Strathclyde Police, Fire Brigade, Scottish Government, Cemvo, Gara and West of Scotland Racial Equality Council in delivering their services to the Asian and African Community.

Ofcom has asked for expressions of interest from prospective applicants for community radio licences to help plan for a possible third phase of community radio development:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/tlproc/interest/

In order to assist the planning for a possible third phase of community radio development, Ofcom is now inviting prospective applicants for a community radio licence to submit an ‘expression of interest’, outlining their intention to apply.

An ‘expression of interest’ should include the following information:

• The name of your organisation
• The area you wish to broadcast to (or location of the service) (FM frequencies are not expected to be available in some areas, please see ‘availability of FM frequencies’ below)
• A short description of the community you wish to serve
• Your contact details

Any groups needing help, guidance or advice with regard to submitting
an expression of interest for the third round of licensing should
email thirdround [at] commedia.org.uk or telephone the CMA office on
0114 279 5219.

The submission of an ‘expression of interest’ will not form part of any subsequent licensing scheme, and it will not be taken as a binding promise on the part of its author to apply for a licence. Equally, an invitation to apply for a community radio licence will not be limited only to those who have previously submitted an ‘expression of interest’.

The ‘expressions of interest’ will help Ofcom to decide whether to invite applications, and if so to help them design a licensing process which takes account of the pattern of expected demand in different parts of the country, as well as anticipated FM (and AM) frequency availability. This may involve inviting applications on a regional basis, as Ofcom did in the second round, rather than from all over the UK at the same time (as in the first round).

With the General Election taking place on Thursday 6th May, now is the time for CMA members
and our supporters to call on the major political parties to commit to increasing the Community
Radio Fund from its current level to the levels recommended in the Everitt Report that set the
framework for community radio legislation and was accepted by Government at that time.

Supporters of community media can contact their local prospective Parliamentary
candidates (PPCs) using the methods outlined below for the four major parties in England and
Wales – we do not currently have contact details available for the SNP, Ulster Unionists and others.

At this stage of election campaigning, PPCs will be more likely to read and take note of letters
sent to them from individual constituents than a national lobby effort from the CMA – our
overall message will therefore be more likely to get through to them via our grassroots
membership.  Furthermore, if you do establish a connection with a candidate who becomes
elected then they will be more likely to be receptive towards you later as your elected
representative.

So, please find your candidate here:

Conservative:
Step 1: Visit
http://www.conservatives.com/People/Prospective_Parliamentary_Candidates.aspx

Step 2: Find your local candidate by choosing “List by name” or
“List by constituency”.

Step 3: Choose from A to Z to locate the name or constituency for
which you are looking.

Step 4: Click on your local candidate’s name to see their contact details.

Labour:
Step 1: Visit http://www.labour.org.uk/ppc

Step 2: If you know the surname of your local PPC choose from A to
Z and then select your local PPC to see their contact details.

If you do not know the surname of your local PPC, click on browse
by parliamentary constituency to search by constituency and then
select your constituency to see your local PPC’s contact details.

Liberal Democrats:
Step 1: Visit http://www.libdems.org.uk/parliamentary_candidates.aspx

Step 2: Use one of the two search fields to search by postcode or
constituency name to be taken straight to your local PPC’s contact
details.

Plaid Cymru:
Step 1: Visit http://www.plaidcymru.org/content.php?nID=564;lID=1

Step 2: Please click on a constituency in the left-hand column to read more about your candidate.

Step 3: Email the candidate using the email address given.

Remember that PPCs will include those selected to replace a sitting MP
where they are retiring, as a large number are.  With boundary changes
taking effect at the election, look out for the changed names and
boundaries of some constituencies. Also, there are some completely new
constituencies whilst some will disappear altogether.

We have drafted a pro forma letter below, which you are free to edit as you
see fit, that calls for increased support for community media.  Please send
your version of the letter to your PPC and please contact the
CMA_L mailing list with any feedback received.

\\\

Dear XXXXXX (Election Candidate’s name)

I am writing to ask that you pledge your support for the
sustainability and growth of community media in the UK through a
substantial increase in the resources and scope of the current
Community Radio Fund, to include both licensed community radio and the
wider community media sector including community and local television.

The growth of community radio has been described by Ofcom as “one of
the great UK broadcasting success stories in the last few years”, yet
this new sector still remains economically very precarious.  Existing
community and local television stations are under threat through lack
of access to a proper digital distribution system e.g. on Freeview and
cable.  The UK is one of the very few nations in Europe not to support
local television, as a true provider of local news, information and
local debate.

The growth of the licensed community radio sector, from 14 stations in
2004 to more than 200 today, broadcasting to an estimated audience of
around 2 million citizens, demonstrates daily the appetite of people
in local communities for local news, voices and broadcasting in
community languages.  Its success could easily be emulated if the
growth of community television were to be facilitated by an incoming
government in the way that community radio has been since 2004.

As defined in the Community Radio Order 2004, community radio stations
are licensed with the following social gain objectives:

(a) the delivery of services provided by local authorities and other
services of a social nature and the increasing, and wider
dissemination, of knowledge about those services and about local
amenities;

(b) the promotion of economic development and of social enterprises;

(c) the promotion of employment;

(d) the provision of opportunities for the gaining of work experience;

(e) the promotion of social inclusion;

(f) the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity;

(g) the promotion of civic participation and volunteering.

Regulation of the sector by Ofcom ensures that the above social gain
objectives of all broadcasting community radio stations are met or
exceeded.

But despite the plaudits and awards for community radio, the UK
financial settlement compares poorly with our European neighbouring
countries. France, for example, provides around Euro 25 million per
annum for around 600 community stations, the Netherlands Euro 8
million for around 340 community stations. Community radio groups and
their supporters are calling on the Government to give a higher
priority to community radio with its real social and economic benefits
by substantially increasing the Government’s contribution to the
Community Radio Fund.

The Community Radio Order 2004 restricts community radio to a maximum
50 per cent of revenue from advertising and sponsorship and, in some
locations, advertising is prohibited entirely.

This arrangement was intended to be complemented, in part, by a
sizeable Community Radio Fund. The Government’s own impact assessment,
in line with the recommendations of the Everitt Report, suggested the
Fund would require £3-4 million per annum.

In its first year £500,000 was provided. Since then, annual spending
commitments to the Fund have not increased, while the number of
community radio licensees has grown from 14 to over 200.

A new Government must commit to a substantial increase in the
Community Radio Fund to support the long term sustainability and
success of community radio, in delivering real choice and community
benefit in some of the most deprived communities in the UK.

As a constituent, I would like to know that you and your Party are
committed to an increase in the size of the Community Radio Fund,
including extending its remit to other truly local broadcasting
services should your Party have sufficient influence in the next
Government.

I would also like to see your party publicly commit to support for
funding of local and community television projects on a similar basis
to community radio funding.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely

Community_Media_General_Election – Letter.rtf

Community_Media_General_Election – Letter.txt

Ofcom publishes a number of guidelines about community radio broadcasting in the run-up to the General Election and a number of local council elections on Thursday 6th May.

During election periods special impartiality rules apply. They are set out in Section Six of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code which can be accessed via the following link:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/codes/bcode/elections/

Ofcom also provides Guidance Notes to explain the requirements:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/guidance/bguidance/guidance6.pdf

At all times there are rules which apply to broadcasters concerning ‘due impartiality’ and ‘due accuracy’ and ‘undue prominence of views and opinions on matters of political or industrial controversy and matters relating to current public policy’. These rules are included in Section Five of the Broadcasting Code available via this link:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/codes/bcode/undue/

Guidance Notes to help explain the Section Five requirements may be found at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/guidance/bguidance/guidance5.pdf

The first round for funding applications to the Community Radio Fund in 2010/11 will be open from 14 April 2010 until close of play on 11 May 2010. The awarding Panel will meet on 28 June 2010 to consider the applications.

Grants can only be made to community radio licensees who are broadcasting under a community radio licence (and not an RSL, for example) and which are on-air by the time the Panel meets for the second round in January 2011.

The latest application form and guidance notes are available at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/Communityfund/

Please also see statements detailing the outcome of previous Panel meetings.

For further information, please contact Ofcom’s Community Radio Team via email: community.radio@ofcom.org.uk, or by telephone 020 7981 3870.