The House of Lords Select Committee on Communications has announced a short inquiry into the progress of, and prospects for, digital switchover of both television and radio in the United Kingdom.

The Digital Switchover Programme will replace the UK’s existing analogue television network with a fully digital television network, region by region, between 2008 and 2012.  As the programme reaches its half way point, the inquiry will make a brief interim assessment of:

• the strengths and weaknesses of the switchover process as they have emerged in the regions which have already switched over;
• the effectiveness of the Digital Switchover Help Scheme and the public communications campaign.

The Digital Switchover Programme applies only to television.  The arrangements for radio are still being developed. The Government does not yet have a timetable, though it has said that the switchover date will be announced two years in advance.  The inquiry will consider the issues to be resolved, including:

• the current state of the Government’s plans for switchover to digital radio;
• the outstanding technical issues, including the appropriateness of DAB as the digital radio standard;
• the views of UK broadcasters, consumers, and radio interest groups.

The Committee would welcome written evidence on any of these issues.

GUIDANCE FOR THOSE SUBMITTING WRITTEN EVIDENCE

Submissions should be sent to:

Ralph Publicover
Select Committee on Communications
House of Lords
London SW1A 0PW

Tel 020 7219 8662
Fax 020 7219 4931

and preferably also as an email attachment to: holcommunications@parliament.uk

The deadline for submitting written evidence is 1 February 2010.

Please ensure that you include relevant contact details. Evidence should be attributed and dated, with a note of your name and position, and should state whether it is submitted on an individual or corporate basis.

Short submissions of 6 pages or fewer are preferred; longer submissions should include a summary. Evidence sent as hard copy should be clearly printed or typed on single sides of A4 paper, unstapled.  Paragraphs should be numbered.  If drawings or charts are included, we ask that these are black-and-white and of camera-ready quality.

Evidence becomes the property of the Committee, and may be printed or circulated by the Committee. You may publish your evidence yourself, but in doing so you should indicate that it was prepared for the Committee.
The Committee may invite some of those who submit written evidence to give oral evidence, usually in public at Westminster. Transcripts will be published.

You can follow the inquiry via the Committee web pages, accessed from:

http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/communications.cfm

This is a public call for evidence. Please bring it to the attention of other groups and individuals who may not have received a copy direct.

Ofcom has published its revised 2009 Broadcasting Code (“the 2009
Code”) which sets rules for TV and radio broadcasts.

Ofcom has also published its new internal procedures for the
handling of standards and licence-related cases, fairness and privacy
complaints, and statutory sanctions in broadcasting.

The full Code can be found here:

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

And the new internal procedures are here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/guidance/

The local broadcasting ecology in England continues to change rapidly; the new tier of community radio is steadily increasing (more than two hundred stations have been licensed since 2005 and more than one hundred and sixty are on air as at October 2009).  There also opportunities for increased community media presence, including video and multi media content, on the web.

The growth of broadband has revolutionised the accessibility and supply of local information and the debate about local television is ongoing.  A multi media community presence is emerging as a vibrant addition to local democracy.

In parallel with this, increasing numbers of community media organisations are engaging with the BBC on a variety of levels.  Working with CMA members has already helped the BBC to move closer to its diversity targets on and off air, improve its connectivity at a local level with audiences and boosted its creative talent base.

We hope that this updated Memorandum of Understanding will help to support current and future working arrangements between community media groups and the BBC in England to ensure that these happen in the best way with the best outcomes, delivering a richer experience for listeners, viewers and online users.

PDF Download.

Ofcom has published its draft annual plan 2010/11 and is holding a
series of public meetings across the UK to hear your views.

The meetings will provide an opportunity for everyone with an interest
in the regulation of the communications industries to discuss Ofcom’s
approach to television, radio, telecoms and wireless communications
services. Each meeting will begin with a brief presentation, after
which there will be an opportunity to comment and ask questions.

All meetings, which include a panel of Ofcom experts, are open and
free of charge. If you would like to attend an event, please click on
the link below for details in your region:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/draftannplan1011/event/

Ofcom’s Draft Annual Plan 2010/11 can be found at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/draftannplan1011/

The Lowry Centre, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ

A free event to discuss the development of community and digital media production at the heart of Media City UK.  Its your chance to let us know what you think.  The Make Media Centre project will change the way community media organisations work and in so doing will change the way that may other businesses, agencies and other groups work.  It will rapidly enable all these groups to better seize the opportunities of digital media but it needs to know what these groups need and want.

The project consortium is holding a free event to enable people to find out more about what the Centre will mean for them.

It will be a fun and free day to do a bit of future gazing about what your organisation could be doing in two or three years time – and how working together could really raise your game.  There will also be the satisfaction of knowing that what you tell us will directly influence the shape of the project.

Lunch will be provided.

For further information please see the Website or how about Networking before and after the event?  If you would like to attend then please Book online.  For further information please see our invitation:  JPG or PDF

These changes include specific reference to community radio and
the use of Service Level Agreements (see pages 117 – 118), also
lots of guidance on advertising and sponsorship.  You can find
the consultation HERE also on the Ofcom website

The closing date for responses is 4th September – we do urge you
to put in a response to the consultation and also to let us know
what you think, to inform the CMA’s response.

From Phil Shepherd, Chair of the CMA:

Here is a template for a letter of support for Local TV to be sent
URGENTLY to the Secretary of State at the following address:

Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP
Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport
Department for Culture Media & Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH

You might wish to preface the letter with a sentence like:

“We are a licensed community radio station but have serious aspirations to
move into Local TV as well.”

“We write on behalf of (——) in support of the United for Local Television
(‘ULTV’) proposals advocating the universal availability of public service
local television.

We are aware that the future shape of public service broadcasting (PSB) in
Britain is now at a crucial stage and that a local television network, on
seventh mux spectrum in Scotland and on Channel 6 on Freeview in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland is now being seriously considered as a PSB
provider.  We welcome this idea unreservedly.

We recognise that a universally accessible service is not something that can
be achieved now or in the foreseeable future on broadband alone.  An
accessible terrestrial Local TV network of 50-80 + stations will be truly
local and universal and will create hundreds of jobs all over the country.
We are after all one of the few countries in Europe not to already have such
a network in place.

ULTV have identified a number of  ‘models’ for running each local public
service broadcasting station, dependent on local preferences and funding.
Some will involve local authorities; some may not.  The business models
exist to make this work.

All over the UK numerous community media groups make engaging, popular
programmes for which there are almost no broadcast outlets, particularly
since the demise of regional ITV.  Local TV would change that frustrating
scenario which does so much to hold back creativity, community empowerment
and mutual understanding.

Local TV can offer:

• creative content from diverse marginalised and hard to reach communities
• extensive access to content from the voluntary sector through local partnership working
• a grass roots shop-window to promote government initiatives
• access for viewers to a network of participation and engagement
• signposts for viewers to informal learning opportunities

We understand that spectrum could be released for a Local TV network, that
technically it is entirely feasible. We support ULTV’s assertion that the
opportunity cost that might be seen as ‘lost’ by gifting spectrum to Local
TV, would be more than compensated for by the social gains to be generated
from such a service.  The Public Voice coalition has evidenced this claim in
some detail.

We know that ULTV have held positive talks with local newspaper groups and
with the BBC.  We believe that Local TV can play a vital role in a new,
strategic pattern for regional media, indeed that Local TV can be a key
player in local public service broadcasting.

We believe in summary that building on the great success of community radio,
Local TV is vital to the future of local democracy.

We thank you for your support for Local TV to date and would urge you to
seize this opportunity to bring it to reality, as an all win for the future
health of our nations and regions.

Yours sincerely

etc

A series of 3 seminars organised by London Metropolitan University.

12th May, 12th June, 1st July, 2009

Following last summer’s meeting, the Community Media Research Group of
London Metropolitan University is organising a further series of three
seminars to bring together community media practitioners to identify the
needs and aspirations of London’s many disenfranchised communities and
discuss a way forward that will give them a voice over the airwaves and
the internet. The meetings have the support of the Community Media
Association, BBC London and Ofcom. Project Coordinator Donald McTernan
and Peter Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Community Media will be organizing
the events.

Background

Across the UK there are communities who have been demanding access to
the airwaves for over 30 years. These communities are mainly in major
urban cities – the places where demand for licences (or spectrum) is at
its highest. Nowhere is this typified more than in our nations capital,
the most complex, diverse and multi-racial city in the UK, yet one where
disenfranchised communities are under-represented in every corner of the
city. There is a need for some form of action and collaboration to get
their voices heard. Their situation needs to be discussed both by
policy-makers and within the communities and neighbourhoods themselves.

The three sessions:

(1) Who’s out there? What’s happening in Community Radio, who are
community radio’s allies and collaborators? Tuesday, 12 May, 2pm – 6pm,
hosted by BBC London at Rich Mix, 35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1
6LA (http://www.richmix.org.uk/visitor.htm)

Workshop 1 report here.

(2) Sustainability Funding sources and a ‘manifesto’ draft. Friday, 12
June, 2pm – 6pm, hosted by Ofcom at Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge
Road, London SE1 9HA. (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/contactus/ )

Workshop 2 attendee list here.

(3) Ways forward for the future. Presenting a ‘manifesto’ for Community
Media in London. Wednesday, 1 July, 2pm – 6pm, hosted by London
Metropolitan University at The Graduate Centre, 166-220 Holloway Road,
London N7 8DB (http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/about/graduate-centre.cfm)

The meetings will be of interest to:

- Community Media practitioners
- Community Radio licensees and aspirant groups
- those working for Local Authorities in fields where community media
can have an impact: health, youth, social inclusion, regeneration,
community arts, minority ethnic groups, etc
- students and lecturers studying community media

Places will be limited. For further information please contact Project
Coordinator Donald McTernan via donald at donaldmack.co.uk

It sets out a series of recommendations to government and Parliament on how to sustain and promote public service broadcasting for the next decade.

In addition, Ofcom has published a statement on sustaining public service broadcasting in the short term.

‘Putting Viewers First’ may be found here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/psb2_phase2/statement

‘Statement on short term regulatory decisions’ can be found here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/psb2_phase2/shortterm

News release: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2009/01/nr_20090121

Ofcom has published its draft Annual Plan 2009/10 for consultation.

The plan sets out Ofcom’s proposed work programme for the next
financial year starting in April 2009.

The consultation which closes on 12 February 2009 can be found at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/draftap0910/

News release: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/12/nr_20081204a

Ofcom is holding a series of public meetings in London and the Nations
to discuss the draft Annual Plan.

Details including a registration form can be found at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/draftap0910/invite