[cma-l] DCMS Consultation on Community Radio

[Bill Best]

Dear Marilyn

Many thanks for getting back to me and taking the time to look at the
form on this page:

http://consult.commedia.org.uk

I'm no political strategist, and perhaps a CMA Council Member would
like to join this discussion, but I understand this to be the DCMS
Consultation Paper on Community Radio.  Unfortunately the CMA has not
set the parameters of the consultation on this occasion - though we
will continue to lobby as equally for television as for radio.  Had
this been the CMA's Consultation Paper on Community Media then it
would have been framed appropriately.

The two questions to which you refer have been excised directly from
the DCMS consultation document, and have not been written or set by
ourselves.  I hoped, by isolating these two questions, it would make
it clearer for people to respond to the 'meat' for which DCMS seek
answers since the two questions are buried in a dozen pages of
close-typed text:

1. Do you agree that the DCMS allocation of funding via Ofcom's
Community Radio Fund should continue to be reserved to support core
costs?

2. Do you agree that DCMS should retain a portion of the Community
Radio Fund to provide direct funding to support wider sectoral
development and sustainability projects?

Nonetheless despite the conceptual limitations of the questions as
they have been posited by DCMS, we are indeed actively campaigning for
an inclusive Community Media Fund to encompass both television as well
as radio - I thought that the text on this page makes this clear:

http://consult.commedia.org.uk/

Quote:

"Indeed our vision is for a multi-million pound Community Media Fund
to ensure that the widest cross-section of voices across the UK are
encouraged and supported on community radio, TV and online!"

I believe that Jaqui will be posting to this list, or to the CMA
website, the CMA's submission to the DCMS Consultation Paper on
Community Radio in the next few days - only 1 week to go, folks! -
wherein the CMA will again be arguing for more funding and support for
local and community television and radio, and making an eloquent case
for the the social benefits of so doing.  I hope that you will support
us in this.

With best regards for the weekend

Bill
-- 
Technical Manager
Community Media Association
http://www.commedia.org.uk/

Canstream Online Multi-Media Solutions
http://www.canstream.co.uk/

2008/5/30 Marilyn Hyndman <marilyn at northernvisions.org>:
> It is not clear Bill, the form has two questions - one for radio and one
> essentially predicated on CMA receiving funds.
> You may wish to do this but you are not consulting on it.
> It would have made sense if you were asking for a Community Media Fund and
> for more money within an inclusive framework arguing the social benefits of
> doing so - this radio fund is very constrained as it is.
> M
>
> On 30 May 2008, at 16:40, Bill Best wrote:
>
> Dear Marilyn
>
> Many thanks for your email.  I apologise if my communications were not
> clear.
>
> Please take a look at the page:  http://consult.commedia.org.uk/
>
> Quote:
>
> "The CMA will be pushing hard over the next two years to persuade the
> Government that the Community Radio Fund needs to be substantially
> increased in the next Comprehensive Spending Review. Indeed our vision
> is for a multi-million pound Community Media Fund to ensure that the
> widest cross-section of voices across the UK are encouraged and
> supported on community radio, TV and online!"
>
> We deeply value the contributions made to our sector by those working
> with the moving image and Jaqui lobbies as much for television as she
> does for radio.
>
> I hope that you will submit something using the form below to the
> Consultation as your input, and that of Northern Visions as a whole,
> is very much appreciated:
>
> http://consult.commedia.org.uk
>
> We only have *one week* to go.
>
> With best regards
>
> Bill
> --
> Technical Manager
> Community Media Association
> http://www.commedia.org.uk/
>
> Canstream Online Multi-Media Solutions
> http://www.canstream.co.uk/
>
> 2008/5/30 Marilyn Hyndman <marilyn at northernvisions.org>:
>
> Dear Bill,
>
> The 2003 Communications Act is quite clear, it is for community radio
>
> and local digital television services.
>
> You seem to have forgotten that CMA does have a wider membership,
>
> something those of us working in local television always find depressing
>
> when it happens and which we thought was a thing of the past.
>
> We are obviously not able to support you if you are not inclusive...
>
> many organisations working with the moving image lobbied hard for this fund.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Marilyn