[cma-l] Community Radio Fund - open letter to PM

Fri Jul 17 11:20:06 BST 2009

An excellent move Steve, but a pity there was nothing in it about requiring Ofcom to re-address the problem that 20% of the UK population inside the M25 will effectively be deprived of Community Radio; as the Regulator maintains that there are only two FM and a few impracticable AM freqiencies available for all the potential Community radio stations which could be put in place.

I am astounded that everyone appears to accept this dictum when there is plenty of evidence - provided to an extent buy the hoardes of illegal broadcasters currently active in the UK - that it is not so.

Ian Hickling

Partner

transplan UK

> Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:44:20 +0100
> From: p.lewis at londonmet.ac.uk
> To: sbuckley at gn.apc.org
> CC: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Community Radio Fund - open letter to PM
> 
> Dear Steve
> 
> A very good letter. Please add my name to it.
> 
> If you feel the need to do any redrafting in the light of responses from 
> others, could you think about the point I made in the letter the 
> Guardian published recently 
> (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/01/letters-fund-local-news) 
> that other Departments of Government should be required to contribute to 
> the CRF since CR touches on so many other agendas across the board. The 
> original inter-Departmental steering group for the Canadian Challenge 
> for Change programme is a good model.
> 
> Incidentally, if there are other college and university lecturers on the 
> list reading this, I am very much in a minority in pressing this point 
> within the MeCCSA Policy Network. (Media Communications and Cultural 
> Studies Association). Most are occupied with defending the BBC against 
> top-slicing. If any MeCCSA member wants to join me in proposing a panel 
> to debate CR issues in the next Annual Conference at the LSE, JAnuary 
> 2010, please get in touch.
> 
> 
> Peter M. Lewis
> Senior Lecturer in Community Media
> Department of Applied Social Sciences
> London Metropolitan University
> Ladbroke House
> 62-66 Highbury Grove
> London N5 2AD
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Steve Buckley wrote:
> > Dear all
> > 
> > It is five years ago today, that the House of 
> > Lords passed the Community Radio Order 2004 
> > http://bit.ly/11voFK with the Order coming into force on 20 July 2004.
> > 
> > It seems a fitting time to remind the government 
> > of some unfinished business - that is the 
> > woefully inadequate Community Radio Fund - and to 
> > support the CMA's efforts to keep this issue on 
> > the agenda. As a volunteer and director of 
> > community radio licence holder, Sheffield Live!, 
> > I am painfully aware of the gap between what we 
> > could achieve and what we do achieve as a result 
> > of the lack of adequate funding for the sector.
> > 
> > So, to mark the occasion, I have drafted an open 
> > letter to the Prime Minister to be signed by and 
> > sent on behalf of community radio stations and their supporters.
> > 
> > If you would like to join in signing this letter, 
> > please reply to me with your name and 
> > station/organisation affiliation (if any). If you 
> > feel moved to do so, why not also use the 
> > occasion to ask your MP to raise this issue with 
> > the PM. If there is sufficient interest in a 
> > fresh initiative on this, then we might also look 
> > at launching a petition, or more?
> > 
> > Best wishes
> > 
> > Steve
> > 
> > //
> > [draft for sign on, replies to 
> > sbuckley at gn.apc.org, deadline 12 noon 20 July 2009]
> > 
> > Open letter to Prime Minister
> > 
> > Rt Hon Gordon Brown
> > Prime Minister
> > 10 Downing Street
> > London
> > 
> > [date]
> > 
> > Dear Gordon
> > 
> > It is five years since the Community Radio Order 
> > 2004 came into force. The growth, since then of 
> > community radio has been described by Ofcom, in 
> > its Annual Report 2008/09, as “one of the great 
> > UK broadcasting success stories in the last few years”.
> > 
> > Over 200 community radio services have been 
> > licensed by Ofcom since 2004. Around 150 of these 
> > services are “on air”, creating around 400 jobs, 
> > involving over 10,000 volunteers, and serving a 
> > potential audience of more than 10 million people.
> > 
> > Yet this new sector is economically very 
> > precarious. Six stations have failed to launch, 
> > three have handed back their licences. Others are 
> > at high risk. This is not only a result of the 
> > recession but is a direct consequence of a failure in government policy.
> > 
> > Community radio broadcasters, the vast majority 
> > unpaid volunteers, are disappointed that their 
> > achievement is not matched by greater government recognition and support.
> > 
> > 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 settlement was to be complemented, 
> > in part, by a sizeable Community Radio Fund. The 
> > governments 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 
> > and all 17 applicants were supported. Average 
> > grant per station was £26,119. Since then annual 
> > government spending commitments to the Fund have 
> > not increased at all. In 2008/09 the Community 
> > Radio Fund received 117 eligible applications, 
> > against which only 30 grant awards were made, 
> > with the average grant per station being just £14,978.
> > 
> > To put this in context, the money available 
> > annually through the Community Radio Fund to 
> > support the operating costs of 150 community 
> > radio stations is less than the annual salary of 
> > a Radio 1 breakfast DJ. From being widely 
> > applauded in 2004 as a model of good practice, 
> > the UK settlement for community radio is now 
> > looking poor in comparison with many other 
> > western European countries. France, for example, 
> > provides around Euro 25 million per annum for around 600 community radios.
> > 
> > The sums needed to put the community radio sector 
> > in the UK on a sustainable long term footing are 
> > modest by comparison with the government’s 
> > separate proposals for investment in local news 
> > consortia, the objectives of which can partly be 
> > met by the provision of news and information 
> > services on community radio stations.
> > 
> > We are aware the Department of Culture Media and 
> > Sport is currently conducting a review into the 
> > Community Radio Order 2004. Alongside that review 
> > must also be a serious commitment to support the 
> > sustainability and development of community radio 
> > and its continuing delivery of social and 
> > economic benefit, by substantially increasing the 
> > government's public spending contribution to the Community Radio Fund.
> > 
> > Yours
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > 
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> > 
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