[cma-l] Community Radio Fund - open letter update
Steve Buckley
sbuckley at gn.apc.org
Fri Jul 17 16:00:36 BST 2009
Dear all
This is just a quick note to say thanks for the
great response to the letter. We have already 30
signatories and 22 community radios. Full list below of those on board.
Please keep them coming. Remember the deadline is 12 noon, Monday 20 July.
Best wishes
Steve
///
Open letter to Prime Minister
signatories confirmed so far
Sheffield Live 93.2 FM
209radio, Cambridge
Siren FM, University of Lincoln
Diversity FM, Lancaster & District YMCA
Radio Wey, St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey
Tynedale FM
London Chinese Radio
10Radio, Somerset
BRfm, Blaenau Gwent
Gloucester FM
ALL FM, Manchester
BANG Radio
Radio Verulam
K-Town FM
Future Radio/Future Projects, Norwich
The Hillz, Coventry
Salford City Radio
IUR-fm Community Radio, Newry / Blast 106, Belfast
91.8 Hayes FM
South Leeds Community Radio
Pendle Community Radio 103.1FM
[draft for sign on, replies to
sbuckley at gn.apc.org, deadline 12 noon 20 July 2009]
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 governments
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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Steve Buckley, CM Solutions
Email: steve at cmso.co.uk
Tel: +44 114 220 1426
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www.cmso.co.uk
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