[cma-l] Documentary on community radio and funding

[Michael Fryer]

Hi Charlotte,

 

This is what I gave to Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Minister for Culture, at a meeting last week.  Please contact me if you think I can help further.

 

Cheers,

Michael

07917 694 588

 

 

The Difficulties of Funding Community Radio in Britain
Michael and Val Fryer
 
The Community Radio Order 2004 opened the way for local groups to produce radio specifically-tailored to their own area.  Programmes can cover any subject from international to the extremely local.  Community radio offers the ideal means to convey information on health, education, housing and all the other matters that involve a local community.  Community radio is 80% community and 20% radio.   Community radio should cover a wide spectrum of programmes, not just a local resident playing CDs.  It is both the carrot to attract people to the local organisations and agencies and the mortar to help local communities to build ties and strong community groups.
 
Community radio is manned mainly by volunteers.  A successful station will have up to 200 local volunteers of all different kinds taking part.  The value of the volunteer contribution at a well-run station would be worth over £250,000 per annum (based on European Social Funding costings).  At a time when the BBC is spending less and less airtime on local matters and is pursuing an ever more youthful music culture, community radio provides a service for all age groups, interests and abilities.  Children’s programmes on main radio wavelengths are minimal.  This is one area where community radio stations can make a difference.  
 
Funding is a major difficulty for community radio.  No more than 50% of the revenue needed to run a community radio station can be earned from advertising and sponsorship.  The other 50% must be raised by grants or donations.  This can result in one person at the station, usually the one who provided the initial inspiration, spending all his or her time on applications for funding.  The Government provides £500,000 per annum to fund the existing licensed stations.  France, a country with a similar-sized population to Britain, provides over £15 million per annum of funding to its community radio stations.  The Welsh Assembly has voted to provide £500,000 for its own handful of stations.  If the Government allocated 1% of the current broadcast licence fee, or its equivalent, to fund community media, the headaches of financing one of the most worthwhile ventures of recent years would be eased.  Community radio can reach all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances.  It can supply important information to people who never pick up leaflets; it can open doors to education and training; it can link up communities and isolated groups and it can provide companionship and help for people who need it.
 
Community radio has been late in coming to this country.  Other countries have had it for years.  Now we do have it, it should be nurtured and helped to grow strong and proud.  The Government should cherish its creation and make sure it does not wither through lack of funding.

 

 

 

 

 

 
> Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:50:59 +0200
> From: salvatore.scifo at communitymedia.eu
> To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> Subject: [cma-l] Documentary on community radio and funding
> 
> Dear list members,
> attached below an e-mail from Charlotte Frenchman who is producing a 
> documentary on community radio and funding as part of her dissertation.
> You can get in touch with her directly at c_frenchman00 at yahoo.co.uk
> 
> Best,
> 
> Salvo
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Problems with funding-documentary
> by Charlotte Frenchman - Monday, 16 March 2009, 01:04 PM
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> My name is Charlotte and I'm a student in my final year of a degree in 
> Broadcast Journalism. As part of my dissertation I am producing a 
> documentary on community radio and the problems with finding the funding 
> despite the work they do in their communities. if anyone is interested 
> in participating in this documentary, please contact me via this or on 
> c_frenchman00 at yahoo.co.uk. i would also be grateful if anyone could 
> point me in the direction of any reports available on this topic?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Charlotte
> _______________________________________________
> 
> cma-l mailing list - cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> 
> Community Media Association - www.commedia.org.uk
> _______________________________________________
> 
> To manage your mailing list subscription please visit:
> http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l

_________________________________________________________________
View your Twitter and Flickr updates from one place – Learn more!
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/137984870/direct/01/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/pipermail/cma-l/attachments/20090319/4bbc06d0/attachment.html>