[cma-l] Community Radio 50% Rules
Murray Dawson
murray at shmu.org.uk
Mon Oct 11 17:22:15 BST 2010
Hi Ian,
You obviously have much more experience in this area that I do, however
the problems we face was through no lack of homework or research on our
part - as we did buy in professional support.
The problem we face is that Aberdeen is on a hill, with a couple of
river valleys, and the area we serve spans across a number of these
areas. The power we managed to secure reaches some, but not all our
target areas as we had to compromise. (in some directions the signal
can be picked up for 20 miles, in others it doesn't reach our target
community only 2 miles away.
The limitations which forced the compromise - the 5km guidelines, and
the complaints of the commercial radio stations in the area (who have
complained in writing to Ofcom about our existing insufficient reach).
Any support or guidance on how to increase our reach to our target
communities would be gratefully received.
All the best,
Murray
please reply to
murray at shmu.org.uk
Murray Dawson
Project Director
Station House Media Unit
Station Road, Woodside,
Aberdeen AB24 2WB
Tel - 01224 515013
www.shmu.org.uk
listen to our community radio station live on 99.8FM and at www.shmufm.net
SHMU is a charity registered in Scotland - SC034211 and a registered Limited Company - SC332413
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This message is not intended to have contractual effect
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On 11/10/2010 16:22, Ian Hickling wrote:
>
> Putting the emotive stuff to one side, it seems that all you guys need
> to obtain is a good technical analysis of what you need as opposed to
> what you have.
> There are too many points to address individually, but there are
> answers to all of them and feasible solutions to most.
> You can apply for more power if you can show that what you have isn't
> enough to enable your Key Committments.
> You can relocate your transmitter and/or be assigned greater height if
> you can show a genuine need.
> You could apply for an alternative or additional frequency or for
> greater protection if there is a good enough case.
> We've found that most problems of this nature - if they're not just
> down to bad reporting or poor quality receivers - are the result of
> not getting the homework right before you start.
> Sorry - but the truth often hurts!
> We - and several other companies in the same field - offer such an
> analysis and it's generally done without charge on the basis that we
> will probably get the job if there's an upgrade to be done.
> It's up to you to make the first move!
> Ian Hickling
> Partner
> transplan UK
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> From: office at ccr-fm.co.uk
> To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:13:14 +0100
> Subject: [cma-l] FW: Community Radio 50% Rules
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* Office - ccr-fm [mailto:office at ccr-fm.co.uk]
> *Sent:* 11 October 2010 12:45
> *To:* 'Julian Mellor'
> *Subject:* RE: [cma-l] Community Radio 50% Rules
>
> Re:-
>
> Re :- Julians e-mail
>
> Excellent point made by Julian ………………… looks like we’re splashing
> about in the same boat . ??! taking in water and the
> pump can’t cope ! round and round and round we go with this
> argument …….. over and over and over.
>
> As I have said, the discussion is quite simple. We are aware of lack
> of frequencies and we are aware that some of us are lucky to have a
> frequency at all ………………….. however, this part of the debate is a red
> herring and has nothing to do with the point being made.
>
> In a democracy if someone wishes to listen to Canalside Radio within
> our MCA or our TSA (2 miles outside the zone that we keep having
> drilled into us) then they should have the right to, and be able to
> …………… what shouldn’t be happening is that the commercial
> station 2 digits away, is bleeding over the top ! we are
> losing potential listeners, simply because they can’t tune in …………
> this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE !
>
> We do not want more height ………… we have no desire to start ‘’chucking
> our signal’’ all over the north west ………….. what we need is a little
> more power in order that we can prevent ourselves being BULLIED AROUND
> on our own patch.
>
> I would argue that places like South Macclesfield, North Poynton and
> East Wilmslow have more in common with Canalside Radio than they ever
> do with the likes of bloody Key 103 which at the end of the day is a
> Manchester station ………………. Country bumpkins in North East Cheshire
> have absolutely nothing in common with Mancs whatsoever !
>
> In fact ………….. we have been doing some research of our own over the
> past 4 months and according to our survey there ain’t ONE person in
> Bollington who listens to Key 103 ………………….. so ….. WHAT THE HELL’S
> THAT ALL ABOUT THEN ?
>
> We are on 102.8 ---------- the same as Chorley and Ram in Derby
> ------------------------------- there are odd little spots (behind
> hills) where we have a little bit of a ‘hand bags at ten paces’ with
> the Chorley boys ………… I liaise with them from time to time. Our signal
> drifts quite a bit to the North West, but going south (due to the
> hills) it is dreadful ……………. It is reasonable to accept that there are
> going to be little issues ………………….
>
> I travelled to Lincoln on Saturday to watch my football team
> Macclesfield Town ………………. Goodness knows what signal strength Ram are
> on ?? but it is bordering on the ridiculous ! they are all over
> Nottingham, Mansfield, Chesterfield, Worksop etc etc ………………….. and,
> ……….. furthermore, when we drive over the small hill in Bollington
> towards Saltersford, which as the crow flies is LESS than our 5km
> allowance ………. We get BLOWN AWAY by Ram fm in Derby !
>
> The moral of the story is that I am 100% certain that those community
> stations who are being bullied off the airwaves by commercial radio
> need another 10 – 15 watts to protect themselves in their own area
> …………….. they do not need height, which I believe could open up some
> more cans of worms.
>
> Then again, I am but a mere insect in these matters ?!
> but possibly correct nonetheless ………………. If we don’t try it, we’ll
> never find out.
>
> Why is everything Black and White …………… can we not invent the odd grey
> area ? the bill is crying out for it !
>
> Regards
>
> Nick
>
> Forward this on if you wish ……..
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk
> [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] *On Behalf Of *Julian
> Mellor
> *Sent:* 11 October 2010 09:18
> *To:* CMA-L
> *Subject:* Re: [cma-l] Community Radio 50% Rules
>
> Stroud's situation is absolutely mirrored here in Somerset - pesky
> hills and valleys.
>
> Soo at Ofcom tells us that increasing the height of our transmitter
> (which they'd allow) would have a greater impact on reception than
> increasing output power, but the landlords aren't happy with the idea
> and I suspect the planners might have a wobbler as well.
>
> Equally we are aware that some households are amazingly inept when it
> comes to tuning a radio and don't realise that trying a different
> room, changing position in the room, or just turning the radio round
> can make a big difference.
>
> That aside though, we can do nothing when people complain to us about
> poor reception, apart from suggest they try the web stream.
>
> Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that a commercial station in
> Wales (about two hour's drive from here) that transmits on the
> waveband next to ours has a stronger and overpowering signal when one
> is listening just a few minutes away from our studio.
>
> Julian
>
> 10Radio
>
> Somerset
>
> On 11 Oct 2010, at 01:42, claire penketh wrote:
>
> Absolutely!!!!! Here in Stroud we have a nightmare topography of
> valleys and hills, reception has been traditionally been really tricky
> here, even for the mainstream media. Despite the fact that there is
> no commercial station in Stroud itself, as Star FM handed back their
> licence, and only the ubiquitous Heart blasts from Gloucester, we had
> to trim our transmitters output to just over 20 watts in order to
> comply with OFCOMS regs
>
> The feedback we get from people is that they love us, but can't pick
> us up easily. Tricky to reach the whole community really...
>
> Claire Penketh
>
> Station Manager
>
> Stroud FMl
>
>
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