[cma-l] FW: Weekend Digest

Tue Mar 8 16:48:44 GMT 2011

....and an office full of monkeys to oversee the evaluation and final drawdown of tens of CR stations in receipt of the £2,000 grant .... still... meetings would be good fun and something to look forward to. 

On 8 Mar 2011, at 16:05, Office - ccr-fm wrote:

> Looks like one or two are starting to drift round to my way of thinking ??        quite interesting really. Get your 2K and THEN go back to your local MP and ask the question     ‘’is someone taking the Michael ??’’                he might take you seriously …………….. however, with some getting £30,000 and others getting sod-all our whole ethos and the very basis of us pleading poverty all the time goes out the window.
>  
> Have some faith in your whinging Uncle Nick ………….. at least try it for a couple of years ……………. Anything is better than the shambles we’ve got at the moment.
>  
> The pot would grow of course by at least £100,000 coz’ you wouldn’t need a grants panel !    just a monkey with a cheque book …….. monkeeeee magic !
>  
> Regards
>  
> Nick
>  
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ian Hickling
> Sent: 05 March 2011 16:34
> To: cma-l
> Subject: [cma-l] Weekend Digest
>  
>  
> Whilst I appreciate Trevor's desperation to get things done, sharing a paltry sum equally is no solution.
> The only sensible way to allocate a given sum is as at present - by application stressing need.
> But - as he says - we do need vastly more funding in addition to that which is available if you look - and fight - really hard.
> All the CR stations we deal with need to enhance their transmission systems to capture more listeners and thereby attract more funding.
> That would require a lot of money but it also needs Ofcom to clear every single new transmission application.
> Ofcom has said it cannot even consider any such applications at present because it has over 200 new potential stations to process and new broadcasters  have precedence over existing licencees.
> That's another very real need that CMA needs to address please.
>  
> 
>  
> Weekend Digest
> 
> It's been a busy week, and I have some comments to make. I must stress they are my personal opinions, and do not reflect the views of the Council, of which I am an elected member.
> 
> This week Nick said that he believed the Community Radio Fund money should be shared equally. Whilst it remains at under £500K that gives each licensed station about £2k. At my station it means that our 100 volunteers can expect a cup of coffee occasionally. In any case we give £850 to OfCom just to hold a licence so the nett cost, after 20% VAT, will be marginal.
> 
> Importantly it means we can tell all our listeners (is that an estimated 13 million) that we only receive £2K. I think the BBC's 44 stations spent over £600 million last year. So who gives value for money? We should
> tell our listeners how we are treated.
> 
> If everyone gets the same money there will be no need for a committee to decide (I wonder what that costs in coffee and biscuits?). It will certainly save OfCom money.
> 
> That anyone should judge whether a licensed station is more worthy than another is not a valid argument. OfCom issued the licence - so we are all worthy until exposed as charlatans.
> 
> Such a paltry sum can be turned into a lever to make the government recognise our value. We can provide services they require - all they have to do is recognise our existence.
> 
> This raises a much wider problem. We are all scrabbling around to find funders. Many stations employ full-time fundraisers, when it would be more productive to recognise the value of community media, and to allow us to take over some of the functions of local BBC, and to relax the restrictive practices that discourage entrepreneurship within our sector.
> 
> CMA should
> consider employing outside expertise, and carefully chosen some of those could also provide funding. Advertising agencies, IT and equipment suppliers, joint licensing and many other options could be considered.
> 
> We have the opportunity to create a real sense of national pride, to build local communities, to train and support local talent. We just need to be given a modicum of support.
> 
> Such financing can arise through providing services. One significant example is that we should be the first suppliers to the Central Office of Information. We know we can provide services at a competitive price and we have a deeper reach into society than any other media. 
> 
> I believe we should use the BSkyB decision to further our aims and aspirations. A significant portion of the media is now in the hands of one Australian and his son. That helps my sense of national pride, but importantly offers us all an opportunity. We can provide local news, and we
> can supply real information about the mood of our people. Increasingly other media are separated from the people. Commercial radio agglomerates, newspapers and satellite stations are monopolistic.
> 
> We are the only media in touch with real people.
> 
> I'll repeat these are my opinions - not those of the Council.
> 
> Trevor
> 
> 
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