[cma-l] Closure of Stroud FM

Fri Feb 14 18:12:42 GMT 2014

In reply to your query Ian, and in the interests of enhancing the sector's
understanding of it's history:
 -
Swindon Viewpoint had a license from 1973 and started up a community
television operation that year. Viewpoint has always been non-partisan as
far as the medium is concerned and focused more on the social value and
community access and engagement ethos. Accordingly it was quite happy and
keen to pioneer Community Radio a couple of years later - seeing it as a
way to extend that very same ethos and appeal to a wider range of the
community.

It did so very successfully and ran a community radio operation for a
number of years (you can see it in operation for yourself  here:
http://www.swindonviewpoint.com/video/look-radio-swindon-viewpoint ) It was
very popular and never short of volunteers (I'm sure you won't be surprised
to hear that) and only faltered some years later because Viewpoint hit a
funding crisis and lost its base. Efforts then fell back on maintaining a
core operation, but Viewpoint would still happily support a community radio
arm and sees community radio and community TV as absolutely complementary.

I think we all need to remember that its the ethos that matters, which ever
way we can put it into practice.

Martin

On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 3:21 PM, Marilyn Hyndman <
marilyn at northernvisions.org> wrote:

> Martin,
>
> You can view both the bids and the ones awarded on the Ofcom website. It
> is not "possible" spirit, it is the spirit of Local TV, but people
> interpret this for their locality and the needs and aspirations of the
> locality, a bit like community radio I guess
>
> I have not looked at any bids and awards for a while but yes, local TV
> must commit to audience measurement. I haven't seen the forms as not on air
> yet, they were relatively simple for when we were on analogue.
> Your non English programming question is interesting, we have made a
> commitment to Irish and Ulster Scots, dependent on finance of course. There
> will be some local areas where non English programming may not apply,
> perhaps.
>
> There is also a commitment to work with all the local TV stations which is
> why there is a network organisation set up and yes, the license holder is
> held accountable for what they said they would deliver.
>
> All of what I said about public benefit was in the application form for
> the license, that was a large part of the bid, and financial sustainability
> of course.
> We used the Ofcom equation when it came to estimating the financial worth
> of volunteerism, I know some others did as well, I'd say nearly every local
> TV station will have some form of active citizenship, it is in the nature
> of the service.
>
> From what I remember of being one of the Access Radio pilots, similar
> questions were asked of local TV as of community radio, I have not filled
> in one since for community radio though so it may be more sophisticated...
>
> ...I can say that the Access radio application was easier to complete than
> the Local TV one, lol!
>
> Hope this helps.
> Marilyn
>
>
>
>
> On 14 Feb 2014, at 14:46, Martin Steers wrote:
>
> Hi Marilyn,
>
> I acknowledge your points and the possible spirit of the Local TV agenda /
> legislation.
>
> Having not seen a local TV license can yourself or someone else answer me
> this.
>
> Does your license state or have a section on "social gain" and what you
> must deliver and be held accountable for?
>
> Hours of ethnic or non English programming?
> x number of people trained a year or volunteer placements offered?
> Opportunities for the community to hold the station to account?
>
> as some if not all of these can be found in any community radio license,
> which CR stations have to report on every year as to how they have met
> these.
>
> Martin
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 1:07 PM, Marilyn Hyndman <
> marilyn at northernvisions.org> wrote:
>
>> In reply to Martin Steers below:
>>
>> There are different models of financing Local TV, that's true, some are
>> not for profits others are not, they are for profit companies, people are
>> investing a considerable amount of money for a return.
>>
>> All of us have our own views on that and you can debate at leisure the
>> implications of the community radio sector calling for the lifting of
>> restrictions on advertising quotas, presumably some of the advertising
>> coming from private/corporate companies and how "purist" you want to be.
>> That's your choice in reaching consensus. Even if the restrictions are
>> relaxed, that does not mean you have to avail of the opportunity.
>>
>> There are different models for financing local television as there are
>> for financing community radio and these are often influenced by local
>> circumstances.
>>
>> For the record, I said that Grimsby were one of the pioneers of
>> "community" television since 1997, we believe they are a part of the
>> heritage of the community media movement, they are also "local".
>>
>> It's extraordinary that some people on this list think the government is
>> giving free handouts and £millions to set up an infrastructure for local TV
>> where no "social gain", as you say is required.
>>
>> Local television has a duty to be a public service which includes a
>> commitment to the following (Ofcom's words not ours):
>>
>> Localness;
>> Facilitating civic understanding and fair and well-informed debate
>> through coverage of local news and current affairs;
>> Reflecting the lives and concerns of communities and cultural interest
>> and traditions in the area;
>> Inclusion of content that informs, educates and entertains and is not
>> otherwise available;
>> Broadening reach;
>> Education and training;
>> Bringing social and economic benefits to the area served;
>> Diversity;
>> Partnerships within the local area - these are relatively diverse but
>> include colleges, schools, community and voluntary organisations,
>> charities, local authorities, etc and in our case we asked for the support
>> and also we want to support the Ofcom licensed community radio stations in
>> our catchment area for mutual and public benefit.
>>
>> M
>>
>>
>> On 13 Feb 2014, at 21:55, Martin Steers wrote:
>>
>> lets not mix up apples and oranges here..
>>
>> You mean community radio and LOCAL TV.. not community TV.. arnt most of
>> the licenses that have been worn been issued to private / corporate
>> companies with no mandated social gain requirements unlike community radio
>> stations..?
>>
>> -
>> *Martin Steers | Scout Radio*
>> Team Leader
>>
>> t: 07950 967111
>> s: martin_steers
>> e: martin.steers at scoutradio.org.uk
>> w: www.scoutradio.org.uk
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>> authorised representative independent of this message
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 4:15 PM, Nic Millington <NicM at ruralmedia.co.uk>wrote:
>>
>>> I'd like to endorse all of Marilyn's comments, and add that there should
>>> be a wide range of imaginative and mutually beneficial partnerships that
>>> can be formed in those areas where there are both local radio and local TV
>>> licence holders.  To date of course in the rural West Midlands there are
>>> neither - so still much work to do!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We at Rural Media were very sorry to hear about the closure of Stroud
>>> and hope that on day in some form local community services can be
>>> re-established.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Best
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Nic
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *Nic Millington FRSA*
>>>
>>> *Chief Executive*
>>>
>>> The Rural Media Company
>>>
>>> Sullivan House
>>>
>>> 72-80 Widemarsh St
>>>
>>> Hereford  HR4 9HG
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> T: 01432 344039
>>>
>>> M: 07710 941 077
>>>
>>> E: nicm at ruralmedia.co.uk
>>>
>>> W: www.ruralmedia.co.uk
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:
>>> cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] *On Behalf Of *Marilyn Hyndman
>>> *Sent:* 13 February 2014 16:02
>>> *To:* Melita Dennett
>>> *Cc:* CMA-Mailing-List
>>>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [cma-l] Closure of Stroud FM
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I hope this uncharitable and insensitive remark in this forum is not
>>> shared by many.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thankfully it is not shared by the BBC whose email system you are using.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Many of us have lobbied long and hard for Local TV in the UK since the
>>> 1990s and we have been constant in our support of the community radio
>>> sector including the Access Radio pilots which made it all more possible to
>>> have a community radio sector in the first place.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This is not a handout, it is a negotiated contract which took some
>>> months of work to achieve whereby the choice rests with the local TV
>>> station to take up the offer of finance in return for approx 4 television
>>> news stories a day, every day, delivered by the Local TV station and
>>> offered to the BBC for broadcast.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The impact in terms of public benefit has only just begun to be tested
>>> as only Grimsby on air, I suggest that this organisation, one of the
>>> pioneers of community television since 1997, actually deserves the support
>>> of this forum ....as indeed it has supported the community media sector
>>> during all those years.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We are all very sorry to hear of the closure of Stroud, here in Belfast
>>> and send our best wishes to you.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> M
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 13 Feb 2014, at 09:52, Melita Dennett wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The irony of the funding of local TV stations via licence fees is not
>>> lost of some of us either - they are likely to suck away advertising from
>>> small radio outlets, both commercial and community, yet are being given a
>>> handout (£150,000 in our area, I understand) which would have a far greater
>>> impact if it went to community radio.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Melita
>>>
>>> RadioReverb, Brighton
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> Marilyn Hyndman
>> Northern Visions/NvTv
>> 23 Donegall Street
>> Belfast
>> BT1 2FF
>>
>> Tel: 028 9024 5495 ext 207
>> Fax: 028 9032 6608
>>
>> NvTv
>> Belfast Community Television
>>
>> http://northernvisions.org/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> Marilyn Hyndman
> Northern Visions/NvTv
> 23 Donegall Street
> Belfast
> BT1 2FF
>
> Tel: 028 9024 5495 ext 207
> Fax: 028 9032 6608
>
> NvTv
> Belfast Community Television
>
> http://northernvisions.org/
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk
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