[cma-l] Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2015

[CMA-L]

The Community Media Association (CMA) welcomed the House of Commons
approval of the Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2015 that was finally
signed off in the last hours of Parliament last week.

The CMA commends the following significant improvements:

   - the provision for holders of a community radio licence to extend their
   licence twice.
   - the provision to allow one organisation to be the holder of a local
   digital television programme service licence as well as to hold a community
   radio licence.
   - the provision to allow certain community radio stations to receive
   income from the taking of remunerated advertising or sponsorship of their
   programming output that were previously prevented from doing so.

The legislation will allow 25 stations that were previously prevented from
receiving advertising and sponsorship revenues to receive up to £15,000.

The 200 other community radio stations will be permitted to earn an
additional £15,000 in advertising or programme sponsorship before the "50%
rule" (which limits a station's income to not more than 50% from one
source) applies.

The community radio sector is delighted with Ed Vaizey's remarks that
"community radio remains an unequivocal success" and that "community radio
should be one of the key priorities for the next Broadcast Minister to look
at" in the next Government.

Dom Chambers, Chair of The Community Media Association says:

“I am really pleased that the Community Radio Order amendment has passed
through Parliament. From the outset the CMA has worked hard for the
interests of community broadcasters and it is great that DCMS so positively
took on our feedback when drawing up the Order. It will make a big
difference to some of our members ability to deliver media with positive
social impact. It is not offering overall solutions to the challenges faced
by our broadcast sector but it is a good start as we work out how best to
realise the fantastic opportunities that are out there for community
media.”

However the CMA remains disappointed that the Community Radio (Amendment)
Order did not go further and permit all stations to raise at least 50% of
their revenue through advertising and sponsorship. We see no reason why all
community radio stations should not operate on the same playing field.

Additionally, the Community Radio Fund remains inadequate and while the
community radio sector has declined in income and viability, Government
has, in recent years, allocated £40m to the development of local digital TV
services - a disparity which community radio licensees consider to be
grossly insupportable.

The single most important change that Government could make to the vigour
and sustainability of the community radio sector and to its delivery of
public benefit, would be to significantly increase the size of the
Community Radio Fund in line with the 2003 Everitt report.

The CMA looks forward to working with the next Government to ensure a
better deal for community radio to enable the sector to continue delivering
positive social gain.

*Notes for Editors:*

1. The Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2015 amends the Community Radio
Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1944).

2. The Community Media Association (CMA) is a non-profit making
organisation founded in 1983 to support community radio whose remit has
expanded to include community television and community-based Internet
projects. The CMA represents the community media sector to Government,
industry and the regulatory bodies.

3. Ed Vaizey MP was appointed Minister of State at the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills, with responsibility for digital industries on 15 July 2014. He is
the Conservative MP for Wantage and Didcot.

4. In respect of the licensing of community radio services, all community
radio licensees must satisfy 'characteristics of service' requirements
which are specified in Article 3 of the Community Radio Order 2004. The
characteristics of community radio services are:

   - That they are local services provided primarily for the good of
   members of the public, or of particular communities, and in order to
   deliver social gain, rather than primarily for commercial reasons or for
   the financial or other material gain of the individuals involved in
   providing the service;
   - That the service is intended primarily to serve one or more
   communities (whether or not it also serves other members of the public);
   - That the person providing the service does not do so in order to make
   a financial profit by so doing, and uses any profit that is produced in the
   provision of the service wholly and exclusively for securing or improving
   the future provision of the service, or for the delivery of social gain to
   members of the public or the community that the service is intended to
   serve;
   - That members of the community it is intended to serve are given
   opportunities to participate in the operation and management of the service;
   - That, in respect of the provision of that service, the person
   providing the service makes himself accountable to the community that the
   service is intended to serve.

ENDS

\\
Community Media Association
-- 
http://www.commedia.org.uk/
http://twitter.com/community_media
https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation

Canstream Internet Radio & Video
http://www.canstream.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/canstream
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