[cma-l] Community Radio Order

Thu Jan 22 07:38:15 GMT 2015

I don't see anyone saying that they have more listeners than anyone else by
way of trying to prove a point about popularity.  I do see people talking
about where there's 1/2m or 10m listeners to CR - and I was happy to weigh
in and say what I thought of that by using my own knowledge.

I think listener numbers are highly releveant. There's a lot of people who
say that they don't want to copy commercial radio and aren't worried about
popularity - and rightly so.  I didn't get involved in CR because I wanted
to have a hits-only station with little content that fought for market
share and I'm sure everyone in CR agrees with that.

However the biggest problem with CR is funding.  Advertisers won't come to
you if your station is sacrificing a professional sound for maximum
community involvement.  And despite what every government says about
supporting CR, they're much more likely to increase the CRF if it's proven
that there is 10m listeners as opposed to 1/20th of that figure.

Both our listener numbers AND our community engagement have gone up in the
last couple of years, so it can be done.  If the content is good, people
will listen, talk about you, and eventually give you the money you need to
stop you looking for another job!

Cheers
Paul
www.phoenixfm.com

On 21 January 2015 at 19:35, Canalside's The Thread <office at thethread.org.uk
> wrote:

>       You see guys, sorry to appear to be looking for an argument, but
> all of this ought to be irrelevant under the original launch of Community
> Radio. It is the fact that we have less or more listeners or the same that
> causes the problems. If we are going around saying we have more listeners
> than whoever ?   then the restrictions kinda come into play. I know they
> shouldn’t and I know that if we have more listeners (or don’t) it shouldn’t
> matter. It ought to have no bearing on it. Sadly it has had a bearing and
> my point weeks ago, was that the message being sent out there now is all
> gobbledy gook.
>
>
>
> Are we competing, are we not competing, if we are not ought we be, if we
> are should we not be  ??   it’s a shambles .I believe Community Radio
> should be simplistic, it should be Que sera sera and restrictions should be
> no where in sight. Whatever will be will be and we all deal with it.
>
>
>
> I don’t care if we have more or less listeners than Silk ..why ?  because
> if Community Radio was running how it is meant to be, we would have enough
> funding from the Community Fund Pot, to pay for the essentials and core
> costs. In otherwords, if we were 100% voluntary, with folk wandering in
> willy nilly, we could still function in some way shape or form. This is
> with or without a Station manager and/or someone on sales
> etc                 I think this is how many saw Community Radio. Right or
> wrong, poor image or good image, it shouldn’t matter as we ought to be able
> to function even if we are rag tag and bobtail.
>
>
>
> Does everyone know where I am coming from here or am I waffling again ?
> I feel that we have lost our way, but it isn’t exactly our fault. What the
> restrictions have done, along with the lack of financial support in the Pot
> has distorted the whole Venture, hence why I was saying there is confusion.
> It isn’t confusion in the true sense of the word but I think a few shots in
> own feet have taken place.
>
>
>
> Keep it simple has been my message. I don’t expect everyone to agree …..
> but ???                  Rajar shouldn’t even be on the Radar, if that
> makes sense. The moment we start asking to be placed on Rajar, I think we
> are going away from our values. We’re not here to compete, even though in a
> roundabout way we are. We have to compete because the financial support has
> been woeful ….. so is it a wonder why I reach for the defensive stick ??
>
>
>
> If I’m wrong here, please say so, that’s fine by me    no probs.
>
>
>
> Nick
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:
> cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] *On Behalf Of *Two Lochs Radio
> *Sent:* 21 January 2015 18:39
> *To:* The Community Media Association Discussion List
> *Subject:* Re: [cma-l] Community Radio Order
>
>
>
> Well done Paul!
>
>
>
> From RAJAR's latest available quarter that reach would put your listener
> numbers ahead of at least 20 of the commercial stations that *are* RAJAR
> subscribers, including Smooth Radio Essex, and ahead of many more that
> don't pay RAJAR!
>
>
>
> Alex
>
>
>
>
>
> *RAJAR quarter ending Sep 2014*
>
> *Station*
>
> *Reach*
>
> Eagle Extra
>
> 3,000
>
> Fire Radio South Coast
>
> 4,000
>
> Connect DAB
>
> 7,000
>
> Radio Ceredigion
>
> 16,000
>
> 107.8 Arrow FM for Hastings
>
> 17,000
>
> 107 JACK fm (Reading 107FM)
>
> 18,000
>
> The Breeze (Cheltenham)
>
> 18,000
>
> 107.6 Banbury Sound
>
> 18,000
>
> Free Radio 80s (Shropshire)
>
> 19,000
>
> Rugby FM
>
> 20,000
>
> Lakeland Radio
>
> 20,000
>
> 107.5 Sovereign Radio
>
> 21,000
>
> 96.2 Touch FM - Coventry
>
> 22,000
>
> Time FM 106.6
>
> 23,000
>
> North Norfolk Radio
>
> 23,000
>
> Radio Exe
>
> 24,000
>
> Pulse 2
>
> 26,000
>
> 3FM
>
> 26,000
>
> Smooth Radio Essex
>
> 28,000
>
> Oak FM
>
> 28,000
>
> Smooth Radio Devon
>
> 29,000
>
> Cheshire's Silk 106.9
>
> 29,000
>
>
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>
> *From:* Paul Golder <paul at pvg.co.uk>
>
> *To:* The Community Media Association Discussion List
> <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 21, 2015 6:01 PM
>
> *Subject:* Re: [cma-l] Community Radio Order
>
>
>
> I've contracted with a private market research firm a few times since we
> took to the airwaves full time in 2007.
>
>
>
> We're currently getting a 20% weekly reach which implies about 30,000
> listeners a week.  Our website visitor figures (over 200,000 per month,
> with 12,000 a month viewing the schedule and local events pages) seem to
> make sense in this context.
>
>
>
> I wasn't aware that RAJAR was skewed towards its members' areas, which
> would make any extrapolation of the "other radio listening" figure quite
> meaningless.
>
>
>
> It's natural for CR to be defensive with the suggestion that CR has half a
> million listeners - but I'm just not buying it.  That's only an average of
> 2,000 per station - I could probably NAME at least 3,000 people who engage
> with us regularly!
>
>
>
> Cheers
>
> Paul
>
> Phoenix FM
>
> www.phoenixfm.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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