[cma-l] Review of music in local analogue commercial radio Formats

[Martin Steers]

Ofcom has today published a consultation on the regulation of music in
local analogue commercial radio Formats.

Ofcom has a statutory duty to ensure a range and diversity of local radio
services.

As part of Ofcom’s regulation, all local commercial analogue radio licences
require a description of the service to be broadcast, including the
selection of music the station will play. This description of service is
known as a ‘Format’.

Currently, a wide range of different descriptions are used in radio Formats
to specify the selection of music: from popular music, to specific genres
and the target age range for the service.

Ofcom last year published a ‘Call for Inputs’, seeking preliminary views on
the description of music in radio Formats.

The responses received expressed different opinions on the effect of market
changes; the need for services to have greater flexibility in music
selection; and whether a change to the current regulatory approach was
feasible or desirable.

Ofcom is now seeking views on three options for consultation:

   - No change to current descriptions used for the selection of music in
   radio Formats.
   - Simplification of the Formats of stations playing “mainstream popular
   music”.
      - Ofcom considers certain non-specialist music genre descriptions
      (e.g. “Contemporary” or “Pop”) could be simplified to “mainstream popular
      music”.
      - Formats specifying specialist music genres (e.g. “Rock” or “Dance”)
      would remain unchanged.
   - High level Formats. Ofcom could allow licensees to request to change
   the music element of their Format to be either:
      - Genre led: specifying a specialist genre of music; or
      - Audience led: specifying music for a target audience profile (e.g.
      by age group or ethnicity).

Ofcom’s consultation document is available here
<http://ofcom.cmail1.com/t/i-l-glklkk-ptyukklu-h/>. The closing date for
responses is 2 April 2015.
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