[cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News

Sun Mar 19 13:26:04 GMT 2017

Good afternoon

Last month the CMA has submitted a response to the DCMS consultation
<https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/public-service-broadcasting-contestable-fund-pilot-phase>
on a Pilot Phase of a Public Service Broadcasting Contestable Fund. We
proposed that £10 million would be required to fund public service content,
such as local news, created by community media producers and broadcasters:

The Community Media Association proposes the creation of a Community Media
Fund to support public service content created by community media producers
and broadcasters. We envisage a Community Media Fund that could enable 200
new broadcast journalists to be attached to community media organisations
and support a variety of public service content produced by or in
partnership with established community media organisations.

Such a Fund would assist to redress the imbalance that has arisen in
community radio with the current Community Radio Fund, which has reduced in
size since its launch with £500k per annum in 2005, while the number of
channels has increased from the first 15 pilots to around 250 today. It
would also address the imminent funding gap that is arising as the BBC ends
its funding for local TV. A Community Media Fund with around £10m
investment per annum would have transformational impact on a community
media sector which is already delivering substantial public value but whose
full potential is not being realised. Experience with the Community Radio
Fund indicates that such investment would leverage two or three times the
level of support from other sources including other grants and sponsorship.

Our full response is available here
<http://www.commedia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CMA_Response_Final.pdf>
.

With best regards

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

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

On 19 March 2017 at 09:48, David (Niocast Digital) <david at niocast.com>
wrote:

> Hi Nick
>
> Your maths may be sound but doesn’t the idea of a national news service
> for the community radio ‘network’ go against what it is to be
> 'community’ radio?  Unlike commercial radio, there is no requirement on
> community radio to provide a national news service. So why would you want
> to bring that upon yourself, as a sector, when there are more pressing
> issues?
>
> I would respectfully suggest your efforts might be better focused on
> providing local news. I know that you don’t see much to recommend DAB for
> community radio’s future but it is coming, regardless. You only have to
> read the DCMS commercial radio deregulation consultation to
> understand that there will be significant implications for the future of
> community radio and the provision of local news.
>
> Currently, the requirement to provide news and other core information
> services does not apply to analogue community radio or DAB-only stations.
> However, both DCMS and Ofcom are keen to align all analogue and
> DAB licensing with regard to local news provision - as well as placing
> local news requirements on DAB-only stations.  Whilst they have
> mentioned possible exemptions (such as community radio) they have also
> stated that this would make for a very complex licensing regime. Also, I
> think it highly unlikely that Radiocentre will stand idly by and allow
> community radio to have a *guaranteed *digital future whilst, at the same
> time, allowing them to be exempted from the provision of local news. It is
> very possible that local news will become the qualifying key commitment in
> the future that guarantees carriage for community radio stations on DAB
> multiplexes. And therein lies both the challenge and opportunity for
> community radio.
>
> As many will know, the BBC struck a deal last year to slice £8m from the
> licence fee to pay for 150 local journalists to be employed by local news
> organisations. This is blatantly unfair - for the BBC to subsidise
> commercial newspaper organisations - when changes are mean there will be a
> regulatory burden placed on commercial and community radio to deliver local
> news. Now is the time. It is time to leverage the moment. Think big. The
> community radio sector needs to stop talking in terms of '£200 per year’
> and work *with* Radiocentre to lobby DCMS for access to substantial
> public funds (BBC licence fee) for the provision of a public service (local
> news provision).
>
> And it needs to happen now.
>
> Regards,
>
>
> David Duffy
>
> The Radio People & Niocast Digital
>
>
>
> On 18 Mar 2017, at 12:19, Canalside's The Thread <office at thethread.org.uk>
> wrote:
>
>
> I go back to my original suggestion ……….. I think it’s another one of my
> pool of suggestions that either get laughed at or ignored (but alas) I feel
> I am the one speaking the sense (but that’s all down to opinions I suppose)
> just perhaps one day (we can live in hope)    someone might grasp the
> nettle, wake up and smell the Coffee and take the Bull by the Horns.
>
> We provide ourselves with a National news service which comes from a Hub
> ….. that could be Sheffield or it could be The Eye or Somer Valley or Bay
> or even Canalside wherever and/or    whoever feels they can deliver the
> best and we choose. Everyobody pays a subscription £200 quid a year or £250
> quid a year which is still cheaper than other news services …. We run a
> three minute bulletin on the hour  from say 6am till 10pm. I fully accept
> that not everyone would take it up as some minority Stations have different
> news ….. but I reckon around 200 maybe ??          that would bring in
> about £45,000 odd grand ……… we could have a double shift swapping News team
>    2 x £14,000 grand and the rest goes in the Pot for the CMA.
>
> I’ll suggest it again in 3 Years time no doubt ……..in the meantime I’ll
> tootle off and go and p e e in the wind again
>
> Regards
>
> Nick H Dumpty          keep smiling kids   😊     onwards and upwards
>
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-
> bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Richard Berry
> Sent: 18 March 2017 11:08
> To: The Community Media Association Discussion List <
> cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News
>
> A few things on this. This is not a huge change in terms of who is making
> the news, and I can’t see IRN turning into Fox news overnight. For one
> thing the rules around bias and impartiality will apply, whilst they would
> not impact on SRN/IRN if there were to be an issue, they are contractually
> required to supply a compliant service to their clients (ie us). I seem to
> recall that when this came round last time it was suggested that Sky news
> could be placed in an independent arms-length trust to ensure that there
> was cross contamination from the newspaper business. This may well come
> round again. Of course, as IRN is effectively owned by the commercial radio
> companies, although News Corp own around 4% via their ownership of Wireless
> Group. So, in effect the owners could move the licence to whoever they want
> when it comes up for renewal.
>
> Best wishes
> Richard
>
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-
> bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ian Hickling
> Sent: 18 March 2017 08:01
> To: The Community Media Association Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News
>
>
> Ofcom's predilection appears to be whether the move will affect plurality
> of news sources.
> The blatantly obvious answer would appear to be that it will.
>
> Ian Hickling
> Partner
>
> <image001.jpg>
> Office: 016 3557 8435  (07h to 22h GTS)
> Car: 075 3098 0115 (only responds when driving)
> 6 Horn Street, Compton, NEWBURY, RG20 6QS
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk <cma-l-
> bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk> on behalf of Rhys Phillips (Radio
> Cardiff) <rhys.phillips at radiocardiff.org>
> Sent: 17 March 2017 20:30:33
> To: The Community Media Association Discussion List
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News
>
> It's also not true that all stations are either BBC or Sky. Global do
> their own news, Jazz FM does it's own on breakfast, a bunch use Radio News
> Hub etc.
>
> On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 5:22 PM Clive Glover <clive.glover at lineone.net>
> wrote:
>
> Bob
>
> Very good point!
>
> I think it is not quite so clear cut though. Strictly we are using IRN
> which has been contracted out to Sky News so editorial policy should still
> be dictated by IRN (although to be fair Sky News is pretty well balanced -
> as much as ITN for example).
>
> However if it was a case of Fox News taking over that would definitely be
> an issue!
>
> We should probably all take the opportunity to comment to OFCOM about this
> so they may add in a condition relating to the independence of
> national/local radio news services.
>
>
> Clive Glover
>
> On 17 Mar 2017, at 16:07, Bob Tyler wrote:
>
>
> The recent announcement regarding the proposed take over of Sky by Fox,  I
> believe has some implications for radio in the UK.
>
> Should this go ahead the news on UK radio would come from just two
> sources; The BBC and the Murdoch owned SKY News (radio).
>
>
> Ofcom has today published a guidance note setting out the process and
> timetable for preparing our report on the public interest considerations
> set out by the Secretary of State. Ofcom has also published an invitation
> to comment and invites written submissions to be sent to
> Publicinteresttest2017 at ofcom.org.uk  by 30 March 2017.
>
> The regulator has also invited comments invited comments under its fit and
> proper duty.
>
>  Under s.3(3) of each of the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Broadcasting
> Act 1996, Ofcom has an ongoing duty to be satisfied that the holders of
> broadcast licences are fit and proper to be licensed. This means that we
> can assess a licensee at any time, on our own initiative, as well as being
> able to respond to concerns raised by third parties.  We have powers to
> require from licensees any information that we consider appropriate to
> conduct that assessment.
>
> If you wish to submit relevant evidence to us in relation to Ofcom’s fit
> and proper assessment, please do so by 30 March 2017 using this email
> address: fitandproper at ofcom.org.uk
>
>
>
> Please take a look.
>
>
> Bob
>
>
>
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