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I think we all have to look at our unique selling points.<BR>
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The at the station that I co-manage it is obvious, we are a religious based station broadcasting to a community of special interest.<BR>
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However a vast number of community stations are for geographical communities and where is the line between geographical community stations/BBC local radio/Small Commercial stations.<BR>
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Maybe there does need to be a debate about this, i.e. with the advent of comunity radio does community radio replace the need for BBC local and maybe now commercial stations all need to be regional.<BR>
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Mark Polden<BR>
Flame 1521 <BR> <BR>
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From: transplanfm@hotmail.com<BR>To: gary.jackson1@btinternet.com; cma-l@commedia.org.uk<BR>Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 08:20:19 +0000<BR>Subject: [cma-l] Criticism of Community Radio Fund Award<BR><BR>
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<BR>My meaning of "commercial" was purely in the business structure sense.<BR>Agreed, how you align your spening is vital.<BR>Putting hard-earned money into attending conferences and the like isn't right.<BR>I don't see a little empire-building in CR as wrong as long as the job in hand gets done openly and efficiently.<BR>One good CR station taking over and running a neighbour in trouble can't surely be a bad thing.<BR>Getting retired local prople in to contribute useful material is great.<BR>But letting them do what they feel like with no structure and no targeting of the planned audience spells disaster.<BR> <BR>Ian Hickling<BR>Partner<BR>transplan UK<BR> <BR>
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Date: Sat, 29 May 2010 08:19:33 +0100<BR>From: gary.jackson1@btinternet.com<BR>To: cma-l@commedia.org.uk<BR>Subject: Re: [cma-l] Steve Penk criticises Community Radio Fund Award in letter to PM <FONT id=ecxecxrole_document color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><BR></FONT><BR>I think far too many community stations are too commercial to be honest.<BR><BR>Some of the postings on this list about conferences in far away places, and matched funding which will only cost £x,000 seems to me to people getting carried away with their own empire building.<BR><BR>A station I know has village correspondents - usually long retired - record short pieces about events around them and things like parish council meetings are mentioned as well. That, to me is the sort of thing community radio should be doing.<BR><BR>If indeed a Community Station did receive £40,000 for a new Regional Sales Manager then I agree with what Penk says and can fully understand his feelings.<BR><BR>It's natural in a way. Ambitious presenters can't get on commercial stations, so to paraphrase Cliff in Summer Holiday "We'll do the commercial station right here!" <BR><BR>It's not right though in my opinion<BR><BR>Gary<BR> <br /><hr />Get a free e-mail account with Hotmail. <a href='http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/197222280/direct/01/' target='_new'>Sign-up now.</a></body>
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