<br><div class="gmail_quote"><br><br>Good call Murray<br><br>Last year, I was sat with Ed Richards [CEO Ofcom] at Wythenshawe FM with a few other local licence holders and he asked us - unbidden - what we thought of the 50% rule. I expected a bit of a ruck from the stations that had spot ads and sponsorship cental to their business plan - but there was none. Indeed one ex ILR head [who I'd expected to lead the charge] said he was happy with the rule - because of the 'in kind' rule in main. <br>
<br>I was part of the original lobby for sector's founding legislation and we proposed the 50% rule as a safeguard for a 'mixed economy' - to ensure that stations would not have to go for biggest audience/lowest common denominator - as they would if reliant solely on commercial revenue. Of course this does deprive some stations of vital revenue so the challenge I'd put back is - what other means could there be to ensure that the essential 'social gain' character of the sector is not lost? And that cant be by more rigorous policing of the Key Commitements as we're likely to see a very different [shrunk?] Ofcom. Perhaps a different number other than 50%?<br>
<br>And besides - isnt the headlong retreat from local output by many of the main commercial operators opportunity enough?<br><br>So, let's have light touch regulation that preserves our distinctiveness - but please dont make the mistake of thinking that a solely advert funded station will be able to deliver social gain in the same way as a mixed economy one... As Zane Ibrahim famously said - dont make your stations popular - make them necessary!<br>
<br>bests<br><br>Phil<br><br>[who now battens down the hatches...]<br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div class="h5">On 10 October 2010 18:49, Murray Dawson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:murraywdawson@gmail.com" target="_blank">murraywdawson@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"><div><div></div><div class="h5">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
Alan,<br>
<br>
I feel that the changes to the 50% rule now leaves a fair amount of
flexibility to ensure that Community Radio stations can develop on a
sound financial footing - without 'selling out' by going down the
commercial ad driven route.<br>
<br>
Our organisation works across a range of community media formats,
which allows us even greater flexibility, as it's the income of the
company that is measured. Therefore every grant we get for another
area of the organisations work means the rule becomes less and less
relevant to us (and in any case we had 14,000 hrs of volunteering
last year, and had no commercial adverts).<br>
<br>
I did have a major issue with the original rule though - and it cost
our organisation heavily as we had to scale back our original Big
Lottery bid to a figure which I felt we could match 50/50 - this is
no longer the case though.<br>
<br>
So my recommendation - diversification......<br>
<br>
Where I do have a serious problem with the 'rules' though is with
the power and range we can transmit. <br>
Why should we be restricted to a fraction of the power of the
commercials? <br>
In Aberdeen, we are in a situation where a large proportion of our
target communities don't get reception - or get a very poor
reception, and the commercials still moan to Ofcom that our reach is
too far! <br>
Too far for what? <br>
We're not interested in stealing their revenues or audience - the
opposite is the case. We have evidence that our station has
increased radio listeners across the city (commercial and community)
by re-engaging people with the medium again.<br>
<br>
Let's pull together and campaign on this one instead?<br>
<br>
All the best<br>
<br>
Murray<div><div></div><div><br>
<br>
On 09/10/2010 12:48, Alan Coote wrote:
</div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div></div><div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Ian, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">The CMA will do nothing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Sorry to be so harsh, but during the Ofcom
Community Radio review a couple of years ago they supported
the 50% rule as it characterises Community Radio. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I totally agree with you it’s outdated and in
desperate need of review along with a number of aspects –
the sooner the better. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Alan</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<div>
<div style="border-width: 1pt medium medium; border-style: solid none none; border-color: rgb(181, 196, 223) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; padding: 3pt 0cm 0cm;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US">
<a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk</a>
[<a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk</a>] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Ian Hickling<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 09 October 2010 8:47 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Jaqui Devereux; cma-l<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [cma-l] Community Radio 50% Rules</span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <br>
I think most of us understood them Jaqui.<br>
More so now - thank you.<br>
But what exactly is the CMA doing about changing this
outdated and punishing regulation?<br>
<br>
Ian Hickling<br>
Partner<br>
transplan UK<br>
</span></p>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<hr align="center" width="100%" size="2"></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Date: Fri, 8 Oct
2010 15:46:23 +0100<br>
From: <a href="mailto:jaqui.devereux@commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">jaqui.devereux@commedia.org.uk</a><br>
To: <a href="mailto:cma-l@commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l@commedia.org.uk</a><br>
Subject: [cma-l] Community radio 50% rules - understanding
them<br>
<br>
Dear all<br>
<br>
Just a clarification on the revised 50% rules for community
radio following the CR Amendment Order:</span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br>
No more than 50% of your income can come from on air
advertising and/or sponsorship.<br>
<br>
The Amendment Order does however now allow that more than
50% can come from grants, Service Level Agreements etc.<br>
<br>
Volunteer time can be counted as part of the "income" mix,
but it must be auditable (timesheets, signing in sheets
etc). However, if 50% of your income does come from on
air ads etc, then only 25% of your income can be from
volunteer in kind time.<br>
<br>
So e.g.:<br>
<br>
1 - station has a Big Lottery grant of £50,000 for the
year (lucky it!), on air ads etc £20,000, volunteer time
£10,000 - that mix is OK.<br>
<br>
2 - station has a BL grant of £20,000, on air ads £50,000,
volunteer time £30,000 - NOT OK as volunteer time exceeds
25% of the total<br>
<br>
3 - station has BL grant of £25,000, on air ads £50,000,
volunteer time £25,000 - is OK as volunteer time 25%<br>
<br>
4 - station has BL grant of £20,000, on air ads £50,000,
volunteer time £30,000, OFF air ads/sponsorship £20,000 -
is OK as off air does not count towards the 50% limit <br>
<br>
Hope that helps....<br>
<br>
Jaqui<br clear="all">
<span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"><br>
-- <br>
Jaqui Devereux<br>
Director, Community Media Association<br>
<br>
</span></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br>
<br clear="all">
<br>
-- <br>
Jaqui Devereux<br>
Director, Community Media Association<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote>
<br>
<pre cols="72">--
please reply to
<a href="mailto:murray@shmu.org.uk" target="_blank">murray@shmu.org.uk</a>
Murray Dawson
Project Director
Station House Media Unit
Station Road, Woodside,
Aberdeen AB24 2WB
Tel - 01224 515013
<a href="http://www.shmu.org.uk" target="_blank">www.shmu.org.uk</a>
listen to our community radio station live on 99.8FM and at <a href="http://www.shmufm.net" target="_blank">www.shmufm.net</a>
SHMU is a charity registered in Scotland - SC034211 and a registered Limited Company - SC332413
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<br></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Phil Korbel<br>Director<br>0161 237 5454<br><br>Radio Regen is a community, media and urban regeneration charity <br>A company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales No. 3753832 <br>
Registered office: 12 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 1JF <br>Registered Charity No. 1077763 <br><a href="http://www.radioregen.org" target="_blank">www.radioregen.org</a><br><a href="http://www.communityradiotoolkit.net" target="_blank">www.communityradiotoolkit.net</a><br>
<br><br>
<div style="display: inline;"></div>
</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Phil Korbel<br>Director<br>0161 237 5454<br><br>Radio Regen is a community, media and urban regeneration charity <br>A company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales No. 3753832 <br>
Registered office: 12 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 1JF <br>Registered Charity No. 1077763 <br><a href="http://www.radioregen.org">www.radioregen.org</a><br><a href="http://www.communityradiotoolkit.net">www.communityradiotoolkit.net</a><br>
<br><br>