<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div><div></div><div><br><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.289062); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.222656); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.222656); font-family: Arial; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Dear Members and Friends</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Please forgive us if we are sometimes not keeping you as up to date as we would ideally intend, but please do not interpret relative silence as inaction.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">We are acutely aware of the challenges facing the sector, hearing the needs of members, taking the best advice available and steering the course we judge to be in the best interest of the majority. Our concerns are focused on</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">(1) the best tactics to try and preserve and grow the CRF - we have judged to date that careful lobbying is the safest option in this treachorous climate but have debated - and continue to debate - long and hard the value or otherwise of more overt campaigning. The meetings referred to below show some if our recent activity in this respect.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">(2) making sure the key people of influence are getting our messages - also see below </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">(3) the futureTV debate with BBC - this decision to place the responsibility for funding local tv with the BBC was not entirely unexpected and is not certainly not without opportunity for us either. Again we need to play this one carefully and without prejudice. We are well aware that traditional broadcasters can be difficult bedfellows for us but there is much to play for here, not just to the benefit of TV.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "> </span></div><div><i>I can understand the frustration of people like Mark Polden</i><i> but what he may not realise is that in the </i><i>last few weeks we have met with </i><i>Ed</i><i></i><i>Vaizey</i><i>, Minister at the DCMS,</i><i> </i><i>represented the sector at The </i><i>Annual </i><i>Radio Academy Festival,</i><i> just </i><i>this week </i><i>talked to </i><i>radio industry representatives</i><i> </i><i>in Port Talbot and met with PRS to </i><i>ask them to </i><i>try review the fees they charge to </i><i>community radio</i><i>. </i><i>And that's just in the last couple of weeks. </i></div><div> </div><div><i>The one thing we haven't done is bombard you with this information but rest </i><i>assured</i><i></i><i>,</i><i>politically and otherwise, </i><i>we are working </i><i> hard for the sector</i><i>!</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">In solidarity!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Phil Shepherd</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Chair of Council</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">CMA</span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.273438); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.207031); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.207031);"><br></span></div></div><div></div>
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