<div dir="ltr"><div>Good afternoon<br><br></div>Last month the CMA has submitted a response to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/public-service-broadcasting-contestable-fund-pilot-phase">DCMS consultation</a> 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:<div><br><div style="margin-left:40px">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.<br><br>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.<br></div><br>Our full response is available <a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CMA_Response_Final.pdf">here</a>.<br><br>With best regards<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br></div><div class="gmail_extra">Bill<br>-- <br clear="all"></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><span><div><div><div><div><div>Operations Manager<br></div>Community Media Association<br></div><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk</a><br></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/community_media" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/community_media</a><br></div><div><a href="https://facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank">https://facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation</a><br><br></div><div></div>Canstream Internet Radio<br></div><a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk" target="_blank">http://www.canstream.co.uk</a><br></div><a href="https://twitter.com/canstream" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/canstream</a></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On 19 March 2017 at 09:48, David (Niocast Digital) <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:david@niocast.com" target="_blank">david@niocast.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2">Hi Nick</font><br>
<br><font face="Arial" size="2">
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? </font><br>
<br><font face="Arial" size="2">
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.</font><br>
<br><font face="Arial" size="2">
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 </font><i style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">guaranteed </i><font face="Arial" size="2">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.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">
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. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:13.333333015441895px">Think big. </span><font face="Arial" size="2">The community radio sector needs to stop talking in terms of '£200 per year’ and work </font><i style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">with</i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt"> Radiocentre to
lobby DCMS for access to substantial public funds (BBC licence fee) for the provision of a
public service (local news provision). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">And it needs to happen now.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Regards,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">David Duffy</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt">The Radio People
& Niocast Digital</span></p>
</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span class="">On 18 Mar 2017, at 12:19, Canalside's The Thread <<a href="mailto:office@thethread.org.uk" target="_blank">office@thethread.org.uk</a>> wrote:<br></span><blockquote type="cite"><span class=""><br>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.<br> <br>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.<br> <br>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<br> <br>Regards<br> <br>Nick H Dumpty keep smiling kids 😊 onwards and upwards<br> <br>From: <a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-bounces@mailman.<wbr>commedia.org.uk</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-<wbr>bounces@mailman.commedia.org.<wbr>uk</a>] On Behalf Of Richard Berry<br>Sent: 18 March 2017 11:08<br>To: The Community Media Association Discussion List <<a href="mailto:cma-l@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l@mailman.commedia.org.uk</a><wbr>><br>Subject: Re: [cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News<br> <br>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. <br> <br>Best wishes<br>Richard<br> <br>From: <a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-bounces@mailman.<wbr>commedia.org.uk</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-<wbr>bounces@mailman.commedia.org.<wbr>uk</a>] On Behalf Of Ian Hickling<br>Sent: 18 March 2017 08:01<br>To: The Community Media Association Discussion List<br>Subject: Re: [cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News<br> <br> <br>Ofcom's predilection appears to be whether the move will affect plurality of news sources.<br>The blatantly obvious answer would appear to be that it will.<br> <br>Ian Hickling<br>Partner<br><br></span><span id="m_1120522913131894512cid:image001.jpg@01D29FE1.EDF99320"><image001.jpg></span><span class=""><br>Office: 016 3557 8435 (07h to 22h GTS)<br>Car: 075 3098 0115 (only responds when driving)<br>6 Horn Street, Compton, NEWBURY, RG20 6QS<br></span><div><div class="h5">From: <a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-bounces@mailman.<wbr>commedia.org.uk</a> <<a href="mailto:cma-l-bounces@mailman.commedia.org.uk" target="_blank">cma-l-<wbr>bounces@mailman.commedia.org.<wbr>uk</a>> on behalf of Rhys Phillips (Radio Cardiff) <<a href="mailto:rhys.phillips@radiocardiff.org" target="_blank">rhys.phillips@radiocardiff.<wbr>org</a>><br>Sent: 17 March 2017 20:30:33<br>To: The Community Media Association Discussion List<br>Subject: Re: [cma-l] Sky/Fox Radio News<br> <br>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.<br> <br>On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 5:22 PM Clive Glover <<a href="mailto:clive.glover@lineone.net" target="_blank">clive.glover@lineone.net</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-style:none none none solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-width:1pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6pt;margin:5pt 0cm 5pt 4.8pt" type="cite">Bob <br> <br>Very good point!<br> <br>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).<br> <br>However if it was a case of Fox News taking over that would definitely be an issue!<br> <br>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.<br> <br> <br>Clive Glover<br> <br>On 17 Mar 2017, at 16:07, Bob Tyler wrote:<br> <br><br>The recent announcement regarding the proposed take over of Sky by Fox, I believe has some implications for radio in the UK.<br> <br>Should this go ahead the news on UK radio would come from just two sources; The BBC and the Murdoch owned SKY News (radio).<br> <br> <br>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 <a href="mailto:Publicinteresttest2017@ofcom.org.uk" target="_blank">Publicinteresttest2017@<wbr>ofcom.org.uk</a> by 30 March 2017.<br> <br>The regulator has also invited comments invited comments under its fit and proper duty.<br> <br> 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. 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