[comradio-l] Sector togetherness...

[Jaqui Devereux]

Dear all

Please excuse the note format but here a few quick thoughts on the
togetherness of our sector:

- given the recent economic and funding situation, the community media
sector's showing remarkable and admirable resilience, although we do
know that many are struggling.

- CMA membership levels have remained steady over the past year
despite the above.

- with the economic situation likely to decline in coming years and
public spending being cut, the community media sector has an
opportunity to promote itself to Government and funders as a highly
cost-effective approach to tackling social, economic and digital
disadvantage.  This is the approach we have taken with Sion Simon,
Creative Industries Minister, to try to get other government
departments to "chip in" to increase the Community Radio Fund, also we
will be meeting with Stephen Timms, who is leading on the Digital
Economy Bill, in the new year to press for a major increase in funds
for the sector.

- we are just about to launch a revised Memorandum of Understanding with
the BBC, which includes possibilities for both radio and video/film
cooperation, including potentially showing community film output on 
local BBC websites (we are still working on the idea of a Community 
Media Channel on the iPlayer).

- Ofcom licensing applications for community radio continues to be
over-subscribed by an order of magnitude.

- the number of short-term RSL projects remains healthy - 53 upcoming
listed.

- a successful Make Media Centre event last week was attended by
nearly 100 people.  The Make Media Centre would, should it go ahead,
deliver free training for the community media sector on business
processes, sustainability, delivering new skills for the sector to
enable it to then deliver paid for training to the wider voluntary,
public and private sectors.  It would also give a big boost to the
profile of community media in the UK making the sector a leading
delivery agent for the "digital skills for the digital workforce"
agenda.

- as a member of the Digital Participation Consortium, we hope there
will be further funding opportunities for the sector for work on
digital inclusion and media literacy.

- the proposed Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2010
(http://tinyurl.com/comradio2010) will see the further sustainability
of stations by removing the 50% income rule for income via grants,
donations etc.  The draft amendment also proposes five-year extensions
for existing community radio licensees which will also develop
sustainability.

- Skillset is aiming to expand its Routes Into Radio project which
originally ran in the South East.  If it gets the go ahead, they want to 
involved 50+ community radio stations in the project.

- the CMA is starting to plan its next Conference and AGM which will
be in April 2010 which is always a fantastic forum that brings the
sector together.

- the CMA is collaborating with Radio Regen on an improved Community
Radio Toolkit which will foster greater interaction between
participants.

- the CMA is developing deeper links with statutory bodies such as the
Department of Health, COI and others to use community media as a
platform for delivering on their respective agendas.

- community media groups are successfully forging better links with
schools as service providers.

- the All The Voices petition which made it into the top 2% of all
petitions submitted to the Government.

- we are still a very young sector.  The history of media in the UK
has been characterised by huge difficulties that were finally
surmounted after great initial hurdles.  For example when the BBC
started broadcasting from the Alexandra Palace, and the first
broadcasts of commercial television began in the 1950's, these new
media ventures were predicted to last no more than a few months, or
years at the most

- community media projects should not see themselves as operating on
their own - we're a network which relies as much on grass roots
participation as top down involvement.

- all CMA members and the wider sector are encouraged to send any news
that they wish to share to the CMA-L mailing list (address:
cma-l at commedia.org.uk) and other platforms that the CMA operates.

So - we need you and you need each other!

Best wishes

Jaqui

Jaqui Devereux
Director
Community Media Association


-- 
Jaqui Devereux

Director
Community Media Association

15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX

+44 114 279 5219


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