[comradio-l] Westminster Hall debates, 5 April 2011: BBC Local Radio

[CMA-L]

Ed Vaizey: "The creation of a community radio landscape is something
that the last Government can genuinely take credit for."

Mr Andrew Turner in the Chair

Edward Vaizey (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Culture,
Communications and Creative Industries), Business, Innovation and
Skills; Wantage, Conservative):

I am not sure whether my hon. Friend meant "duplicity" or
"duplication". "Duplicity" may have been a Freudian slip there.
[Laughter.] Let me also say that I am confident that the BBC is
watching this debate. When I participated in the debate on Friday
about the BBC, I received regular text messages from a member of its
corporate affairs department. To give the BBC due credit, it takes
debates in this House very seriously.

Radio remains a very important medium in this country. Every week,
more than 90% of the population consume more than a billion hours of
radio in total. The radio landscape in the UK is more diverse than
ever, with listeners having access to more than 20 national radio
stations, 400 local radio stations and 200 community radio stations.
The creation of a community radio landscape is something that the last
Government can genuinely take credit for. In addition, internet radio
makes it possible to listen to a diverse range of radio stations from
across the globe.

We have debated the importance of localness in radio a number of times
in this House and it was certainly a feature of the recent debate on
changes in media ownership rules. Ensuring localness in radio is a key
part of the regulatory regime for commercial radio and Ofcom is
required to ensure that commercial radio produces an appropriate
amount of local material. For many commercial stations, their local
nature is their key differentiator. The location of their studios in
the local high street, and the fact that their presenters travel the
same roads to work as their listeners, allow those stations to speak
more directly to their listeners than some other stations. That is
true of both commercial and BBC services.

However, those local media businesses are competing in an increasingly
global media market, and commercial radio in the UK has seen its total
revenues fall in the past 10 years. So the needs of commercial
businesses and the public policies of localness do not always sit
easily together. Having said that, I am a supporter, for example, of
some of the technology that some commercial radio companies are
introducing to help them to reduce the fixed costs of local studios
and avoid the duplication of resources. But I know that that is not
always popular, as Bob Russell made very clear in a debate that we had
on the localness rules.

I also want to mention briefly the success of community radio, which
was introduced by the last Government in 2004. Community radio has
quickly grown into an important and thriving third tier of radio.
Community services are the embodiment of local radio, with stations
staffed and programmes presented by local volunteers. I am pleased
that, last week, Ofcom announced a further round of licensing for
community radio, so that even more communities can benefit from such
stations. If hon. Members do not have a community radio station in or
near their constituency, I urge them to look into community radio.

[...]

The BBC has launched its internal consultation, "Delivering Quality
First", and the proposed changes to BBC local radio is just one topic
of discussion. As I said, however, there is a bright future for local
news and local content, not only with commercial radio, community
radio and the move towards digital radio, but with a subject that I am
surprised not a single hon. Member has mentioned in the debate-the
advent of local television. Local television will bring a huge rebirth
of local content across communities in this country, and we should see
the first fruits of that initiative early next year.

Hansard source: http://is.gd/vbbHqw

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