No censorship - unless we want to censor it

Johnny Depp’s libel case against The Sun and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, has commenced at the High Court today.

Wootton began his talkRADIO show this afternoon by declaring it a "no censorship" zone. Now, no-one is expecting him or anyone else to comment on a live court case, but surely the station is running this story in its news bulletins (as the BBC, Global and others have done)? Of course not! I call that "censorship".

In 2015, Global advised its stations not to report on the HSBC scandal - in which the bank’s Swiss arm helped wealthy customers conceal millions of dollars in assets and dodge taxes - for "editorial reasons".

A name is what you make of it

All credit to Global for its continued success, having built up Capital as a powerhouse national CHR brand.

I didn't understand why this particular name was rolled out across the country in the first place. Galaxy was growing and other heritage stations were rebranded without hesitation. Capital didn’t mean anything outside London.

Fast-forward nine years and the word is now synonymous with youth, trends and hit music - proving the point that a name is what you make of it and the strength of a brand is down to how you pitch it.

We are the capital of hit music, that's how we view the brand.

BBC Local cuts: here we go again

The BBC is to cut 139 jobs in Local Radio as it keeps the standardised schedule format introduced in March and creates a new network late show.

Gutted for the many trusted voices and their teams. I just hope the many loyal older listeners about to lose their favourite presenter(s) will continue to feel welcome and heard by the new network shows.

Local radio is expensive but could be more cost-effective with fewer managers and smaller, equally committed, teams.

I wholeheartedly support BBC LR but it mustn’t lose focus on the core 50+ demographic and certainly mustn't think it can serve everyone with some hybrid music & content policy. Even further decline would result in calls to axe which I wouldn’t want to see.

While quality local news and information is a hugely valued aspect, in order to thrive, it ultimately needs to be a true friend of those who value it most.

In February 2020, when Storm Dennis hit, not only did Radio York and Radio Leeds share the latest fact-checked information such as travel news and official advice from the authorities, they put an arm around listeners with reassuring words.

See also this moving letter from an elderly listener sent to Radio Solent after he passed away to say how much his favourite station meant to him, this heart-breaking account from Radio Cornwall and the Make a Difference campaign, including offering free DAB radio sets to vulnerable people over 70.

There’s also never been a better time for more collaboration with community radio, especially where the BBC station covers a large region and is unable to do hyperlocal in the same way. After all, vital public service output is precisely the purpose your licence fee serves.

Community Media Association members have been given free access to BBC content this year. Equally, when quality audio is produced by a community project (including those with no FM/DAB broadcast), the BBC can broadcast it. I believe partnering with local organisations generally is key to CR success.

The broadcast and podcast overlap

David Lloyd wrote last autumn:

Are we suggesting that a quality half-hour of audio material which attracts thousands of attentive downloads can’t be called radio just because it’s not been transmitted? And yet if it’s broadcast in the middle of the night on FM to one man and a dog, it is suddenly radio. And if a human being curates a great - and genuine - online-only radio station, it's not really radio, it's just pretending?

Petersfield Community Radio's daily round-up of essential local information available on demand has been a must-listen for many in the same way as a traditional breakfast show - so why shouldn’t we call it "radio"?

The Oxford and Cambridge dictionary definitions of "radio" are almost identical:

Oxford: The activity or industry of broadcasting sound programmes to the public.

Cambridge: The system or work of broadcasting sound programmes for the public to listen to.

Cambridge seems to have kept up with the times better than Oxford based on the definitions of "broadcast":

Oxford: Transmit (a programme or some information) by radio or television.

Cambridge: To send out a programme on television or radio, or over the internet.

In fact, "send out" could be interpreted as linear or on-demand.

Changing the subject slightly, Mick on Twitter observes that online-only stations are using "FM" in their names which I've never understood. You wouldn't call an email a letter.

I appreciate many listeners crowbar an "FM" onto the end of every station name as if it's just an abbreviation for radio, but it makes no sense to confuse people by having a platform they can't find you on as part of your brand. It's nothing but anorakky.

No one-size-fits-all for ILR

Why is Bauer preserving Pirate FM and Lincs FM as standalone stations - like Wave 105 - when other acquired brands with just as much heritage (e.g. Spire, Eagle, Yorkshire Coast) will disappear?

The company says it will only rebrand stations where it sees an opportunity to increase listeners by doing so and that retaining the likes of Hallam, Metro and Radio City is the best way to maximise their audiences.

For the Hits Radio Network, which produces a mixed bag of figures, it would clearly be risky to radically change key revenue drivers.

No decision will have been taken lightly but clearly cuts are necessary in these times. Bauer says the distinct cultures of Cornwall and Lincolnshire have led to its decision not to rebrand.

Pirate, Lincs and Wave, together with all Hits/GHR stations, are being sold as part of the Hits Radio Brand Network to agencies so they’re meeting increased demand for simplified national ad campaigns.

Initially, I thought Bauer would be more radical and, at least, align Wave 105 with one of the two networks and Nation’s Sam FM South Coast becomes the other brand leaving Fire Radio (and potentially The Breeze South) as KISS.

Again, Wave is a powerhouse regional and, especially considering the industry-wide revenue decline we’re facing, I can see how it’s too much of a gamble right now.

It’s worth noting that while heritage certainly adds value through familiarity, favourability and trust, it can also have negative perceptions such as being deemed uncool or old-fashioned by younger demographics and uninviting to former listeners who’ve gone elsewhere for whatever reason.

It can also maintain undeserving RAJAR reach. If I can’t recall the station I was listening to, I’ll select one that immediately springs to mind and, perhaps, whose brand I have affection for (because I grew up with it etc) - which always begs the question of whether or not a heritage station’s figures are an entirely valid assessment of its output.

People become attached to things that have been a constant during certain periods of their lives. Some rebrands perform better than others. Ultimately, nobody chooses based on a name alone, it’s what is made of it and whether the product delivers for them that matters.

Is there a future for non-newstalk speech radio?

As a loyal listener to Iain Lee and Katherine Boyle’s weird and wonderful night-time antics on talkRADIO, I’m deeply saddened that The Late Night Alternative has come to a sudden end as Iain’s contract hasn’t been renewed.

For the last four years, the multi-ARIA winning phone-in has been a welcome three hours of escapism offering a sanctuary of fun and games together with real human stories and several life-saving calls. It was one of the last remaining "anything goes" phone-in shows on UK radio.

When Global acquired LBC 97.3 from Chrysalis, Nick Ferrari had the breakfast peak and it made sense for them to focus on newstalk ahead of going national.

Consistency is a key element of most successful radio stations in today’s well-targeted media landscape and obviously has a place.

However, I'm a passionate believer in the value of surprise. It doesn't get more exciting than when you literally can’t switch off in fear of missing whatever might happen next.

Speech radio has historically been very expensive and loss-making. Just a few months ago, News UK - part of billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire - argued talkRADIO had "very limited" income and relied on internal sponsorship revenue in a sleazy attempt to dodge a £75k Ofcom penalty.

In late 2007, Channel 4 sold its controlling stake in Oneword Radio back to UBC for £1 with the "commercial alternative to Radio 4" (books, drama, comedy etc) reportedly losing around £1m a year. It closed in January 2008.

News UK has just announced the launch date and schedule for Times Radio, also being touted as a R4 rival. The difference is its owner’s virtually limitless budget (so much so it’ll be ad break-free) and ability to cross-promote in a well-established newspaper.

Although Times Radio is likely to feature more non-newstalk content than any other speech station, given the newspaper's credentials and the business model being based on driving digital subscriptions, it couldn't be further from the likes of Iain Lee, Jon Holmes and Tommy Boyd.

Niche stations serving smaller audiences are now being launched on DAB with minimal running costs - as working from home is showing, it’s possible to make savings by thinking outside the box.

As we explore new models, is there really no gap in the market for speech radio that’s not current affairs or sport? The success and continued growth of podcasts may suggest otherwise.

talkRADIO launched under different ownership (UTV) with barely any marketing. It debuted with a respectable 224k in RAJAR Q2 2016. The shift towards mostly news-driven programming has, inevitably, happened under News UK.

Is there an opportunity to be had?

Another word on ILR

My thoughts on today's consolidation announcement from Bauer.

Understandably, those who share a love of these heritage brands are mourning their loss. I grew up with Eagle locally and I’ve been lucky enough to know lovely folks at Spire and Spirit amongst other successful local stations that will always hold a special place in my heart.

While posters on radio forums are far from being representative of most listeners (and I’d question how many of them actually listened regularly) obviously there will be genuine sadness among loyal listeners as their favourite presenters leave - every time it happens, an outpouring in texts and on social media. Of course, this is not unique to radio.

Think of Woolworths, Blockbuster and, at a local level, that bakery on the corner or the library.

How DARE they close the library? It’s a disgrace!

Everybody wants to save it regardless of whether or not they used it.

When commercial radio launched in the 70s, heavily regulated with very few stations (generally one in each area), it faced little to no competition from other media.

When celebrating local success, we lose sight of this fact. If you lived on Mars and there was only one chippie, where would you go for your fish and chips?

Interestingly, with most ILR (the overwhelming majority in a few months) part of big groups, the overall reach of these licences has hardly changed since Global and Bauer first rebranded and/or increased networking.

It’s amazing that, in this rapidly advancing world, our great medium is still consumed by some 89% of the population.

Listeners enjoy more choice than ever before thanks to DAB/DAB+ - and commercial radio has never had more listeners than it does today - but this has increased the pressure already on smaller stations from rival media.

Without powerhouses to take on the BBC and new competitors, commercial radio’s future would look pretty bleak - and with the only INR on FM being a classical music station, consolidation was the only option. Global has set the bar high and now Bauer wants a slice of the pie.

Both groups retain quality, balanced multi-platform local journalism which is vital to our democracy and in the fight against fake news. Some believe it’s about doing the bare minimum - if that were the case, they wouldn’t bother with digital content. It’s also good for reach and adds credibility.

While research suggests news is still of strong interest, above all, listeners want to be entertained. Radio as a platform is not the go-to for essential information like it once was.

Ask anyone in the street what they want from a LOCAL radio station and they’ll say “local news, traffic (etc)” - things it is renowned for providing - but if you ask what they want from a radio station generally they’ll say entertaining/interesting output.

Greatest Hits Radio has a strong lineup and fills what was before a surprising gap in the market.