The government has published its Broadcasting white paper which sets out plans to privatise Channel 4, regulate streaming services and protect public service TV with a right to appear on certain platforms.
Radiocentre has released a statement calling for DCMS to ensure that prominence rules are promptly legislated after it failed to guarantee the same protections for radio operators on smart-speakers.
The white paper also outlines further deregulation of commercial radio:
We will - as soon as parliamentary time allows - introduce measures to remove outdated character of service requirements such as music formats and reform the current rules on where local radio programmes are produced, while at the same time strengthening requirements for its vital local news and local information services, including measures which allow for the protection of local news on digital platforms.
While it’s a view that’d ruffle a few feathers on radio forums, and networks have some fine regional presenters, I don’t see how three hours just for the South of England - stretching from Kent down to Dorset - benefits anyone (unless the local revenue it generates outweighs the cost of making it).
Regions of this nature are a "media bubble" concept that ordinary people wouldn’t call home.
In Scotland and Wales, for example, I can see how these shows may have genuine cultural value - but operators should be free to make a decision themselves citing their own research.
How can it be right that local FM is bound by rules that stem from those first imposed fifty years ago when, today, they face an unprecedented level of unregulated/less regulated competition?
Oh, and get rid of those ridiculously petty ownership rules whereby Global & Communicorp or Nation & Bauer etc can’t just share a single regional programme even within approved areas - what purpose do they serve?!
I support the protection of quality, balanced, multi-platform local journalism, especially in this age of social media misinformation.
While newsgathering and production is best left to dedicated individuals on the ground, based within the licence area (no need for premises), on-air bulletins themselves are able to be presented centrally.
For the community sector, there’s a proposed rethink of current restrictions:
While we want to maintain community radio’s model of delivery through community based, not-for-profit companies or charities, we want to look again at the restrictions on advertising revenue that prevent some community radio stations from fully monetising their content. We also want to ensure that there is a much wider availability of community radio services, such as through Ofcom’s digital licensing process, as part of the Government’s broader levelling up agenda.
At the moment, CR ad revenues are either capped at £15k (if there’s overlap with a small locally-based commercial station - now few and far between) or, in most cases, anything more than that amount has to be balanced with income from other sources.
Perhaps good news for well-formatted outlets with a clear proposition and USP.
