PRESS RELEASE: 20 July 2009

  ‘Broadcasting success story’ at risk

  The 20th July marks the fifth anniversary of 
the legislation that enabled Community Radio to 
start broadcasting.  Since then more than 200 
community radio services have been licensed and 
around 150 are on air, creating around 400 jobs, 
involving over 10,000 volunteers, and serving a 
potential audience of more than 10 million people.

Ofcom’s latest Annual Report hailed community 
radio as “one of the great UK broadcasting 
success stories of the last few years”, but that 
success could turn to failure if much needed 
Government support is not forthcoming, according 
to community radio groups and their supporters.

The Community Radio Fund is described by Steve 
Buckley, Director of Sheffield Live! 93.2FM as 
“.. woefully inadequate”  and he’s heading a plea 
for a fair share of Government funding 
arrangements for broadcasting.  Buckley says the 
new sector is in a precarious situation:  “Six 
stations have failed to launch, three have handed 
back their licences. Others are at high risk. 
This is not only a result of the recession but is 
a direct consequence of a failure in government policy.”

An open letter has been written to the Prime 
Minister, Gordon Brown, signed by 82 community 
radio leaders, media scholars and experts 
including representatives of 60 community radio 
stations, in a bid to raise awareness of the 
threat to community radio.  The Government’s own 
assessment, in 2003, was that the Community Radio 
Fund would need £3-4 million per annum, but only 
£500k was provided in the first year of operation 
and there has been no further increase, despite 
rapid growth in the number of community radio stations.

  209radio in Cambridge is one of the operating 
stations that have been badly affected by 
restrictions on advertising income and 
operational delays from Ofcom; its Station 
Manager Karl Hartland says: “There’s an urgent 
need for the community radio sector to be given a 
more sustainable economic base, especially in 
light of the work we do with communities in a 
climate of shrinking public spending. To put it 
in context, the money available today through the 
Community Radio Fund to help support the 
operating costs of 150+ community radio stations 
is less than the annual salary of a BBC Radio 1 breakfast DJ.”

Despite the plaudits and awards for community 
radio, the UK financial settlement compares 
poorly with our European neighbouring countries. 
France, for example, provides around Euro 25 
million per annum for around 600 community 
stations. Community radio groups and their 
supporters are calling for the government to give 
a higher priority to community radio its social 
and economic benefit by substantially increasing 
the government's contribution to the Community Radio Fund.


-ends-



For further information contact:

Steve Buckley (Sheffield Live! 93.2 FM)

Office: 0114 2201426 ; Mobile: 07801 945037

<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]



Karl Hartland (209radio on 105 FM)

Mobile 07968 898254

<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]



Notes:

1. The letter is available online at 
http://www.sheffieldlive.org/lettertogordonbrown

2. The Community Radio Order 2004 came into force 
on 20 July 2004. The government is currently 
conducting a review of the Order, as part of the 
Digital Britain consultation. A public 
consultation paper on the Community Radio Order 
2004 was published by the Department for Culture, 
Media and Sport on 16 June 2009, with a closing date of 16 August.

3. The government has published (also on 16 June 
2009, as part of the Digital Britain 
consultation) a separate consultation paper on 
plans to ringfence 3.5% of the television licence 
fee to fund local and regional news and other 
essential public service content priorities. This 
separate consultation on funding closes 22 September 2009.

4. The Communications Act 2003 provides, in 
Section 359, for a Community Radio Fund. In a 
regulatory impact assessment paper at the time 
the government estimated this would not cost more 
than £3-4 million per annum. It commenced in 
2005/06 at a level of £500,000 and has not been 
increased since. The number of community radio 
licences has grown from 14 to over 200.