| Titre : | The future of small scale radio - A research report for Ofcom | | Type de document : | document électronique | | Auteurs : | Essential Research Ltd (London, Grande-Bretagne), Editeur scientifique | | Editeur : | London [Grande-Bretagne] : OFCOM (Office of communication) | | Année de publication : | 2011 | | Importance : | 72 p. | | Format : | Document numérique | | Langues : | Français | | Catégories : | MEDIAS:AUDIOVISUEL: RADIO
| | Tags : | radio rapport OFCOM régulation audience fréquence | | Index. décimale : | 384.54 Radio | | Résumé : | Pages 3 + 4 :
"Background and Objectives:
There are around 500 local non-BBC stations licensed in the UK, broadcasting on FM or AM. Around 150 of these could be classified as national, “large local” or regional stations, serving populations in excess of 250,000 and covering county-sized areas or large towns or cities. The remaining 350 or so stations can be described as small local stations. They fall into two main categories, according to the way they are licensed.
• Around 140 of them are commercial stations, whose primary aim is to make profits for their shareholders, which they do by selling advertising. They are governed by licence conditions which require them to provide a certain amount of local programming. They also use this local programming to differentiate themselves from their commercial competitors that cover larger areas. Many of these stations have been broadcasting for a number of years.
• The remaining 200 or so are community stations. This is a relatively new type of station and almost all have been broadcasting for less than five years. These must be not for profit and must be funded by a diversity of funding sources: there is a limit of 50% on the proportion of their funding that can come from on-air advertising and sponsorship, and many receive funding in the form of grants from public and other bodies. They have included in their licences conditions which require them to provide “social gain” in the form of community information, accessibility for audiences and accountability to their local community. Some serve communities defined purely by geography; others serve more targeted local communities of interest, such as specific ethnic groups.
Both of these types of small-scale station have been under financial pressure due to declining advertising revenues and more recently, declining public funding. The Government is currently developing a Digital Radio Action Plan which is considering how national and large local stations might migrate to digital-only broadcasting at some point in the future. Small-scale radio stations, both commercial and community, would remain on FM. The Government is also planning to introduce a new Communications Bill in the next few years which could seek to change the way that small-scale radio is regulated.
The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of how much listeners value each type of small-scale radio in terms of the benefits they provide and to seek their opinions on the possible changes in the licensing and regulatory models currently applied to such services. Ofcom commissioned Essential Research to conduct the research and this report details its findings. The specific research objectives were as follows:
• To establish why people are listening to small-scale stations and what the unique benefits of these stations are
• To explore the social value of small-scale stations to individual listeners and communities as a whole
• To explore the different benefits and impacts of different types of small-scale station – small commercial vs. community, geographic vs. specialist
• To help test and refine three future policy scenarios within this sector, should relaxation in regulation be required to ensure their financial viability: o More advertising and other commercial activity
o Less of a specific station focus – i.e. becoming more mainstream in terms of programming
o Less participation by the station in the community "
| | Note de contenu : | SOMMAIRE :
1. Background and Objectives
2. Methodology and Sample
3. Research Findings:
a) The value of small-scale stations: the listener perspective
b) Differences between community and small commercial stations
c) Policy scenarios: response
4. Conclusions
5. Appendix
| | En ligne : | http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/radio-research/smallradio.pdf |
The future of small scale radio - A research report for Ofcom [document électronique] / Essential Research Ltd (London, Grande-Bretagne), Editeur scientifique . - London (Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 9HA, Grande-Bretagne) : OFCOM (Office of communication), 2011 . - 72 p. ; Document numérique. Langues : Français | Catégories : | MEDIAS:AUDIOVISUEL: RADIO
| | Tags : | radio rapport OFCOM régulation audience fréquence | | Index. décimale : | 384.54 Radio | | Résumé : | Pages 3 + 4 :
"Background and Objectives:
There are around 500 local non-BBC stations licensed in the UK, broadcasting on FM or AM. Around 150 of these could be classified as national, “large local” or regional stations, serving populations in excess of 250,000 and covering county-sized areas or large towns or cities. The remaining 350 or so stations can be described as small local stations. They fall into two main categories, according to the way they are licensed.
• Around 140 of them are commercial stations, whose primary aim is to make profits for their shareholders, which they do by selling advertising. They are governed by licence conditions which require them to provide a certain amount of local programming. They also use this local programming to differentiate themselves from their commercial competitors that cover larger areas. Many of these stations have been broadcasting for a number of years.
• The remaining 200 or so are community stations. This is a relatively new type of station and almost all have been broadcasting for less than five years. These must be not for profit and must be funded by a diversity of funding sources: there is a limit of 50% on the proportion of their funding that can come from on-air advertising and sponsorship, and many receive funding in the form of grants from public and other bodies. They have included in their licences conditions which require them to provide “social gain” in the form of community information, accessibility for audiences and accountability to their local community. Some serve communities defined purely by geography; others serve more targeted local communities of interest, such as specific ethnic groups.
Both of these types of small-scale station have been under financial pressure due to declining advertising revenues and more recently, declining public funding. The Government is currently developing a Digital Radio Action Plan which is considering how national and large local stations might migrate to digital-only broadcasting at some point in the future. Small-scale radio stations, both commercial and community, would remain on FM. The Government is also planning to introduce a new Communications Bill in the next few years which could seek to change the way that small-scale radio is regulated.
The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of how much listeners value each type of small-scale radio in terms of the benefits they provide and to seek their opinions on the possible changes in the licensing and regulatory models currently applied to such services. Ofcom commissioned Essential Research to conduct the research and this report details its findings. The specific research objectives were as follows:
• To establish why people are listening to small-scale stations and what the unique benefits of these stations are
• To explore the social value of small-scale stations to individual listeners and communities as a whole
• To explore the different benefits and impacts of different types of small-scale station – small commercial vs. community, geographic vs. specialist
• To help test and refine three future policy scenarios within this sector, should relaxation in regulation be required to ensure their financial viability: o More advertising and other commercial activity
o Less of a specific station focus – i.e. becoming more mainstream in terms of programming
o Less participation by the station in the community "
| | Note de contenu : | SOMMAIRE :
1. Background and Objectives
2. Methodology and Sample
3. Research Findings:
a) The value of small-scale stations: the listener perspective
b) Differences between community and small commercial stations
c) Policy scenarios: response
4. Conclusions
5. Appendix
| | En ligne : | http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/radio-research/smallradio.pdf |
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