This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Media
UKRD boss cautions over too much further radio rule reform
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 8 July 2014
Despite in the past calling for a reform of UK radio industry regulations himself, the boss of independent radio firm UKRD has cautioned against too much further relaxation of the rules. William Rogers’ comments follow a speech from new RadioCentre CEO Siobhan Kenny last week who called on the government to further reduce content restrictions on AM and FM radio stations.
The commercial radio sector’s trade body reckons that broadcasters should have more flexibility to alter the output of their stations now that they compete with a plethora of new online music and information services But Rogers says that – while big players like Global Radio and Bauer may be pushing for most if not all OfCom licensing restrictions on content output to be removed – companies like his reckon some of the rules should remain.
The big dispute between the Globals and UKRDs of this world is really on how much locally-produced content stations using local licences should be obliged to provide. The bigger radio groups have generally networked more of the content going out on local AMs and FMs than the likes of UKRD, with Global – of course – having rebranded its local stations so that they are outposts of national networks like Capital and Heart.
According to Radio Today, on talk of further local radio regulation reform, Rogers says: “Any further substantial de-regulation of the regulatory regime for local commercial radio needs to be undertaken with great caution. There is no question that there is an increasing detachment taking place between local stations and their local communities and we are not in favour of a further substantial erosion of this relationship. Furthermore, I don’t believe politicians will be either”.
He goes on: “Local commercial radio licences are granted to businesses by Ofcom so that they can serve specific local communities and if there is a further move which allows too much erosion of this relationship, there will be little point in having local commercial radio licences of this nature at all. Of course there needs to be some flexibility and discretion in terms of geographical areas and management of them but there is a point at which the very essence of genuinely local commercial radio becomes threatened and that is not something we can or will support”.
Some in the commercial radio sector are currently caught in a tricky position, because key FM licences are coming up for renewal in 2017. And with the FM network now seemingly here for the foreseeable future (at one point some thought the DAB digital network would have superseded it by now), the current licensees are going to be very keen to keep those frequencies. To that end they want licences distributed based on quality of content and not just to the highest bidder. But at the same time are trying to get as many content restrictions removed from licences as possible. Fun times.
