GWR Cautiously Welcomes RA’s New Formats

The GWR radio group has welcomed the Radio Authority’s announcement last week to replace its Promises Of Performance with Formats as a means of regulating commercial radio output (see Newsline).

Chief executive of GWR, Ralph Bernard, commented: “We welcome this announcement as a move in the right direction by the Radio Authority, although it remains to be seen how the authority intends to apply this more subjective assessment as to whether a station is meeting its requirements.”

It was hoped by commercial radio operators that the introduction of such a ‘lighter touch’ regulation by the RA would give them more scope to compete with BBC radio stations. Ralph Bernard said of this: “The fact that commercial radio remains bound by format regulation still gives the BBC a massive advantage since BBC Radio is free to change formats with no reference to any outside regulator.”

GWR: 0118 928 4300 Radio Authority: 0171 430 2724