Ofcom Awards New Community Radio Licences
Media regulator Ofcom has today announced eighteen new community radio licences, bringing the total number awarded to forty-eight.
The new licences will cover areas of Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham, as well as several smaller towns across the West Midlands and parts of Ireland.
The new community licences will cover small areas with low power transmitters, forming a third tier of radio operating on a not-for-profit basis and complementing each area’s existing mix of commercial and BBC stations.
The characteristics of community radio are distinct from commercial radio in that the services will focus on providing specific social services to benefit particular communities and interest groups.
The creation of community licences was first outlined by Ofcom last year, although the practice has drawn considerable criticism from the commercial radio sector (see Ofcom Out Of Tune Over Community Radio Proposals).
Amongst the concerns of commercial operators is the impact of community stations on advertising revenues, as despite operating on a not-for-profit basis they will still be able to take advertising, thereby denting revenues of competing commercial stations.
Ofcom is currently considering two more applications for licences in the West Yorkshire area, with a decision expected following further work on spectrum availability in the areas.
Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk