Radio Authority Agrees To Programming Changes At Premier

The Radio Authority has agreed to amend Premier Radio’s Promise of Performance after a request from the station. This is the part of the Radio Authority license which describes the character of service a station has to provide.

Premier Radio will now be allowed to broadcast an increased amount of music, with a speech/music ratio of 35/65 instead of the previous limit of 60/40. A minimum of 40% of this music will continue to be drawn from categories described as ‘Christian Easy Listening’ or ‘Contemporary Christian Worship’.

The request from Premier, which launched in June ’95, comes after restructuring of management and staff and a funding appeal. Figures from RAJAR for Quarter 3 show that the station managed an average weekly reach of 210,000 listeners, or 2%, and a 0.4% share of listening.

The Authority’s Chief Executive, Tony Stoller, commented; “The Authority is permitted to make such alterations on the grounds that they will not substantially alter the character of the service or they will not narrow therange of programmes available. The Authority agreed that the distinctive character of Premier Radio’s service would still be maintained. The revised Promise of Performance sets out the new levels of speech and music content whilst safeguarding the existing style of music played and the continuance of particular key programme elements.”

Radio Authority: 0171 430 2724