30th May 2024
There's just two weeks left before Ofcom's consultation on proposed changes to community radio stations key commitments closes.
Ofcom is today proposing to simplify and streamline some of the regulatory requirements on community radio stations, so services can focus on delivering social gain for their local communities.
Specifically, the consultation focussed on varying community radio licences to afford stations greater flexibility with regard to their' Key Commitments – which describe the service they are required to provide.
At present, Ofcom considers that the current format of Key Commitments focuses too heavily on specific quotas, taking focus away from the character of service and social gain requirements. Feedback from the community radio sector that overly prescriptive Key Commitments can divert resources from vital aspects of their services.
The proposals are to ensure that licensees have more flexibility to determine how best to serve their community, while ensuring appropriate rules remain in place to protect the overarching character of a service. To do this, Ofcom are proposing to remove specific quotas on:
- the types of programming to be broadcast – for example, the main types of music and speech output;
- the number of hours of original output broadcast each week; and
- the number of hours of locally produced output.
They are also proposing specific safeguards to ensure that, for stations which broadcast in non-English languages, these languages are specified in the character of their service.
The consultation closes on Thursday 13th June 2024 and you can submit your views on the Ofcom website.