By: Luke
Plymouth Radio Protest to be debated in Parliament
Maybe, after giving evidence at 11am this morning to the joint CMS/TISC committee session in regard to Ofcom’s Annual Plan 2006/07, Stephen Carter and David Currie will pop along to the Westminster Hall debate at 12.30pm that will discuss Ofcom’s decision to award a licence to Diamond FM in Plymouth.
Drake FM, Plymouth Live and Radio Plymouth Press Release follows -
An adjournment debate has been called in the House of Commons to discuss the recent award of a new local radio licence for the city of Plymouth to Diamond FM, a company wholly owned by an Australian bank.
Leading the debate, on Tuesday 2nd May, is Plymouth MP Linda Gilroy (Labour) who represents a wide body of opinion within the City calling for a close examination of all the circumstances leading to Ofcom�s award which has variously been described as “shocking”, “perverse”, “cynical”, “bizarre” and “enormously damaging to all local radio interests in Britain”.
Diamond FM won the licence, against all expectations, despite having no knowledge of the local area, no local investors or directors, no local support, the bare minimum of research and one hundred percent foreign ownership. Unlike other applicants, they conducted no trial broadcasts to test their format on potential listeners. Industry experts are baffled at how Diamond won the licence against strong competition from three local groups � Drake FM, Plymouth Live and Radio Plymouth, all of them well funded, with deep local knowledge and proven expertise in broadcasting.
Each of the locally based groups spent a minimum of two years in preparing their bids in strict compliance with the Broadcast Act of 1996 and all of Ofcom�s publicly stated requirements. These include clearly expressed evidence of local support for the winning application. Diamond FM openly stated, in their written submission, that they did not �spend any time procuring letters of support� (see page 52 of their application available on the Ofcom website). This is in direct contravention of the written requirement, within the Act, that applicants must provide evidence of local support.
Diamond FM carried out research among less than 500 people from a population of more than 250,000! Their format, to be imposed on the people of Plymouth by Ofcom, is a sound stream of classic rock, despite the fact that much more detailed research, conducted by the local groups, reflected the need for a much more broadly based service
Linda Gilroy�s adjournment debate is supported by Plymouth�s two other MPs Alison Seabeck (Labour) and Gary Streeter (Conservative). Her initiative reflects very strong feelings in the City itself. The Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, representing many local organisations, including the trades unions, sent a powerful protest to Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Her department replied that there was nothing she could do.
The campaign of protest will continue after Tuesday’s parliamentary debate, unless the Department of Trade and Industry indicate that they are willing to intervene and have Ofcom�s decision reversed or re-examined.
The next stage of the parliamentary process will be a formal request that Ofcom�s decision on the Plymouth licence should be examined, in fine detail, by the two select committees who have the power to cross examine Ofcom�s senior executives in public. They are the Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport and the Select Committee for Trade and Industry.
This protest is quite unprecedented in Ofcom�s short history.
A spokesman for the three local groups said:- “It is an outrage that Ofcom, a totally unelected body, can seek to impose upon the people of Plymouth a radio station they do not want”. “This decision has done the most enormous damage to the whole local radio industry in Britain. Ofcom has just sent a clear signal that local groups need not apply”.
This Press Release is authorised by the chairmen of Drake FM, Plymouth Live and Radio Plymouth.
For further information please call 01872 520142
Aug 16th 2007
Yes, from a parochially British point of view this could be a tad disturbing. From a parochially British point of view.
Introductions - I’ve spent nearly 23 years closely working in and researching the Australian radio industry, I’m a third generation Australian citizen (from the Hampshire Minchin family branch) and I profess a certain “inside knowledge” as to the way Diamond will go about their business. First, some backgrounder:
* Australia has had commercial radio for many more decades than Britain;
* Australia has had dedicated “rock FM” radio (as opposed to “Radio 1″ style pop-rock) for more years than Britain (particularly with the Triple J and Triple M networks, by the way Diamond will probably draw much influence from the latter);
* Australian rock radio holds its own to a large degree in highly competitive markets (the Triple M networks & 96 FM Perth are in our “Top Five” media markets, and on many many occasions they’ve topped the surveys, although this has been admittedly largely due to most of the competition not being allowed to convert from AM or AM-FM simulcast);
* Australian rock radio is often refreshingly diverse (yes, its core content is “pub banger” bands like AC-DC, INXS and Bon Jovi but the diversity can frequently skew as wide as Talking Heads, David Bowie, Melissa Etheridge and the Manics) with Triple M Brisbane even broadcasting regular REAL ESTATE BUYING GUIDANCE AND SPORTS TALK / TALKBACK PROGRAMMING!; and
* Australians PASSIONATELY BELIEVE IN LOCALLY DRIVEN AND DETERMINED MEDIA, ALMOST TO A MAN / WOMAN (while you’ll find Macquarie owns this station that will probably be the start of a British MRW portfolio - they call their stations down here Macquarie Radio Works, or MRW) and you may find they even actively canvass Plymouth locals for most, if not all, the positions at the station. You don’t need me to tell you that when it comes to “drop’n'drag” network feed relayed radio, those uppity colonials aren’t exactly Robinson Crusoe - WE also try and keep it “live and local” (a popular and almost always apt Australian radio marketing phrase! But it was a little brusque for the Mac to skimp on some of that prep research, it is courteous to put in some sort of effort there!)
I also believe there may be “favourable racist” treatment going on here - if the ownership had been 100% French, or Italian, or even maybe American, then the application wouldn’t have probably stood a hope in hell of getting approved. Due to the strong racial and cultural bonds, Australians are often treated as a “special case” in your land (and vice versa). There’s a saying down here: “Put up or shut up.” I believe that when Diamond PUTS UP what will be a bloody tightly run and listenable product after the most proficient and well-established Australian professional media style, most of the detractors at all levels of the industry will SHUT UP - so “put up AND shut up”, as it were.
Anyway, you have very widespread digital radio there (and just on that, eternal credit to Ofcom and all other parties involved), and I really hope that ALL THE OTHER THREE APPLICANTS manage to make it onto that band one day - and soon - should there be no more FM spectrum space left in the Plymouth area! If these applicants TRULY BELIEVE in their product and can obtain solid long-term backing, this service provision is, for mine, inevitable.
Thanks for your time, I invite cordial virus-free replies from ANYWHERE and TOOHEYS CHEERS FROM STU (its a beer thing, had to include that or they’ll rip up my passport)!!!