I’ve been in London for the past few days, finishing off my interviews / fieldwork for my research on Ofcom.

Whilst I was here, Ofcom published its Draft Annual Plan 2008/09. It looks reasonable enough — but I suppose the important thing to watch is the level of interest from stakeholders and the public.

Last year Ofcom’s draft plan consultation only garnered 28 comments, way down from the previous two years. I attended the follow-on oversight session before Parliament in April 2007, and it was apparent very few of the MPs were that interested in the plan.

So, will 2008 be any better? Ofcom are taking the Annual Plan on tour to a town or city near you. Register here. Will it be like the Spice Girls — half-empty seats? Or Led Zeppelin? Or maybe — like Amy Winehouse — Ed Richards will stumble off the stage to a chorus of boos?

This ties in with the overall question of whether Ofcom sometimes completely miss their target with consultations. It happens. By way of example: just this week someone from the industry pointed me to the Ofcom project - New News, Future News. It’s quite funny to see how many respected news providers — including the industry leaders (both UK and global) in both print and broadcasting completely ignored it.

~ Stay tuned…