Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Deferred
Paragraph: 70
We welcome the Government’s indication that there will be support for local TV in the...
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s indication that there will be support for local TV in the forthcoming Media Bill and are glad that provisions concerning radio now also look to be included. We also welcome the Minister’s indication that the Community Radio Fund (CRF) will be increased to reflect the growth of the sector. We recommend that the Government should explore how the expanded CRF, as well as other existing journalism support schemes, could be used to help community radio conduct more local journalism.
Government Response Summary
While the government agrees on the vital local service that community radio provides, the wider economic context did not provide scope for an increase to the Community Radio Fund in the most recent Spending Review, but this will be considered in future discussions.
Paragraph Reference:
70
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
As noted in the report of the joint government / industry Digital Radio and Audio Review, the community radio sector has gone from strength to strength since the first stations were licensed in 2002 under the ‘Access Radio’ pilot scheme. We agree with the Review’s conclusions as to the vital local service that the sector provides, and are committed to supporting its continued growth. While the wider economic context did not, in the light of other competing demands on taxpayer funding, provide scope for an increase to the Community Radio Fund in the most recent Spending Review, targeted uplifts have been applied to the Fund in each of the last three financial years, in reflection of the huge contribution that community radio stations make within their localities. The Fund has also recently been externally evaluated, with the report (published in March 2022) highlighting the excellent work being done in the sector. That evaluation, in addition to the recommendations of this inquiry, will inform future discussions about the level of the Fund and its priorities in supporting the community radio sector. In addition, Ofcom- licensed community radio stations (as well as commercial and BBC services) will benefit from the provisions in the draft Media Bill supporting UK radio’s access to its listeners via smart speakers and other connected audio devices.