UK commercial radio reports “public service” content

Michael Hedges September 22, 2004

CRCA publishes its study of news and community information broadcast by UK commercial stations, adding to OFCOMs review of “public service.”

UK commercial broadcasters provide more than just entertainment, according to a study undertaken by the Commercial Radio Companies Association (CRCA), offering news, weather forecasts and traffic information in addition to music and DJ patter.     

As UK regulator OFCOM continues its review of public service broadcasting and the BBC Charter, commercial broadcasters hope the regulator will take note.

"It is too narrow to define public service broadcasting as that which television or just the BBC transmits,” said CRCAs chief executive Paul Brown, “The value and importance of the work of 280 commercial radio stations across the UK is significant.”

Compared to a similar study conducted four years ago, news content increased by 60% on commercial radio stations to an average of 470 minutes per week. Stations broadcast over two million weather forecasts and 1.4 million traffic reports. Commercial broadcasters raised over £8.5m for charities in the last year, according to the study.

“Commercial radio plays an important role in our society,” said CRCA spokesperson Lisa Kerr in a press statement, “and not merely as an entertainment medium. The station’s relationship with its community of listeners is built on the information broadcast between the tracks.”

OFCOMs review of public service broadcasting will appear a full year ahead of Parliaments 2006 review of the BBC Royal Charter. Both will attempt a definition of “public service.” One possible result, favored by commercial broadcasters, could place the BBC within OFCOMs oversight.

The BBC released a statement (22 September) that OFCOM is reviewing public service television and not public service radio.

“The review does not extend to radio,” said the OFCOM statement covering the review’s objectives, “but will cover new media services to the extent that they are linked to television, such as interactivity and television-related online content. It will also consider other media to the extent to which they affect the fulfilment of public service television purposes.”

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