the community radio toolkit

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again, there’s very little leeway from Ofcom over breaches of  rules on election coverage, and with local elections coming up in May it’s time to refresh your memories of the regulations here

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/guidance/programme-guidance/bguidance/bguidance-archive/ppbrules2/

and most importantly – remind your broadcasters!  We all know how easy it is for a passionate local presenter to get carried away on an issue and in the run up to elections extra caution on ‘comment’ must be exercised.  The Toolkit has a section on Broadcasting Politics here http://www.communityradiotoolkit.net/feature/ – just scroll down.

That said – dont let our words of caution put you off political coverage – if community radio cant, who can?  It just needs to be done right.

No Comments | In: News | | #

The first round for funding applications in 2013/14 will open on 9 April 2013 and close at 5pm on 8 May 2013.

The Community Radio Fund Panel will meet to consider applications on Tuesday 2 July 2013.

Grants can only be made to community radio licensees in the United Kingdom who are broadcasting under a community radio licence (and not an SRSL or only over the internet, for example).

The latest application form and guidance notes are available on the
Ofcom website here:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/radio/community-radio-fund/

Please also see statements detailing the outcome of previous Panel meetings.

NB (from Phil K) – to attempt to make an application and not read the guidance notes is not helpful to anyone – least of all you.  The guidance is derived from the work of the funding panel – who actually want as many good quality applications as possible – and is clearly written.   We would further advise – and yes this common sense – to read the application form very thoroughly and answer the questions.  We’re not being patronising here – you’d be amazed by the number of people that dont.

For further information, please contact Ofcom’s Community Radio Team
via email: community.radio@ofcom.org.uk or by telephone 020 7981 3886.

Good luck!

No Comments | In: News | | #

Heads Together Productions is putting a call out for people interested in delivering training for two community radio projects:

1. ELFM in East Leeds, and
2. Two Valleys Radio in Kirklees

With both community radio projects developing strongly and with new opportunities on offer for both; HTP are currently looking for new people to deliver training in the following areas:

• Broadcast Skills: enabling people to design and deliver the whole range of radio programmes and broadcasts
• Citizen Journalism: giving someone a microphone (together with some training and support) gives them the opportunity to go anywhere and ask anyone anything. The concept of citizen journalists is at the heart of our radio work.
• Music Making: All aspects of playing, composing, song-writing, stagecraft, recording… Anything that helps to develop people’s musical abilities and give them as many opportunities to use their skills as possible.
• Radio Drama: the more radio drama we offer, the more people want to do it.

HTP need help to deliver a range of opportunities with a broad range of groups and are looking for people who enjoy working with a range of people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities. HTP deliver in partnership with schools as well as running mixed groups of volunteers.

For more information, and application process, please click here.

No Comments | In: News | | #

Momentum for Change: 14 years of community broadcasting for development with Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)

Web version:

http://zunia.org/node/322536

http://www.scribd.com/doc/119294818/Momentum-for-Change-Community-Radio-in-Bangladesh

It gives me a great pleasure to present you the Momentum for Change: Community Radio in Bangladesh – Voice of Rural People.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) has been struggling for the last 14 years to open up the community broadcasting including Community Radio, Community Television and giving emphasis on its vital role as voices of the voiceless people. BNNRC has been addressing the community radio, community TV and community film access issue. For helping to bridge the information gap of rural Bangladesh.

Now 14 Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 120 hours program per day on information, education, local entertainment and development motivation activities. Around 536 youth & youth-women are now working with those stations throughout the country as rural broadcasters.
The reality of today is that the bondage between the community people and local-level community radio stations are getting strengthened day-by-day. Community Radio has now become their part of life. Community Radio becomes the improving for the life & livelihood of the rural people.
Besides BNNRC has been awarded affiliate membership with Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) & Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union(ABU) for knowledge exchange and resource sharing in regional and global level.
BNNRC has initiated a process to explore the future of development cooperation and the role of community broadcasting over the next 15 years, and we already have a new challenge! While we are in the process to set up Community Media News Agency (CMNA), Community Media Academy (CMA) & online web portal for community radio at national level.

In this opportunity, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Government, Development Partners, Academia, Researchers, Media, CSOs and Initiators taking interest on issue of community broadcasting for development in Bangladesh.

We invite you to join in our STRUGGLE! We hope you are – or will become one of our future partners for promoting community broadcasting in Bangladesh.

Let’s all do our part to build Momentum for Change in Bangladesh through Community Broadcasting.

AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)
[NGO in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council]
&
Head, Community Media Academy

House: 13/1, Road: 2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207 Bangladesh
Phone: +88-02-9130750 , +88-02-9138501 , Cell: +88 01711881647
Fax: 88-02-9138501-105,
E-mail: ceo@bnnrc.net, bnnrcbd@gmail.com www.bnnrc.net

This post was submitted by bnnrc.

No Comments | In: Community Submitted News | tags: community radio. | #

Tudno FM is proud to announce that our five year license has been extended until 2018 by regulators OFCOM.

This momentous decision means that the station can continue to grow and promote other charitable organisations.

We would like to thank all the volunteers, funders and importantly, the listeners that have made the station what it is today, without you all, we would not have been awarded the 5 year extension on the licence!

By granting us this extension, OFCOM have shown that they have faith in us to continue to grow and prosper!

www.tudnofm.com

This post was submitted by DylanBarlow.

No Comments | In: Community Submitted News | | #

[Via the Community Media Association]

BBC Audio & Music is seeking to develop its relationship with communities across the UK by developing partnerships with community radio stations.  The department is offering a limited number of two-week work placements to gain new contacts, stories and experiences.   The BBC would also see this as developmental for the successful candidates.  If you are passionate about Radio and understand what it’s like to have worked at a community radio station for at least 1 year and can provide a recommendation from your Station Manager or equivalent then please read on.

Part of the Audio & Music Strategy is to get people who work in community radio to work as part of the radio networks. Audio & Music is offering work experience in the following areas of the BBC:

Audio & Music Production
A&M Production is part of the Audio & Music division. The departments which make up A&M Production are: Arts & Science, General Factual, Drama & London Drama, A&M North, A&M Birmingham, A&M Bristol, Classical Music TV, TV Music Entertainment and A&M Operations. Together the departments employ some 700 staff across bases in London, Birmingham, Bristol and Salford.

1) Audio & Music Production North (Factual) based in Salford

A&M Production North makes a diverse range of content mainly for Radio 4 but also for Radio 3 and World Service. The department broadcasts live strands (You & Yours and Woman’s Hour), produce pre-recorded strands (Counterpoint, Round Britain Quiz, Brain of Britain, Pick of the Week, The Verb, Heart and Soul) and also make a number of ad hoc documentaries for Radio 4.

The successful applicant may gain experience assisting the team of Production Co-ordinators in providing logistical support to the production teams across all output. This could involve assisting with preparation of scripts, responding to listener correspondence, digital file management, transport and studio bookings, collecting studio guests and completing both live and pre-recorded studio production and post production paperwork.

This placement offers mainly admin based experience yet offers the opportunity to experience a diverse range of radio production. Candidates who wish to pursue a career as a Production Co-ordinator may gain the most from this placement.

2) Audio & Music Factual Departmental Runner based in London (July placement only)

The placement involves working in the General Factual programme making area – in particular on two of the department’s daily live programmes, Woman’s Hour and Outlook, and its weekly programmes The Media Show and Fifth Floor. You should get an overall insight into how radio productions are put together whilst actively taking part behind the scenes.

You should have an enthusiastic approach to repetitive tasks, as well as being literate, flexible and highly motivated. With good interpersonal skills, you’ll enjoy working as part of a team and have the ability to use your initiative and be proactive. You will need a developed telephone manner and computer literacy is important.

BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 6 Music

Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, featuring a rich and diverse talent roster including Chris Evans, Graham Norton and Jo Whiley, and showcasing a diverse range of music and live music from folk to blues, jazz to pop.

6 Music celebrates the alternative spirit of music from the 1960s to the present and reaches a weekly audience of 1.89 million listeners. It’s the one-stop shop for all your musical needs with music news, documentaries and features, comprehensive biographies, gig information and reviews delivered on air and online.

If you’re interested in a career in broadcasting, love music, Radio 2 & 6 Music are offering the chance to gain valuable experience in a live broadcasting environment to those who show the right spark and enthusiasm. More information about the stations can be found www.bbc.co.uk/radio2 and www.bbc.co.uk/6music

3) BBC Radio 2

This placement is likely to be for 3 weeks based primarily with Radio 2 Speech programmes which include Jeremy Vine and The Arts Show.

This placement requires applicants with a demonstrable interest in broadcasting and particularly Radio 2. You should have good interpersonal skills. You’ll need to be highly motivated, work well in a team and be adaptable. Knowledge of the Internet as well as IT skills would be advantageous. Please note that this is not a placement for people who’d like to gain on-air or presenting experience.

You will need to be available Monday to Friday every day for four weeks. Your working hours are likely to be usual office hours, however depending on what programme you work these hours may change.

4) BBC Radio 6 Music

A 4 week placement on the Lauren Laverne show which broadcasts live 10am to 1pm Monday to Friday, 3rd June to 28th June 2013.

This placement would suit applicants with a demonstrable interest in broadcasting and particularly 6 Music and Lauren Laverne’s programme. You should have good interpersonal skills. You’ll need to be highly motivated, work well in a team and be adaptable. Knowledge of the Internet as well as IT skills would be advantageous. Please note that this is not a placement for people who’d like to gain on-air or presenting experience.

You will need to be available Monday to Friday every day for four weeks. Your working hours are likely to be 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Age Criteria: Due to Health & Safety considerations, you will need to be aged 18 or over to apply for these placements.
Placement Location: London and Salford
Placement Month: May, June and July
Placement Duration: Various (not exceeding 20 days)

Closing date for applications: 1 April 2013 at 11:59pm

Further information and apply here.

No Comments | In: News | | #

A unique survey, released today by Manchester charity Radio Regen, describes the community radio sector as delivering a wide range of services that help young people across the UK but ‘in crisis’ . The report – ‘More Than Yacking Away: a review of youth learning opportunities in the community radio sector’ – can be downloaded at:

http://bit.ly/yackingaway .

The report states:
‘Community radio organisations appear to create a unique learning culture that is ‘different to school’ in a number of ways. Buildings are often situated in the heart of local communities and operate an open door policy. The atmosphere is informal and many practitioners told us that they try to create a ‘participative and equal approach’. ‘Of the 50 stations1 surveyed, over 85% said that training was a key part of what they did and the vast majority of these stations worked with young people. The young people often had not thrived in traditional education and respondents said that the learners liked the opportunity to express themselves. The report continues:
‘Practitioners painted a picture of a sector in crisis, where workers fear for their jobs, orare working long hours for little or no pay.’
The project behind the survey – ‘connect:transmit’ – is a national project, coordinated by Radio Regen, and funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, that examines the impact of the sector on young people, specifically connected to training, speaking and listening skills and enabling young people to become better informed, more positive and more
active in their communities. It is working with stations across the UK and will culminate in the production of a good practice toolkit, support networks for young broadcasters and their trainers, and a national conference in 2013. This will help stations and educators deliver more effective training and in so doing, develop stronger revenue-generating
partnerships for the stations.
There has been no sector wide survey of the community radio sector in recent years.
Director of Radio Regen, Phil Korbel, said,
‘We’ve always known that community radio volunteers get a lot from what they do and we’ve seen many a young person gain massively through their involvement with us. They grow in confidence and learn skills that will help them in the workplace and where they live – some we’ve even seen turn away from substance abuse and self harm once
they’ve caught the ‘radio bug’. This survey shows the impact that the UK community radio sector has on the country’s young people and I can’t wait for Connect:transmit to be able to help stations and their partners do this better.’

Andrew David, Chair of the Community Media Association and the managing editor of Siren FM in Lincoln, is quite convinced that Community Radio in whatever form it exists in the UK is not just providing the staples of social gain and community benefit but much, much more.
He adds, “There are many cases across the sector where the experience of being part of a team, taken seriously, listened to and given responsibility has transformed lives and provided huge transferable skills for later life. Converting generic knowledge of this kind into something that funding bodies and government departments understand is very
difficult and often a burden too far for busy station managers. So, a report like this is very welcome.”

ENDS

CONTACTS
Cormac Lawler: cormac[at]radioregen.org or 07946372535
Phil Korbel: phil[at]radioregen.org or 07812 992282

NOTES
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation (http://www.phf.org.uk ) – is one of the larger
independent grant-making foundations in the UK. They make grants to organisations
which aim to maximise opportunities for individuals to experience a full quality of life,
both now and in the future. In particular they are concerned with children and young
people, and others who are disadvantaged.
Radio Regen (www.radioregen.org) is a community media development charity that
works with organisations in the UK and elsewhere to support their delivery of social gain.
Their website – www.communityradiotoolkit.net – is a well recognised portal for sectoral
expertise and currently has over 2,400 subscribers worldwide.
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is funding Radio Regen to deliver the connect:transmit
project over a two year period.

No Comments | In: News | | #

from our friends at the Community Media Association

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 05:38 AM PST

Ofcom has announced that an FM frequency will be made available to community radio licence applicants in the London area.

It follows the surrender of the licence formerly held by Hammersmith-based OnFM, which broadcast to West London on 101.4 FM.

In its latest Radio Broadcast Update, the regulator says it hopes to clarify exactly where in London the frequency will be usable later this year:

Potential applicants in the London area should note that, following the surrender of a community radio licence (see below), an FM frequency has become available. 101.4 MHz was used for a service in Hammersmith. We expect this frequency to be usable elsewhere in London, but cannot specify where at present. We will clarify this in the early autumn.

It has also been confirmed that a number of AM radio frequencies will be available in the capital, following the failure of three AM licensees to make it to air. These will be advertised when Ofcom invites AM applications nationally later this year.

Competition is expected to be intense for FM radio licences in London when the South East licensing round opens in early 2014.

Groups interested in applying for the AM licences are advised to familiarise themselves with the costs and additional technical requirements of AM broadcasting, which can be significantly more expensive than FM.

[Note from Phil - With other licences having been surrendered this might not be the last...watch this space]

Comments Off | In: News | | #

This via the CMA.  Yasmin Evans [see below] cut her broadcasting teeth on ALLFM here in Manchester www.allfm.org …

In January 2013, BBC Audio & Music will open its Salford HQ for a second evening of networking and guest speakers. The first session held in December in London was very successful and completely sold out.

• pm-7.30pm, Wednesday 16 January 2013 – BBC Quay House, MediaCityUK, Salford

Sessions that evening will be:

• The importance of community radio in the developing world and the work of BBC Media Action
• My journey from community radio to the BBC, from 1Xtra’s newest signing Yasmin Evans
• My radio career - Mary Anne Hobbs

As a member of the Community Media Association, we would be delighted if you and your community radio colleagues could attend.

All are welcome, as long as they or their station is a member of the CMA. Station volunteers, presenters, staff, management or just those with an interest in the sector are invited to come along.

Please RSVP to this email address. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to see the full flyer.

Comments Off | In: News | | #

 There were three items of interest in Ofcom’s  last Bulletin  – all of which serve as cautionary tales for anyone involved I running a community radio station.

Most scary of all is the £4000 fine levied on Leed’s Radio Asian Fever.  The case, in my opinion, was fairly cut and dried – a presenter, in the course of an on air sermon, made unequivocal statements encouraging violence against homosexuals, and being offensive against people in mixed faith marriages.  To quote Ofcom

‘Ofcom considered that the terms used to describe homosexuality and homosexuals and Muslims and non-Muslims entering mixed-faith marriages were so derogatory and offensive that they amounted to gratuitous abuse and so exceeded legitimate criticism and comment – regardless of the fact that this material was broadcast to a largely Muslim audience which may disapprove of homosexuality and mixed-faith marriages on religious grounds.’

The station made a substantial response which included noting that there had been no observed increase in violence against homosexuals as a result of the broadcast.  Ofcom pointed out that it is the ‘likelihood’ of violence that is key to the offence.  They also stated that the fact that the audience is likely to be familiar with the views expressed would not be a defence. I can only recommend that you read the full adjudication.

As someone who sits on the boards of two stations the issue of compliance is important to me and the stations’ main defence against breaches like this is good training as well as instilling a sense of responsibility in the on air teams.   You also need to have a good sense of where sources of controversy may lie and to support programme teams to have their say whilst staying within the regulations.

Another ‘item of interest’ in the Bulletin was the finding against Manchester’s Asian Sound for their reports on ayurvedic medicine presented by a practitioner of the same.  She repeatedly advised on cures for a range of conditions ranging from constipation to being short and often suggested that listeners bought from her.  The breach was found under this legislation:

“Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has a statutory duty to set standards for broadcast content as appear to it best calculated to secure the standards objectives,including that “generally accepted standards are applied to the contents of television…services so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from the inclusion in such services of offensive and harmful material.”

Again, I’d recommend reading the statement but it seems that the main issue was that Asian Sound did not have any statement recommending listeners to consult professional medical practitioners, as that would have been sufficient ‘protection’ for listeners.

The last item was less convoluted.  Phonic in Exeter were in breach for using a film clip with swearing in it at 11.40 in the morning.  The defence of having got the clips from the film distributor didn’t hold water – common sense might have been of use here.

Finally, sad news that two London community stations – Streetlife and Generation – have lost their licences, or have handed them back to Ofcom.

Comments Off | In: News | | #