Community Radio Toolkit

News release

Tameside Radio, on the up!

Tameside Radio are celebrating after receiving their latest listening
figures from independent research conducted by Tameside Council.

85,000 people listen to the station making it the third most listened to
radio service in Tameside.  The station commissioned comparative
research for other stations in the area which demonstrates that only BBC
Radio 2 and Key 103 have more listeners.

The news comes in the same week that the station learnt that it had been
nominated for a Radio Academy Nations and Regions Award as North West
Station of the Year.

Programme Director, Andy Hoyle said “Obviously we are delighted, the
team work really hard to deliver a unique sound.  We blend local voices
with loads of local information mixed with the best music and a superb
local news service, it makes us really stand out.”

“We spend a lot of time out of the station promoting it to new listeners
and this has really paid off.  Our brand recognition is now 80% which,
for a radio station that has been on air for only two years and without
an enormous marketing budget, is tremendous.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

Tameside Radio is a community radio station licensed by Ofcom.  The area
served is Tameside on the East side of Greater Manchester.  The station
commenced broadcasting in October 2007.  The station is a mix of radio
professionals and volunteers.  The station is broadcast on 103.6 FM and
online at tamesideradio.com

The research was conducted by Tameside Council as part of it?s Citizen
2000 Panel questionnaire in October 2009.  1251 residents completed the
questionnaire about different aspects of Tameside life including radio
listening.  Tameside Radio commissioned a series of questions in that
survey.

Further information - Simon Walker on 0161 343 8446 or email
simon@tamesideradio.com

Date: 19.11.2009 Category: Radio; New Media

The BBC and commercial radio today unveiled a new online radio player that aims to offer the output of every licensed UK radio station and to let users search this content by subject, musical style, or even song title.

The UK Radioplayer, due for launch early next year, is a pop-up console which will be open to stream more than 400 licensed national, local, community and student radio stations, offering a unique, constantly updated live and on-demand audio service.

It allows listeners to search every station on the UK Radioplayer network, identifying news programmes, sports highlights, musical genres or even individual songs, using a revolutionary new search engine designed for radio.

Users can store their favourite stations on pre-set buttons, for easy access.

The announcement comes as the industry revealed that that Heads of Terms for the project have been signed by the BBC, RadioCentre, Global Radio and Guardian Media Group.

The player is launched through radio stations’ websites, where the console presents a simple, consistent experience and encourages listeners to discover new content. It has a standard look and functionality, irrespective of which station is being listening to.

Stations which choose to join the Radioplayer will have the freedom to accompany their live streams with additional material of their choice – on-demand audio, click-to-buy music services, webcams, track listings, adverts or the weather, for example.

In the first instance, the service will be made available to all Ofcom-licensed networks.

It will initially be available through desktop computers, with later versions intended for smartphones and other internet-connected devices like IPTVs.

All BBC radio services will be included in the player, subject to the Corporation’s approvals process.

The UK Radioplayer follows discussions in the Radio Council about how the industry might deliver cross-sector digital projects. The player will be launched subject to consultation with the BBC Trust and RadioCentre board.

Announcing the plans today, senior figures from across the industry commented:

Tim Davie, Director of BBC Audio & Music, said: “This is a really exciting development and a result of focused, collaborative thinking within the radio industry. The aim of this service is to grow listening across the industry and help preserve radio’s unique position.”

Ashley Tabor, Global Group Founder and CEO, said: “Radioplayer has been developed with the listener in mind and is a big step forward for the radio industry as a whole, providing further cohesion between commercial radio and the BBC as we drive to Digital.”

Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive, RadioCentre, said: “The Radioplayer brings together all of the UK’s radio output in one online console. This is a breakthrough for listeners and an attractive new proposition for advertisers.”

Stuart Taylor, Chief Executive, GMG Radio, said: “This collaborative project reflects the industry’s commitment to an improved user experience for radio online as IP-enabled devices proliferate. The new opportunities for advertisers will add to the growing number of cross-platform solutions already in place.”

JA

Original press release can be found at the BBC

Over 20 organisations representing the British entertainment industry
have joined together to launch the Save our Sound UK campaign, asking
the Government to act to safeguard the future of any events which use
radio microphones. These events (live music, theatre, film and TV
production, sports events, concerts and conferences, to name a few)
became threatened when Ofcom announced its plans to sell the
ultra-high radio frequency channels 31-37 and 61-69 which will be
cleared out by the digital switchover. After these channels have been
auctioned off by the Government, they will become illegal to use.

The cost of replacing wireless equipment is estimated to be tens of
millions of pounds, and thus far, Ofcom?s proposed funding scheme is
inadequate to cover these costs. Under ?its proposed terms, only
equipment which tunes to channel 69 would be eligible for funding, and
those who are eligible would only receive funding based on an estimate
of residual value of equipment rather than what it would cost to
replace.

The Save our Sound UK joint initiative asks that the Government acts,
if and where Ofcom cannot, to provide what the industry needs. The
demands are twofold ? that the funding package covers all affected
equipment, not just that tuned to channel 69, and that the funding is
based on what it will cost to replace equipment with like-for-like
alternatives.

http://www.saveoursounduk.com

source: National Campaign for the Arts

30 January to 6 February 2010

Last year National Storytelling Week reached 16,000 people of various
ages with storytelling events and performances in schools, arts centres,
libraries, theatres, museums, pubs, bookshops, storytelling clubs,
retirement homes and prisons! This years event will take place from 30 
January to 6 February 2010.

Storytelling stretches from its simplest application in the nursery
right through to personal stories and bereavement aids in hospitals,
strengthening communication in the business sphere, and as an aid to
learning in education. In its sharing between teller and listener it
gives and receives time, it empowers, it creates and feeds the
imagination from one generation to the next.

The Society for Storytelling Guide to National Storytelling Week is
available on request. Contact Del Reid, NSW Coordinator, on 020 8866 
4232 or by email at reidthewords@hotmail.com.

http://sfs.org.uk/national_storytelling_week

Substantial radio experience from both the commercial and community programming sectors? You might want to apply.