Public Service Radio

Public Service Radio.

The Public Service Radio in the UK is the BBC. The BBC get their funding to broadcast from the government who charge £145.50 for the TV licence fee, £25 of which then goes to the Public Service Radio.

The BBC charter is a commitment to inform, educate or entertain. Otherwise, funding for a station that does not provide either of those three will be cut. The BBC trust is the governing body of BBC and it’s their job to ensure the BBC delivers their mission (to Entertain, Educate or Inform), they try to ensue to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers and monitor performance to ensure that the BBC provides value for money while staying true to its public purposes.

Their services include 11 national UK services, including the World Service, and a range of local stations. There are 40 Local Radio stations within he English Regions, and there are current plans to create a further four local stations, BBC English Regions operates 40 local radio stations, broadcasting a mix of news and conversation, from Newcastle to Jersey and Norfolk to Cornwall.

 There are six dedicated radio services, listeners in the nations can receive Radio Scotland (English) and Radio Nan Gàidheal (Gaelic), Radio Wales (English) and Radio Cymru (Welsh) and, in Northern Ireland, Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle.

The 11 national stations consist of Radios 1,2,3, 1Xtra, 6 Music are primarily music based. Radio 4, Five Live, Five Live Sports Extra, BBC 7 and the World Service are all speech based. Finally, the BBC Asian Network a mix of both.

There are so many different stations each with different purposes because they are providing a public service, which most of UK citizens pay (via TV Licence tax), so the public deserve to have a radio station that fits each individual person. Because there are so many people who have completely different tastes and styles, the BBC want to try and please as many people as possible, and so they need to have as many different radio stations with different styles. For example, Radio 1 plays mostly all new music and its audience is mainly 15-24 year olds, whereas BBC Radio 3 plays mostly classical music and so would be aimed at over 40 year olds. 

Commercial Radio

Commercial Radio

Unlike a Public Service Radio, Commercial Radio gets their funding through advertisements, which means companies pay money in order to air their ad on that radio station for however long.

The only way a commercial radio station can be aired is by getting a commercial radio licenses which are awarded by Ofcom. You can’t just buy or ask for a license, instead Ofcom advertises a license for a certain area, stations must then submit a detailed application of their wanted format and then present results of research to show the demand of their format of broadcasting in that area. Then Ofcom will judge which of the applicants will be allowed permission to broadcast in that area.

Commercial radios try to target a large audience by playing a wide range of music, mostly chart music as it’s the most popular and liked music, so more people will listen.

There are three main forms of commercial radio stations, national radio station, regional radio station and local radio stations. National commercial radio is basically a radio station that broadcasts on FM or AM all over the UK, however this can be broadcasted by DAB, DTV and online also. A regional radio station is one that is only available in certain areas of the UK. Finally local radio stations is where they broadcast to just the local area/town.

Some of the national commercial radio stations in the UK are: xfm and capital radio. A regional radio station that is quite popular is key103.

Instead of operating as an independent company, local radio stations are owned by larger corporate companies. The largest operator of radio is Global Radio; it owns Classic FM and Capital.

Not-For-Profit Radio

Non-For-Profit Radio

There are a range of different types of non-for-profit radio for example, community radio, hospital radio, student radio, sporting and special event radio and many more. Community radio is a relatively new form of radio station, they broadcast to much smaller areas, usually about 5km from the transmitter. They tend to focus on a specific community like an ethnic-minority group or a range of listeners within the broadcast area. A community radios aim is to in some way benefit the community instead of focusing on making a profit.

The funding for a community or non-for-profit radio comes from a range of sources, usually sponsorship or advertising. However at least half of their funding must come from some other area, this could be from public funding from a local or central government, or even from charities or the national lottery.

A community radio stations programs will usually reflect the needs or interests of their audience, so really a community radio needs to become a central part of the community. This can be done by creating direct links and relationships with their audience, and being able to offer important and useful opportunities for the audience.

To run a community or non-for-profit radio you must be granted a license by Ofcom. Ofcom set the rules for broadcasting in the UK, which all radio stations must follow in order to be allowed to carry on broadcasting. An individual cannot be allowed a community radio licence, they’re only offered to groups like charities or non-for-profit companies. If awarded a licence by Ofcom, it will last for up to five years at a time, nearing the end of that time the company or group can then apply for another licence to carry on for another 5 years.

Independent Radio Programme Production Companies

Independent Radio Programme Production Companies

Independent Radio Programme Production Companies are independent companies or indiviuals who create content for radio stations to use. This can include, jingles, adverts, documentaries and shows.

A known production company in the UK is Pennine Productions LLP, this particular company is based and works in the North of the UK making programs mainly for BBC Radio. Within this company they have two partners who they work with, Janet Gaves and Clare Jenkines. Janet Gaves is a former producer for the show Woman’s Hour which aired on Radio 4, and Clare Jenkines who is a known Journalist and Broadcaster.

In the company Pennine Productions LLP they usually make radio documentaries and features which radios then pay for to air. They also produce podcasts for different amounts of people, from individuals to organisations and companies. They work with well known actors, writers and presenters which will help attract a wider range of people. They even provide training in media and can deliver oral history training.

Independent Radio Programme Production Companies are required to go through a process known as ‘commissioning’. They have to form a production company then register with audio and music production database, which is noted and recognized by the BBC. They then find what shows they want to create and use their knowledge to create a good idea. Then finally they need to pitch their idea by logging into the system and upload their idea.

They would most likely need to include information like what their show is about, what genre or type of songs they will be using, who will be presenting and working on the show, predict how long it will last, would be preferred if they included a demo, in their proposal.