21 groups apply for London radio licences

famefm · Post by **famefm** » Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:56 pm

Probably less than some pirates then?

Albert H · Post by **Albert H** » Tue Apr 18, 2017 11:46 pm

Certainly!

MC Spanner · Post by **MC Spanner** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:41 am

Yes OFCOM have knocked back some of these applicants in the past, or granted them DAB licenses. Past experience shows that some of the demographics won't work (Fusion, NGR, Nomad) and others are catered for already (Flames, Starpoint). Some are clearly impecunious, self indulgent or pointless (I don't need to name these). Some are likely trouble, based on OFCOM's prior experience with the applicants or other potential issues (House, Rainbow, Hot Digital, Metropol). I would have said Flex here but they seem to get on OK with OFCOM to some degree

I don't think they'll get anything as OFCOM already know what their listener figures are and therefore that a move to an advertising revenue driven model isn't likely to be smooth.

Not sure I buy this business about OFCOM wanting stations to fail. End of the day, they are a business and want to make money. Surely they don't want the hassle of continuously re-allocating a frequency to the next group of no-hopers? We've had a fair bit of this sort of hassle in London this last few years. They will be looking for stations with indicators of growth, stability or failing that, one or two backers with deep pockets. For example, AIMS or Danaq.

MC Spanner · Post by **MC Spanner** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:45 am

Albert H wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:50 pm Starpoint haven't got a clue

Come on now, how long have you been grinding this axe - 31 years!

MC Spanner · Post by **MC Spanner** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:47 am

famefm wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:42 pm I think you are probably right and this is not the first time starpiont have applied for a licence they went for Slough and Maidenhead in 1991 and also tried in 2010 in London also. I think the old choice fm people might have a chance?

They have also been knocked back in the past.

Albert H · Post by **Albert H** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:24 am

I'll let you into a little secret. I have a friend who's on the board of OFCOM, and I can assure you that the only reason that Voice of Africa ever got that licence was because it was certain to fail. OFCOM have made the "non-refundable" licence application fee outrageously high - they argue that it's to prevent "frivolous" applications, but the reality is that it's to put the applicants at a pecuniary disadvantage from day 1.

The financial rules for these applications are bizarre. The stations are (basically) only allowed to raise enough income from advertising to just pay their basic bills. There cannot be enough income to pay the staff. Unpaid staff may start out very enthusiastically, but they soon lose all interest when they realise that they're just being taken for a ride!

I can assure you - from the board of OFCOM - that these efforts are designed to fail.

famefm · Post by **famefm** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 11:09 am

When do you think the licenses will be announced?

Albert H · Post by **Albert H** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 11:36 am

It's supposed to be this month, but I don't think that it'll be that quick. OFCOM actually advertised three licences - two of them for medium wave. It'll be funny if they do what they did with Sunrise - licence a primarily music station for AM. Sunrise had to modify their proposed format to get the licence. It was another attempt by the Radio Authority to cripple community radio. They have always been trying to kill off community radio because "It doesn't work"!

Back in the early days of Thatcher, a well-respected radio engineer - Fred Wise - was commissioned to examine how radio should be sorted out on Band II. His report recommended that the National stations should be confined to up to 92MHz, regional or city-wide stations from 92 - 97 MHz, local stations from 97 - 103 MHz and smaller "Community of Interest" efforts up to 107.9MHz. He reasoned that with sensible planning and frequency re-use, each major city could have 30+ stations quite easily.

Most broadcasters and engineers welcomed the Wise Report, but the BBC insisted that they "needed" 5MHz for <i>each </i> of their National services! Those wankers wouldn't budge, and got a lot of politicians on their side by making threats about "unregulated radio" that could "undermine societal norms" - remember that this was the BBC that broadcast just one hour of pop music <i>per week </i> in the early to mid 60s!
The BBC and politician's have never wanted community radio at all. The BBC "local" stations are all uniformly drab and useless - they run them on second-hand junk equipment and little budget. These are also designed to mostly fail and have tiny audiences that seldom bother the Ratings!

Radio in the UK is a politically manipulated mess

OldskoolPirate · Post by **OldskoolPirate** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 4:41 pm

Long live the pirates !!!

famefm · Post by **famefm** » Wed Apr 19, 2017 6:59 pm

BBC local stations are okay for football coverage

drumandbasshead010 · Post by **drumandbasshead010** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:29 am

If the BBC also own local radio stations for each British city, do you lot not have ILR's at all? In Ireland, the RTE run 4 national FM radio stations (as the state broadcaster. All other radio stations are independent, though some groups own multiple stations (Communicorp and UTV Ireland.) Local radio is stale here, but if the state broadcaster had control of local radio here, the FM band would be a fairly bad place, to put it mildly.

thewisepranker · Post by **thewisepranker** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 9:26 am

We have lots of ILR stations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_r ... om#England

dancemusicdj · Post by **dancemusicdj** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 4:34 am

drumandbasshead010 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:29 am If the BBC also own local radio stations for each British city, do you lot not have ILR's at all? In Ireland, the RTE run 4 national FM radio stations (as the state broadcaster. All other radio stations are independent, though some groups own multiple stations (Communicorp and UTV Ireland.) Local radio is stale here, but if the state broadcaster had control of local radio here, the FM band would be a fairly bad place, to put it mildly.

The uk has a good number of independant local radio stations. However, networking/program sharing mean some of them exist in name only, while others were merged or replaced with semi-national brands.

pirateaddict · Post by **pirateaddict** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 1:19 pm

The UK is full of the ilr bollocks.. I can receive my local one hallam fm on three frequencies (97.4,102.9,103.4) then I have radio aire Leeds on 96.3, used to get tfm Middlesbrough? And viking fm hull on 96.9..these have their own presenters till about 6or 7 pm then they all have the same presenter, same music but think they're clever by somehow playing each individual station id's on their particular frequency probably to make average radio listener think... Err summat.. Sorry, lost my train of thought there...

famefm · Post by **famefm** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:55 pm

Yes just about every local radio station in the cuntrey is rubbish

drumandbasshead010 · Post by **drumandbasshead010** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:18 pm

Yeah local radio stations are all very much the same here, 'mildle of the road' music and a morning talk show to discuss local issues. Also the music is so reppetetive, same songs over and over again.

McDonalds · Post by **McDonalds** » Fri May 12, 2017 12:27 pm

AND Radio Minhaj GOT IT

Effemm · Post by **Effemm** » Fri May 12, 2017 12:56 pm

https://radiotoday.co.uk/2017/05/four-m ... s-awarded/

Terrible....but not suprised at all...

Westman · Post by **Westman** » Fri May 12, 2017 1:37 pm

Effemm wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2017 12:56 pm https://radiotoday.co.uk/2017/05/four-m ... s-awarded/

Terrible....but not suprised at all...

Lets see how Flex get on? Surely they'll be coming off air as a pirate soon? be interesting what frequency they are given.

zoostorm · Post by **zoostorm** » Mon May 15, 2017 8:52 pm

Westman wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2017 1:37 pm
Effemm wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2017 12:56 pm https://radiotoday.co.uk/2017/05/four-m ... s-awarded/

Terrible....but not suprised at all...
Lets see how Flex get on? Surely they'll be coming off air as a pirate soon? be interesting what frequency they are given.

The last FM show was on Sunday night. Rig is still on but silent.

21 groups apply for London radio licences

who you think will get the fm community licences

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