Local Radio Licence (Re-Advertisement)

LOCAL RADIO LICENCE (RE-ADVERTISEMENT): COVERAGE BRIEF AND SPECIFICATION

SOUTH HAMPSHIRE

1. Two licences, one each on the FM (VHF) waveband and the AM (medium wave) band, are being offered for the provision of an Independent Local Radio service or services in the South Hampshire area. Applications are invited for either or both of these licences. The AM licence is offered for the use, from two transmission sites, of two frequencies on that waveband. The FM licence is offered for the use of three frequencies at three transmission sites..

2. The closing-date for applications for these licences is Tuesday, 5 December, 1995. Completed application forms must reach the Chief Executive of the Radio Authority, at Holbrook House, 14 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5DG, by 14.00 on that date.

3. This coverage brief provides information specific to the re-advertised licences for the South Hampshire area. Intending applicants must study, in conjunction with this brief, the Notes of Guidance for Local Licence Applicants (Re-advertised Licences), available from the Authority's Head of Development, which provides general information on the submission of a licence application and the requirements of an ILR service. Applications must be submitted on a standard Application Form (Issue 7), also available from the Head of Development. The existing licensee for this area (i.e. Ocean Sound Ltd.) should complete version [A] of the application form; all other applicants should complete version [B].

4. These licences are each offered for a service or services designed to cover the following area:

The cities of Southampton, Portsmouth and (on FM only) Winchester, and surrounding areas, including part of the Isle of Wight. - 2 - Applicants should note that South Hampshire is currently a single area in licensing terms, and will remain so in the new licence period. Applicants for a licence on either or both wavebands must therefore propose programming for listeners in all parts of the licence area, although it is for applicants to decide whether or not separate programmes from the different transmitters should be offered.

5. The expected coverage, as defined in the Authority's guidance document 'Coverage: Planning Policy, Definitions and Assessment', of licences on both wavebands should include the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth; it extends westwards to include Lymington, northwards to take in Eastleigh, and eastwards to Chichester. The north-eastern part of the Isle of Wight is served on both wavebands. On the FM waveband, the composite coverage from the three transmitters is somewhat more extensive than the coverage (in daylight hours) on AM. The transmitter using 96.7 MHz (see paragraph 9 below) extends coverage, on FM only, further northwards to include the city of Winchester and some locations around Andover (although the town of Andover itself is not reliably served). On 103.2 MHz, most of the Isle of Wight is served; this is also the only FM transmitter to serve Lymington and the surrounding area. The transmitter on 97.5 MHz is the only one to serve Chichester on FM. Applicants should note that there is a relatively high degree of overlap in coverage between the three FM transmitters. However, generally on the FM waveband, there are likely to be localised deficiencies in coverage from individual transmitters in certain districts within the licence area, because of terrain factors; applicants should recognise that these are expected to persist in the new licence period. The only town which is served on AM (in daylight hours) but not FM is Bognor Regis. On the AM waveband, transmissions are subject to reductions in coverage outside the hours of daylight (which, in winter, may include part of the early-morning peak- listening period) due to incoming interference, and applicants should take account of this factor when preparing their programming and business plans. - 3 - AM licence

6. The service provided by the existing licensee on the AM waveband, using the two transmission sites and aerial characteristics detailed below, achieves coverage in daylight hours of a composite area with an adult population of around 820,000.

7. Details of the two existing transmission sites and characteristics are as follows:

Southampton Location: Veals Farm National Grid reference: SU 397 095 Total maximum effective monopole radiated power: 500 Watts Aerial pattern: Omni-directional Mast height: 41m above ground level Frequency: 1557 kHz Site operator: NTL

Portsmouth Location: Farlington Marshes National Grid reference: SU 688 052 Total maximum effective monopole radiated power: 120 Watts Aerial pattern: Omni-directional Mast height: 46m above ground level Frequency: 1170 kHz Site operator: NTL

FM licence

8. The service provided by the existing licensee on the FM waveband, using the three transmission sites and aerial characteristics detailed overleaf, achieves coverage of a composite area with an adult population of around 950,000.

9. Details of the three existing transmission sites and characteristics are as follows:

Southampton/Isle of Wight - 4 - Location: Chillerton Down National Grid reference: SZ 475 835 Total maximum effective radiated power: 2.0 kilowatts Aerial pattern: See attached template Aerial polarisation: Mixed (1.0 kilowatt horizontal polarisation + 1.0 kilowatt vertical polarisation) Aerial height: 356m above sea level Frequency: 103.2 MHz Site operator: NTL

Portsmouth Location: Fort Widley National Grid reference: SU 657 065 Total maximum effective radiated power: 850 Watts Aerial pattern: Omni-directional Aerial polarisation: Mixed (425 Watts horizontal polarisation + 425 Watts vertical polarisation) Aerial height: 131m above sea level

Frequency: 97.5 MHz Site owner: Hampshire County Council

Winchester Location: Crabwood Farm National Grid reference: SU 449 295 Total maximum effective radiated power: 500 Watts Aerial pattern: Omni-directional Aerial polarisation: Mixed (250 Watts horizontal polarisation + 250 Watts vertical polarisation) Aerial height: 198m above sea level Frequency: 96.7 MHz Site owner: Southern Water - 5 - Both licences (AM and FM)

10. It is for applicants to decide whether to make use of the sites described above, or to propose an alternative site or sites of their own choosing, without prejudice to their application. Applicants who wish to propose an alternative site must note carefully the relevant points outlined in Part III of the 'Notes of Guidance for Local Licence Applicants (Re-advertised Licences)', and should recognise that the submission of an alternative proposal for approval and clearance is a process that may take several months to complete, and that an outcome that is wholly satisfactory to the successful applicant cannot be guaranteed. A more comprehensive account is provided in the 'Notes on Approval Procedures for Sites and Frequencies', one of the supplementary documents listed in the Foreword to the 'Notes of Guidance', available on payment of a £10 fee for the complete set of documents. Applicants intending to propose an alternative site are strongly advised to obtain and study this.

11. The licensee will be responsible for its own transmission facilities, and will be free to decide whom to appoint for the supply, construction and maintenance of its transmission system and equipment. This will be the case whether the successful applicant chooses to locate the transmitter at an existing site or an alternative site. Applicants should, however, note that the BBC is currently prohibited from providing transmission services, other than access to a site, to ILR licensees.

Total Survey Area

12. Applicants should note that it is permissible for a local radio licensee to claim a Total Survey Area (TSA), for marketing and audience research purposes, which is more extensive than the coverage area, as defined by UK planning criteria, for which a licence is advertised. This reflects the fact that some listeners living beyond the 'measured coverage area' will receive a signal of listenable quality. The existing licensee has chosen to claim a TSA, for all three of its programme services, with a population coverage of 1,195,000 adults. Applicants are free to decide what TSA adult population figure(s) to use as the basis of their business - 6 - plan; however, the assumptions which are made should be justified in the application, in responding to the question on advertising revenue forecasts.

Date of commencement of licences

13. Both licences, AM and FM, are offered for a maximum period of eight years from the date of expiry of the existing licence; i.e. with effect from 1 January 1997.

Application fees

14. The application fees payable for these licences, which are both category C licences (adult population between 400,000 and 1.0 million), are £415 for the AM licence, £625 for the FM licence, or £1,040 for licences to operate on both wavebands.

Licence fees

15. The annual licence fees payable for these licences, at the published tariff effective from 1 April 1995 until further notice, are £3,440 p.a. for the AM licence, and £6,200 p.a. for the FM licence.

Other licensing plans

16. Applicants should recognise that no local licensee is granted exclusive coverage of any given area. The Authority's licensing strategy involves the establishment, over a period of time, of a range of local radio services of varying scale and character. Applicants for these re-advertised licences should note, in particular, that the Authority also plans to advertise a regional FM licence for the Solent area, expected to cover both Southampton and Portsmouth, and most of the Isle of Wight, within the near future. It is also likely that one or more small-scale local services within South Hampshire will be introduced during a future phase of ILR development. There is an existing ILR service for the Isle of Wight, and the Authority has recently awarded a licence for Chichester, Bognor Regis & Littlehampton, in South-West Sussex. Applicants may wish to reflect the effects - 7 - of this present and future competition in their business plans and their projections of audience and revenue.

Date of licence advertisement: Friday, 1 September, 1995.

Formal notice of advertisement placed in the Southern Evening Echo, the News (Portsmouth) and the Hampshire Chronicle of that date.

Issued by the Radio Authority, Holbrook House, 14 Queen Street, London WC2B 5DG, tel. 071-430 2724.