West Somerset Radio
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Community radio application form 1. Station Name Guidance Notes What is the proposed station name? This is the name you expect to use to identify the station on air. West Somerset Radio 2. Community to be served Guidance Notes Define the community or communities you are It is a legislative requirement that a service is proposing to serve. Drawing from various sources of intended primarily to serve one or more communities data (e.g. from the Office of Population, Census and (whether or not it also serves other members of the Survey) and in relation to your proposed coverage public) and we need to understand who comprises area, please determine the size of the population that community or communities. The target concerned and the make-up of the population as a community will also be specified in the licence, if this whole, along with any relevant socio-economic application is successful. information that would support your application. The legislation defines a ‘community’ as: people who (Please tell us the sources of the information you live or work or undergo education or training in a provide.) particular area or locality, or people who have one or Answer in fewer than 300 words: more interests or characteristics in common. The town of Minehead is located in West Somerset, is served by the A358 and the A39 roads from Taunton and Bridgwater, and has a population of 11,981 (2014). Within a 3 mile radius are the villages of Dunster and Dunster Marsh (population 1,310), Carhampton (865), Alcombe (3,360), and Blue Anchor (375). The area welcomes over half a million visitors annually, and at any time there are 420 permanent staff on Butlins resort, and up to 5,500 residential guests visiting the town (information provided by West Somerset Council). Most residents are older than the national average, with over 32% of residents retired, and the local plan highlights that an expected increase of persons in the area will grow by 15% in the next 12 years. Minehead West Somerset 2011 Consensus TOTAL South North District Central Dunster Alcombe Porlock & Porlock Minehead Minehead Minehead Minehead Blue Anchor Blue Carhampton No. Residents 2139 2635 4893 2338 1219 1158 2314 2196 19057 Male 982 1197 2364 1103 551 547 1092 1038 9039 Female 1157 1438 2529 1235 668 611 1222 1158 10018 Limited daily activity 692 518 1142 589 355 335 775 533 7629 Retired 451 565 478 454 252 218 330 395 3143 No. Dwellings 1260 1371 1986 1347 821 607 1126 1173 9691 A local commercial radio station licence was awarded in1998 and broadcast successfully for several years using local presenters. The station was sold to a group who also sold on and now operates as The Breeze from Bristol and Southampton. We have conducted significant research with local colleges, schools, businesses and community group organisations, who all clearly stated their wish to engage and become involved in the station. This is clearly evidenced in the program schedule and engagement from the community and endorsements, which are attached as appendices, including Somerset County Council, West Somerset Council, West Somerset Community College, 6 local schools, and Butlins Holiday Resort with its 450,000 annual visitors. [Appendices have been provided separately to Ofcom.] Community radio application form 3. Proposed area Guidance Notes What is the area you propose to serve? Although we believe it is helpful to set guidance that frequency availability may often limit transmission powers to around 25 watts and the coverage radius to around 5km, we are adopting a more flexible approach and will consider applications for wider areas where applicants can demonstrate that the proposed coverage area will better serve the target community, and where it is technically possible. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/10 1459/community-radio-future-licensing-technical-policy- statement.pdf West Somerset Radio proposes to provide a radio service for the town of Minehead, along with the neighbouring villages including Dunster, Carhampton, Blue Anchor and Alcombe Programmes and programme output: Definitions: Studio location: The studio from which the service will be broadcast should be located within the licensed area. Locally-produced: Locally-produced output is output made and broadcast from within the service’s licensed coverage area. (It is anticipated that most stations will produce the bulk of their output themselves, in the locality. However, for some target communities it may be appropriate for fairly high levels of output to originate from outside the licensed area.) Live output: is that which is produced by a presenter in the studio at the time of broadcast. (The amount of live output may vary between different services depending on the needs or expectations of the target community.) Original output: output that is first produced for and transmitted by the service, and excludes output that was transmitted elsewhere before. Original output can be live or voice-tracked. Repeat broadcasts of original output do not count towards the minimum requirement. Peak time: it may be helpful to state what material will be broadcast in ‘peak time’. If you do, please say what you consider peak time to be for your target community (this may vary from station to station). Automated output/voice-tracked material: most stations will carry automated output at some time. The amount of automated or voice-tracked material does not need to be specified in the Key Commitments. Sustaining service/third party produced material: if you intend to broadcast material produced by a different organisation please state what it is and how much (per day or week as appropriate). 4. Programming output Guidance Notes Please fill-in all three questions below The law requires applicants to state their proposals for Question A asks you to describe your programme providing a service that would: service. (i) cater for the tastes and interests of members of its Question B relates to how your output will serve the target community or communities (or for any tastes and interests of your target community. particular tastes and interests in those communities); Question C is about how your service will broaden (ii) broaden the range of programmes available on non- the range of local (non-BBC) services available in BBC local services (commercial and community your area. stations) to members of the relevant community or communities; Later in this form you will be asked to draft your own ‘key commitments’. This will form the basis of your (iii) broaden the overall range of such non-BBC local licence and is what Ofcom will judge you against. It services provided in the area concerned; and should include a summary of your proposed (iv) have a distinct nature, or provide distinct content, programme output as set out below and reflect your from any non-BBC local services with which it would commitment to cater for relevant tastes and interests, overlap. to broaden the range of relevant programmes and Ofcom is required to consider the extent to which an services and to provide a service with a distinct applicant’s proposals will cater for the tastes and nature and content as set out in the Guidance Notes interests of members of its target community or in the column opposite. communities. 1 Community radio application form Ofcom is also required to consider the extent to which proposals for a community radio station would broaden the range of programmes available by way of non-BBC local services (both commercial and community stations) in the area concerned (especially, the extent to which a proposed service would have a distinct nature or provide distinct content from any overlapping non-BBC local services). The information given here should be more detailed than what you set out in your draft key commitments (later in this form), and will help us gain a fuller understanding of how you will serve your target community and what the station will sound like. 4. Programming output A: Please tell us about your programme service. The following questions may help you describe your programme service (but should only be used as a guide): • What will the service sound like? • What music will you play? • What are the main speech elements of the service and how will the social gain/community benefits you propose be reflected on-air? • What is the likely music to speech ratio? • Will this vary at different times of the day or week (or year)? • Do you intend to broadcast live output? If so when and how much do you propose to do? • Will you broadcast in languages other than English (what languages and how much)? • Will your output be original i.e. specifically produced for your service? • Will it be locally produced? • Do you intend to repeat material? Answer in fewer than 1,000 words: West Somerset Radio will be proudly local, with a strong focus on content that is relevant, useful and engaging for the area we propose to serve. Our studios will be fully accessible and are located in the centre of Minehead, putting us at the core of our community. We will have an open door policy, allowing residents and visitors alike to approach, feel and a be a part of their station. Our programming will feature local news, farming news, sport, what’s on and event information, tidal news, along with travel news, vital in an area that combines heavy goods vehicles on their way to and from Hinkley Point C, with small back lanes that are as likely to get congested by livestock as by cars. Other speech features will include a daily guest on our lunchtime magazine-style show covering a huge range of subject matters such as health and lifestyle, local business, jobs and careers information, education, local clubs and societies along with updates from the wide range of charities operating in the area.