West Kent Radio application

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 KENT RADIO

2. Community to be served Guidance Notes Define the community or communities you are proposing It is a legislative requirement that a service is intended to serve. Drawing from various sources of data (e.g. from primarily to serve one or more communities (whether or the Office of Population, Census and Survey) and in relation not it also serves other members of the public) and we need to your proposed coverage area, please determine the size to understand who comprises that community or of the population concerned and the make-up of the communities. The target community will also be specified in population as a whole, along with any relevant socio- the licence, if this application is successful. economic information that would support your application. The legislation defines a ‘community’ as: people who live or (Please tell us the sources of the information you provide.) work or undergo education or training in a particular area Answer in fewer than 300 words: or locality, or people who have one or more interests or characteristics in common. West Kent Radio will target the 45+ age group within the transmitter range in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Southborough and immediately surrounding villages, providing entertainment and information, promoting the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining good personal health.

The UK Census 2011 for Kent [1] showed the total population in the transmission area as 112,324, of which 48,414 (43%) were in the 45+ group. The ONS Population forecasts 2016 [2] for the transmission area indicate a population increase to 116,524 in 2018, with 54,670 (47%) in the 45+ group, and this trend is predicted to continue with the 45+ group population increasing to 67,161 or approximately 53% of the transmission area population by 2040.

Census Year 2011 2018 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 Transmission area 112,324 116,524 117,859 120,886 123,133 125,496 127,765 pop. 45+ group 48,414 54,670 56,036 58,844 61,739 64,719 67,161 Percentage 43% 47% 48% 49% 50% 52% 53%

The 2011 Census showed that approximately 34,300 people (14.6%) of people of all ages living in the Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Southborough areas had a long-term health problem or disability that limited their day-to-day activity to some degree. POPPI (Projecting Older People Population Information System) figures [3] for these areas (see table below) predict that the 65+ LLTI numbers will increase from 19,900 people in 2018 to 30,192 by 2035 – an increase of over 10,000 people (51.7%) in 17 years.

Increase % from Increase Year 2018 2020 2025 2030 2035 2018 from 2018 Day-to-day activities 11,300 11,818 13,420 15,017 16,617 5,287 46.7% limited a little Day-to-day activities 8,570 8,993 10,429 11,861 13,575 5,005 58.4% limited a lot Total 19,900 20,811 23,849 26,878 30,192 10,292 51.7% Percentage of population 8.1% 8.3% 9.3% 10.2% 11.2%

References: 1 West Kent Radio application

[1] http://www.ukcensusdata.com/kent-e10000016#sthash.oc4h4Dnm.BIRZ15Ia.dpbs [2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationpr ojections/datasets/localauthoritiesinenglandtable2 [3] http://www.poppi.org.uk/

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/0020/1 01459/community-radio-future-licensing-technical-policy- statement.pdf

The towns of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Southborough, Langton Green, Speldhurst and related neighbourhoods and villages all of which are within a 6km radius of the transmission site and within the catchment area of the Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury and the Tonbridge Cottage hospital.

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 service. providing a service that would:

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Question B relates to how your output will serve the tastes (i) cater for the tastes and interests of members of its and interests of your target community. target community or communities (or for any particular Question C is about how your service will broaden the tastes and interests in those communities); range of local (non-BBC) services available in your area. (ii) broaden the range of programmes available on non- Later in this form you will be asked to draft your own ‘key BBC local services (commercial and community commitments’. This will form the basis of your licence and stations) to members of the relevant community or is what Ofcom will judge you against. It should include a communities; summary of your proposed programme output as set out (iii) broaden the overall range of such non-BBC local below and reflect your commitment to cater for relevant services provided in the area concerned; and tastes and interests, to broaden the range of relevant (iv) have a distinct nature, or provide distinct content, from programmes and services and to provide a service with a any non-BBC local services with which it would overlap. distinct nature and content as set out in the Guidance Ofcom is required to consider the extent to which an Notes in the column opposite. applicant’s proposals will cater for the tastes and interests of members of its target community or communities. 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 Kent Radio Our community radio service will grow out of the current Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells station, which has been on-air since 1961.

The current hospital radio service will be developed and enhanced with the addition of new elements such as local traffic, travel and weather reports aimed at a wider audience and no longer limited to those in hospital.

Our existing hospital request programmes will continue, with the added advantage that friends and relatives at home will be able to call in with requests and dedications and to hear the programme on FM.

Health advice and news will continue to make up an element of our speech output, but will now be 3 West Kent Radio application

available to the wider community. We will look to feature live music from local musicians, one of the most popular requests identified from our research project.

Our doors will be open to the community and we will bring in representatives from local charities, clubs, councils, business and others to talk about themselves and their organisations.

As we will be broadcasting from studio facilities currently used by Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells, the availability of the three existing studios means we have the facilities ready-made to provide a range of music and speech programming to the local community.

• What will the service sound like? West Kent Radio will aim for an audience aged 45+, so our presentation style will be more mature that other local stations.

Speech content will have a strong local bias.

• What music will you play? Our core music will come from the sixties to date, but with a bias towards a lighter style aimed at our more mature audience.

We will seek to include some album tracks to widen the range of music provided by other stations.

A range of specialist music programmes will be developed, including a specialist classical programme broadcast on Sunday evenings.

Overnight, the music will be calm and relaxed in style.

We have the studio facilities to host live music.

• What are the main speech elements of the service and how will the social gain/community benefits you propose be reflected on-air? National news Local news Local traffic and travel Local weather Events guide National and local sport Live and pre-recorded local guests Presenter chatter

Interview guests will come from the local community and will include local councillors and representatives of community groups and good causes. There will be regular advice slots with health as a regular theme but also including advice on legal and financial matters provided by local professionals specialising in those fields.

Our weekly ‘Health Hour’ will bring to the studio health professionals from many disciplines, including doctors, dentists, chiropractors, homeopaths, care workers and others to provide advice and answer listener questions.

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, our sport programmes will be high on speech content, providing regular updates and results for national and local sporting fixtures.

We will run a series of public service announcements (PSAs), many of which will be health related.

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Other PSAs will promote local good causes and inform our audience on availability of their services.

We will also broadcast religious programmes. Whilst these will have a Christian religious element aligned with most of our audience, we will ensure that listeners of other religions or those who hold no religious beliefs are not excluded.

• What is the likely music to speech ratio? During peak daytime live programmes, (07:00-10:00 and 15:00-18:00) the ratio will be around 75% music 25% speech.

Our sport programmes will generally be 60/40.

Non-peak daytime ratio would be between 80/20 and 90/10 depending on whether a programme is live or voice tracked.

Evening programmes will vary depending on whether they are specialist music or speech based.

• Will this vary at different times of the day or week (or year)? Overnight programming will have a higher music ratio.

• Do you intend to broadcast live output? If so when and how much do you propose to do? At launch, we will broadcast live output between 07:00-10:00 and 15:00-18:00 on weekdays.

On Saturday the sports programme will be live between 14:00-17:30.

Other daytime, evening and weekend programmes will be live or voice tracked.

As the station matures, we intend to add more live programming, but will learn to walk before we try and run.

• Will you broadcast in languages other than English (what languages and how much)? No

• Will your output be original i.e. specifically produced for your service? Our live output will be original.

Voice-tracking will be original and recorded in our transmission area.

We may use a limited quantity of syndicated content where it complements our output style.

• Will it be locally produced? Programming will be produced in our existing three studio location inside the transmission area.

Do you intend to repeat material? Certain speech features may be repeated overnight, to reach that part of our audience. B. What is the address of the proposed studio (if known)?

West Kent Community Radio, The Studios, 23a Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2AH.

C: Based on what you have said above, how will your proposed radio service cater for the tastes and interests of your target community/communities? Answer in fewer than 400 words:

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A varied programme schedule will allow us to serve the needs of different segments of the community at different times. By providing a mix of music covering a wide range of genres we will satisfy the desire of most people to be exposed to a variety of ages and styles of music, as evidenced by the diversity of requests we receive via our existing hospital radio service. Specialist music programmes will build on this and focus on specific genres, with the aim of appealing to audiences who may otherwise not be engaged with our service.

In addition, encouraging our listeners (including those in hospital) to submit requests for specific pieces of music will ensure that we are serving the tastes of our community. Request shows have been the backbone of our hospital radio service for almost 60 years and remain extremely popular. The requests we receive will help us adjust the balance of music in the rest of our programme schedule.

By providing local news, a regular user-contributed events guide and locally based features and discussions, we will satisfy a desire in the community to know what is happening in the local area. By providing ideas for recreational activities and participation we will be encouraging those in danger of social isolation to make the effort to attend and participate.

We have discussed our proposals with a wide range of local organisations and businesses, and many are very keen to support our programming and participate, either on-air or in an advisory way.

Our research has also shown that while the older generation is less likely to use online services than the younger generation, this is changing constantly, and an increasing number of our target audience are “silver surfers” using online services and social media. We will use these channels to promote our service, the work of the organisations and people that we are promoting and to make people aware of events such as quiz nights, concerts and social activities designed to bring the local community together.

Continuing our long history of broadcasting from within the community, we intend to visit and where possible, broadcast live from fetes, supermarkets and public events with the dual purpose of both promoting ourselves and the events in question.

D: How will your proposed community radio service add to the range of programmes available on non-BBC local services (commercial and community stations) to members of the relevant community or communities, add to the overall range of such services in the area concerned and be different and distinct from them? Please tell us which non- BBC local services your station will overlap with. Answer in fewer than 400 words:

No community stations overlap our proposed area.

KM-FM covers Tunbridge Wells/Sevenoaks. (MCA: 206,277)

Heart (FM/DAB), Smooth (DAB), and Gold (AM/DAB) cover the whole county. Target Audience The commercial stations provide single countywide programming, predominantly aimed at younger audiences.

Our music programming will be different, aimed at an age group 45+, with a lighter feel and a mature presentation style.

Local News A survey of the local news coverage by KM-FM and Heart (Kent), revealed predominantly countywide 6 West Kent Radio application

stories, with limited news for our core towns.

During the survey period, they covered four items of local news which covered Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge. Over the same period, West Kent Radio would have broadcast 22 local stories, providing distinctive local coverage.

Local Sport West Kent Radio will broadcast our sports service on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and weekday evenings as appropriate.

The service will be provided by a team with over 20 years of sports broadcast experience, covering national and local sport news and results.

In The Studio One of the most distinctive additions to the range of programming in the area will be our speech content.

Our weekly ‘Health Hour’ programme will invite local health professionals to discuss a range of health related topics.

Individuals and representatives from local organisations, councils and good causes will be invited to take part in live and pre-recorded interviews, something not available on the commercial stations.

Our existing three studio facility will allow us to interview local musicians and showcase their music live. For many this will be their first broadcast exposure. Our research showed this to be a popular feature.

Local Events Coverage The commercial stations broadcast little coverage of local events, something we consider essential for a local radio station and backed up by our research. We will source and broadcast information about local events each day from theatre productions and charity events to club meetings and sporting fixtures.

Traffic & Travel We will provide traffic and travel news relevant to our area. Traffic and travel news from the commercial stations is countywide, where a short-term blockage in Ramsgate (66 miles away) is of no interest to our listeners. We will provide travel news about local rail services (Tonbridge is an important junction on the network), the arterial roads and parts of the M25.

Out and About We will broadcast live from many local events ranging from fetes to the annual Remembrance service.

Social gain

5. Social gain Guidance Notes Community radio is required to be for the public good and Broadcasting legislation specifies a number of to bring community benefits, or social gains, to listeners ‘characteristics of community radio services’. Licence and participants. The requirement for ‘social gain,’ is one of holders need to ensure their services conform to these characteristics, including in this case the delivery of social the key factors that makes community radio stations gain. different from other radio services. The legislation sets out social gains that stations must provide. These are the achievement, in respect of 7 West Kent Radio application

Please tell us what community benefits your service will individuals or groups of individuals in the target bring to your target community(ies) and/or the general community, or in respect of other members of the public, of public. Please include summaries of evidence to support the following objectives – your answer. (a) the provision of a radio service to individuals who are otherwise underserved by such services, Answer in fewer than 1,500 words: (b) the facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion, (c) the provision (whether by means of programmes included in the service or otherwise) of education or training to individuals not employed by the station, and (d) the better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of links within it. Social gain may also include the achievement of other objectives of a social nature.1 Applicants are required to provide evidence that their service will result in significant social gain to the public or the target community(ies). Copies of letters or research reports etc. should not be submitted, but brief relevant extracts from them, which represent an accurate and comprehensive summary, may be included. If we wish to see the source material, we will ask for it. Ofcom is required to have regard to the extent to which your proposed service would result in the delivery of social gain to the public or target community. General West Kent Community Radio is a registered charitable incorporated organisation. One of the charitable objects of the organisation is: “the advancement of health and prevention or relief of sickness for the public benefit through the promotion of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, and the importance of maintaining good personal mental and physical health by (mainly, but not exclusively) the means of broadcasting health education messages to people living in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Southborough and surrounding areas of West Kent.” The charity’s Trustees intend to meet this objective by delivering radio programme content and related promotional activities described elsewhere in this application. Through carefully targeted messages and the provision of advice and information using our popular and widely-accessible programmes, we intend to promote the benefit of active healthy living to those not yet experiencing health issues. We will encourage our listeners to take steps to reduce the risk factors that cause illness and poor health and provide practical help, advice, reassurance and encouragement to those who have been diagnosed with health issues, preventing further complications. Not only will this improve the lives of local residents, but it may deliver financial benefit to the public purse through preventing more serious illness that might require more expensive treatment. Our radio broadcasts will be backed up by the use of social media.

A number of organisations including the NHS, the Royal Society for Public Health, the Local Government Association and the World Health Organisation have endorsed the work carried out by Göran Dahlgren and Margaret Whitehead to establish the determinants of health, as illustrated in their “rainbow model” [4].

1 See Article 2(3) of the Community Radio Order 2004 and Ofcom’s Notes of guidance for community radio applicants and licensees. 8 West Kent Radio application

Figure 1 - The Dahgren-Whitehead Rainbow Model The model maps the relationship between the individual, their environment and their health and identifies the various factors that most people would not immediately consider to have an influence on health, including individual lifestyle factors such as keeping fit and active and eating healthily, community influences, living and working conditions such as housing, education and employment, and more general social conditions. The Dahgren-Whitehead research shows that health can be improved by getting involved in activities within the local community, attending local events and socialising and engaging with others. Community radio is an ideal medium to encourage people to get involved locally and we intend to inspire our listeners to get actively involved in as many aspects of local community life as possible.

Members of our target audience aged 45 and over are likely to have, or be at increased risk of being diagnosed with, long-term physical health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, bronchitis, emphysema, mobility issues and dementia. Those with these conditions find it more difficult to live independent and active lives and are in danger of social exclusion. This can lead to further complications and mental health problems such as depression. POPPI statistics (3) indicate that the number of people in our target audience suffering from some type of physical health problem will increase by 62% between 2018 and 2035, from 12,500 to approximately 20,500, while those suffering from mental health issues such as depression and dementia will increase by over 70% in the same period, from 1,950 to approximately 3,320.

Provision of a radio service to individuals who are otherwise underserved by such services As noted in 4(D) above the existing commercial radio services available locally cater for a younger age group and have little content specific to our area. West Kent Radio’s programmes will be aimed at the 45+ age group and will have a lighter feel, a mature presentation style and a local content (which will include speech elements) that are more likely to appeal to this age group.

Facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion Interviews and debates with and between professionals and local residents on subjects relevant to the local community will be broadcast on a regular basis and will encourage listener participation via phone- in or social media. Topics likely to be discussed range from advances in health research and the provision and quality of local health services through to the regeneration of local town centres and council expenditure.

Provision of education or training to individuals not employed by the station All of our volunteers will receive the training necessary for them to perform their roles with West Kent Radio. These roles and the associated training will include much more than just on-air roles, but also areas such as communications, sales and marketing, finance and business administration. Representatives of the community organisations that will work with us to promote their activities and services will benefit from media experience and will receive training from us if they require it. Our listeners will benefit from the wider educational material embedded within our programming.

Better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of links within it We will heavily promote services offered by public authorities and community groups to our listeners, keeping them informed about developments at the councils, within the health service and in our local hospitals. We will encourage our listeners to live healthy, active lives and engage with their local community by attending local events and joining local organisations that would benefit from their

9 West Kent Radio application expertise and support.

Provision of opportunities for the gaining of work experience We will look to agree partnerships with local online and newsprint news providers, enabling their aspiring journalists to support our local news offerings and gain radio journalism experience, in addition to the written journalism experience they currently receive. We will also look to agree a partnership with West Kent College in Tonbridge that will enable their media studies students to augment their formal courses with radio experience.

Promotion of civic participation and volunteering We will encourage all forms of civic participation, from following what is happening in local politics, to attending a local church film club, to volunteering in local charities and social enterprises, attending and supporting local sports club events and everything in between. As a volunteer-led organisation, we will also offer a wide range of opportunities for members of our target audience and the wider community to become directly involved in all aspects of the station. As noted above, the volunteering opportunities that we will provide to students at West Kent College will help to build and strengthen relationships between the growing student population and the older generation of long-term residents of West Kent.

Promotion of Economic Development We will provide local private and third sector businesses with the opportunity to promote their services through affordable advertising and promotion. Advertisers will not just be a source of revenue for the station and we will encourage those in the community to support local businesses though initiatives with the local Business Improvement District (BID) groups.

Not only will this promote local economic development, but it will have a direct impact on the financial position of the proprietors, and indirectly on the staff they employ. An individual’s financial situation has a large impact on their lifestyle and wellbeing, so the success of local businesses will be of great interest to us, as it will indirectly enable us to fulfil our charitable objectives.

Promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity The census of 2011 [1] showed that 93% of the population in the target area spoke English and 7% did not. These figures reflect the proportion of the population in the area born in the UK (92%) and elsewhere (8%). We will look to provide programmes that engage with non-English speaking, non-UK born members of the community to encourage social inclusion and we will actively seek volunteers who can help us to achieve this.

Evidence of support We have met and discussed our outline plans with those in the local health services, local councils and voluntary groups. Meetings with the BID groups and other business networks have helped to guide aspects of our application.

Our own research, where we have data from 452 respondents, has provided programme suggestions and ideas which those members of the community feel are important for a new radio station. This research is available on request.

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References: [4] https://esrc.ukri.org/about-us/50-years-of-esrc/50-achievements/the-dahlgren-whitehead-rainbow/ Access and participation:

6. Participation in the service Guidance Notes How do you propose to ensure that members of your Legislation specifies a number of ‘characteristics of target community (or communities) are given community radio services’. Licence holders need to ensure opportunities to participate in the operation and their services conform to these characteristics, including in this case providing opportunities to participate in the management of the service? operation and management of the service. Ofcom requires Answer in fewer than 400 words: information as to how this would be achieved. What will be the involvement of members of the target community in the radio station? How many volunteers do you anticipate will be involved in your service per year? Volunteering will be open to anyone aged 18 or over, subject to satisfactory completion of standard volunteer recruitment checks, induction processes and appropriate training.

Volunteers who offer more than a de minimis number of hours per month will be eligible to apply for membership of the charity, enabling them to participate in formal general meetings and to stand for election as a Trustee, subject to current restrictions under charity, tax and broadcasting law.

Others will be encouraged to take on a role in the management team structure detailed in Q.13 and will be offered suitable training and support.

It is anticipated that, at least initially, West Kent Radio will be 100% volunteer-operated. As such, there will be a large variety of roles open to members of the target community (and others), including on-air presentation, production, programme scheduling, hospital request collecting, journalism, fundraising, engineering and technical, IT, membership management, public and community relations, administration, finance, sales and marketing.

These roles will provide opportunities for volunteers to develop technical skills and experience, build confidence, improve interpersonal skills and enhance expertise in management, customer services and communications. Our hospital radio experience shows that volunteers appreciate the variety of opportunities available, often intending to undertake one role when they join and then becoming more interested and involved in others as their membership progresses. We appreciate that a long-term, regular commitment isn’t suitable for everyone, and will offer micro-volunteering and project-based opportunities whenever possible.

Volunteer opportunities will be promoted on-air, on our website, in the local press and through social media.

West Kent Radio already benefits from the experience and knowledge of the existing 35 volunteers currently providing our hospital radio service. If granted a licence, we would increase our recruitment and training efforts to recruit at least a further 40-50 volunteers by the end of year one, increasing volunteer numbers further in subsequent years.

We will provide opportunities for local community organisations to work in close partnership with West Kent Radio by promoting their activities, interviewing their representatives on-air and encouraging them to engage in on-air debates. 11 West Kent Radio application

Local bands, musicians, singers, poets, writers and performers will be encouraged to submit samples of their work which can, if appropriate, be featured in our programmes.

Our studio is based in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, close to bus routes covering all parts of West Kent, and 10 minutes walking distance from Tunbridge Wells railway station.

7. Access to facilities and training Guidance Notes Set out the practical (formal and informal) mechanisms Ofcom is required by the legislation to have regard to the which you will use to ensure that members of your target provision each applicant proposes to make to allow for community can gain access to your facilities that would be access by members of the target community to the facilities to be used for the provision of the service and for their used for the provision of your service and to receive training in the use of those facilities. training in their use. Answer in fewer than 400 words: West Kent Radio will be 100% volunteer-operated at launch. As such, there will be a large variety of roles open to members of the target community. Our existing hospital radio volunteers are drawn from all walks of life and range in age from 18 to 75. If we are granted a community radio licence, we expect to build on our existing volunteer base and bring in more people from the local community to fill a greater variety of roles, including the development, preparation and communication of health messages and community engagement.

All of our volunteers will be provided with formal induction training and all necessary training relevant to their role(s) within West Kent Radio. For those roles that are directly related to on-air work, volunteers will be trained in the operation of our studio equipment, general presentation and interviewing skills. All on-air presenters will be made aware of their legal responsibilities. This training will be led by a training officer who will be supported by those experienced volunteers currently involved in hospital radio. We will also take advantage of the training opportunities provided by the Hospital Broadcasting Association and local healthcare providers.

We expect to build a relationship with local schools and colleges that will not only deliver benefits for students but will allow co-operation in the provision of training. These links could provide routes for educational progression for those who would like to develop their talents further.

Within the legal restrictions on charity trading, and to the extent that our volunteer workforce permits, we will promote our services to individuals and organisations across our community as a cost-effective means of supporting their audio and broadcast needs. This may, for instance include utilising our facilities as a recording studio, undertaking an audio editing project or providing training with interview skills.

Using our studio facilities will allow those individuals and organisations the opportunity to produce programming for use on-air.

All live guests will receive informal advice on how to sit and use the microphone, to ensure a professional presentation of their points of view.

Volunteer opportunities and services will be publicised and promoted on-air and will be advertised on

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our website and social media pages. We will also seek volunteers via our local papers and magazines and via local community clubs and churches.

Ensuring accountability:

8. Accountability Guidance Notes Please set out your proposed community accountability Broadcasting legislation specifies a number of mechanisms. These should cover matters such as: ‘characteristics of community radio services’. Licence holders need to ensure their services conform to these How will members of your target community: characteristics. One is that, in respect of the provision of • make contact with your service, and the service, the provider makes itself accountable to the • influence the operation of the service? community (or communities) the service is intended to serve. How will suggestions or criticisms from members of your target community (or communities) be considered and Ofcom is required to have regard to the provision each applicant proposes to make in order to ensure its acted upon? accountability to the relevant community (or communities). Answer in fewer than 500 words: Accountability to listeners We will encourage feedback and interaction from our listeners and their representatives via our website and social networking services, as well as by email, text, telephone and letter, and we will promote these feedback methods regularly on-air. Our attendance at local and community events, such as fetes, civic events, community gatherings and sports events will provide additional opportunities for face-to-face feedback.

We will produce a quarterly email newsletter, containing news about developments at the station and inviting involvement, contributions, and feedback. This will be promoted on our website, via social media and on-air. All volunteers will be trained in the procedures set for handling and recording feedback and dealing with complaints.

Accountability to members Everyone who volunteers with West Kent Radio for more than a de minimis amount of time per month is eligible for voting membership of the charity on payment of a modest membership fee, entitling them to actively participate in formal general meetings, elect Trustees and stand for election as Trustees in accordance with the charity’s governing constitution.

We encourage feedback from all members at any time, both formal (through regular members’ meetings) and informal (e.g. during conversations with individuals, or by email).

Accountability to local Statutory and Community Organisations Local community organisations who are regular contributors to our service will be invited to provide feedback on how well we are serving them and their service users via email, text, telephone and social media. We will also arrange a series of regular meetings with representatives from different interest groups (e.g. health, cultural, sports) to enable them to discuss their views and ideas for improvement with the Trustees.

Accountability to the Business Community The local business community is key to West Kent Radio’s financial sustainability. We will meet regularly

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with sponsors and advertisers, with the local Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement District to ensure that we continue to offer local business the right mix of commercial and philanthropic opportunities. We will attend other regular business network events across the area.

Accountability Procedures Suggestions and complaints will be gathered and the Trustee responsible will address any complaints within a defined period with the individual or organisation. Details will be formally recorded, and the station will aim to learn from each incident. Acknowledgement will be made on-air if appropriate.

Annual Survey We will conduct an annual on-line research survey to gather suggestions and any criticisms from our community, building on the initial research conducted for this application.

Oversight by Trustees As West Kent Radio is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, the Trustees are legally obliged to ensure that the charity is operated in accordance with charitable law. Oversight is provided by the Charity Commissioners to whom any member of the public can make a complaint if they believe that the charity is not meeting its charitable objectives or is not acting in accordance with the relevant legislation.

Guidance notes: station’s draft key commitments

Please draft the Key Commitments for your proposed service. There is a blank key commitments template overleaf. If your organisation is awarded a licence, the key commitments you draft here will be included in your licence. (Please note: Ofcom may require amendments if, for example, we feel changes are required to better reflect your application proposals).

Your draft Key Commitments should be consistent with, and, where appropriate, summarise the answers you have already given in this application form.

It is important that you draft your own commitments rather than just copying what may have been done by others. You should keep in mind that it will be a condition of any licence to meet the Key Commitments: something you must do at all times and for breach of which you could face sanctions including revocation of the licence. So, you should think carefully about what you will be committing to.

We would expect key commitments to be brief and no more than one page long.

KEY COMMITMENTS: to be completed by the applicant [Guidance is given in italics.] Station name: WEST KENT RADIO [As in section 1 of this application]

Licence area: The core towns of Royal Tunbridge Wells, [State the proposed coverage area as set out in Tonbridge, Southborough, Langton Green, Speldhurst, plus related neighbourhoods and section 3 of this form.] villages Description of character of service [Describe in no more than 80 words in total]: - the target community/communities [describe the community or communities you will serve; this should be a summary of your answer in section 2 of this form]:

14 West Kent Radio application

West Kent Radio’s primary target audience will be the 45+ age group, within the combined areas of Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Southborough and immediately surrounding neighbourhoods and villages within the transmitter range. - the main purpose of the service To improve the health and wellbeing of the station’s listeners through entertainment and information. - the station’s primary functions or activities. To promote the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and the importance of maintaining good personal, mental and physical health by encouraging lifestyle improvements and promoting the services of organisations providing relevant services. The service broadcasts: [these bullet points should be a summary of the answers you have given in section 4 of this form]: • Music. The main types of music2 broadcast over the course of each week are:

Music from the sixties to the present day, with album tracks, classical, specialist and live music, biased towards a lighter style for our more mature audience.

• Speech. The main types of speech output3 broadcast over the course of each week are:

News, information, features, advice, interviews and phone-ins, presented in a friendly and engaging way with content designed to encourage and promote good health and wellbeing.

• Over the course of each week programming is broadcast in English only.

• The service provides original output4 for a minimum of 10 hours per day.

• The service provides locally-produced output5 for a minimum of 16 hours per day.

[The text below is included in the Key Commitments in all community radio licences, and does not need to be amended or augmented. Every service is required to comply with these requirements, but the details of how each service does so do not need to be included in the Key Commitments]

The studio is located within the licensed coverage area. The service provides a range of community benefits (social gain objectives mandated by statute) for the target community, both on-air and off-air, and in doing so, achieves the following objectives: • the facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion, • the provision (whether by means of programmes included in the service or otherwise) of education or training to individuals not employed by the person providing the service, and • the better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of links within it. Members of the target community contribute to the operation and management of the service. The service has mechanisms in place to ensure it is accountable to its target community.

2 e.g. mainstream pop, urban etc. 3 e.g. local news, what’s on etc. 4 Original output is 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. 5 Locally-produced output is output made and broadcast from within the service’s licensed coverage area. 15 West Kent Radio application

[Please note: If awarded a licence, the key commitments you draft here will be included in your licence. (However, Ofcom may require amendments if, for example, we feel changes are required to better reflect your application proposals).] About your organisation:

9. Company details Guidance Notes The legislation requires that: • Community radio services should not be provided primarily for commercial reasons or for the financial or other material gain of the body providing the service or the individuals involved in it • Any profits produced may only be used to either improve the future provision of the service or for the delivery of social gain to members of the public or the target community Provide the name of the body corporate (e.g. company) Only a body corporate can hold a community radio licence. submitting this application and the type of body corporate. A body corporate is almost always a (registered) company, Please provide copies of the company’s Memorandum, although it can also include, for example, some bodies Articles of Association and Certificate of Incorporation (or, created by statute (an individual or a registered charity on where it is another type of body corporate, its founding its own is not a body corporate). documents and those which set out its objectives and rules Your application must therefore be submitted on behalf of of operation) a registered company (or other body corporate). There are different types of company (e.g. a company limited by shares, a community interest company, a company limited by guarantee) and we need to know what kind of company is applying for a licence. We will not consider a licence award to a company if it has not yet been registered. If the application is successful the licence will be awarded to the body corporate (e.g. company) submitting this application.

Company (or other body corporate) name: West Kent Community Radio

Date of registration: 16 November 2018

Company registration number: 1180738

Type of company (or other body corporate): Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells started in 1961 and in 1978 a charity by that name was created (Registered Charity No. 275140).

Where your body is not a company, please explain how it In order to apply for and hold an Ofcom licence, we meets the requirement to be a body corporate: have formed West Kent Community Radio as a CIO.

The hospital radio charity is due to be rolled in to the new CIO during 2019.

10. Ownership Guidance Notes Please provide details of who controls and who owns the Ofcom needs to know about the ownership of the company body corporate (e.g. company) applying for this licence, (or other body corporate) applying for this licence, and any and on what basis this control and ownership is achieved. issues regarding its control. We will also consider how the company (or body corporate) will be run (this will usually be (If this will be different once the station starts broadcasting specified in the Articles of Association of the company). please say so (a licence is not issued until broadcasting In relation to exerting control over the applicant, the starts.) information provided should include the name and address 16 West Kent Radio application

The information provided must include: of any individuals or corporate bodies in accordance with whose wishes the applicant’s affairs are or will be • all the subscribers, members, shareholders, or conducted in most cases or in significant respects. whatever is appropriate for the applicant company (or body corporate), and state the extent of their interest (e.g. % shareholding) (if the company will be controlled by members, but the members are not yet recruited, please say so). (You will also be asked about the board of directors in 11 & 12 below.) • details of any individual, company or other body that may exert control over the applicant.

West Kent Community Radio (Registered Charity No. 1180738) is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

As a CIO, West Kent Community Radio does not have shareholders or subscribers. No individual person, company, member nor organisation exerts control over the CIO and it operates for solely charitable purposes, including: “the advancement of health and prevention or relief of sickness for the public benefit through the promotion of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, and the importance of maintaining good personal mental and physical health by (mainly, but not exclusively) the means of broadcasting health education messages to people living in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Pembury, Sevenoaks, and surrounding areas of West Kent, using FM radio, digital radio, online and through social media.“ (A second objective is the provision of a local broadcasting service for hospitals, residential homes and similar institutions)

The CIO is run by its members, who each contribute an annual membership fee. Currently, there are 35 such members.

The members elect Trustees at the Annual General Meeting, and those trustees act as the board of Trustees and appoint the management team. Initially, the board of Trustees will act as the management team.

As a CIO West Kent Community Radio operates under a governing document registered with the Charity Commission. A copy is provided with our application as part of the declaration in Q.28.

Details of each trustee are provided in questions 11 and 12. No changes are anticipated between the date of this application and the issue of an Ofcom licence. Ability to maintain the service:

11. Management and operations Guidance Notes With regard to the applicant please provide: In addition to the notes above on ownership, Ofcom is also required to evaluate the human resources involved in the • A list of directors, indicating who is the managing running of a community radio station. Answers should director and/or chair (please see question 12 demonstrate how those who have relevant experience will regarding directors’ details). work for the station. In addition, a diagram or organisation • An indication of management structure (e.g. chart may help paint a clearer picture. management committee or equivalent, if applicable), and/or • Information about who would be responsible for the 17 West Kent Radio application

day to day management and running of the station (there is a separate question regarding other staff below). Explain the role(s) in the station, job titles, and indicate whether paid or voluntary, full or part-time (and the number of hours). TRUSTEES & MANAGEMENT TEAM Christopher Manser (Chairman and Programme Manager) Philip Kidby (Secretariat Manager) David Anthony Finn (Human Relations Manager) Will Dunn (IT Manager) Arthur Hosmer (Engineering Manager) Claire Backhurst (Public Relations Manager) Nigel Peacock (Finance, Training & Compliance) ORGANISATONAL CHART Please refer to the chart in question 13.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE The Charity is managed by a board of Trustees which can have up to eight elected Trustees and four appointed Trustees.

Trustees are elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the constitution. One third of the elected Trustees stand down annually and may offer themselves for re-election if they wish to do so.

Appointed Trustees may be appointed either by the members at a general meeting or by the board of Trustees and are usually appointed to enable the CIO to avail of their skills or expertise.

The day to day management and running of the station is the responsibility of a management team which will be appointed by the board of Trustees. All Trustees and members of the management team are volunteers. Initially, the Trustees will take an active role in the day to day management of the station until a management team can be appointed.

EXPLANATION OF ROLES

CHAIRMAN Christopher Manser (Volunteer, part-time: 2 hours per week) Equivalent of a managing director, the chairman acts as chair for meetings of the board of Trustees, the Annual General Meeting and Members Meetings. The chairman has a casting vote as required and as described in the CIO governing document.

PROGRAMMING MANAGER Christopher Manser (Volunteer, part-time: 8 hours per week) Responsible for managing the presentation team and the allocation of presenters to shows, allocating broadcast times, managing the selection and scheduling of the core music to be played and the production and scheduling of station messages, features, sports and local news output.

SECRETARIAT MANAGER Philip Kidby (Volunteer, part-time: 2 hours per week) Responsible for the administration and arrangement of all board of Trustees, management team and member meetings; the preparation of agendas and meeting minutes; the maintenance of the

18 West Kent Radio application organisation’s processes and procedures, and the administration of all of the organisation’s documents in compliance with data protection and security policies.

HUMAN RELATIONS MANAGER David Anthony Finn (Volunteer, part-time: 4 hours per week) Responsible for managing the recruitment of new volunteers and their induction. Also responsible for the Secretariat’s Membership Management role, managing the membership database and the membership renewal process.

FINANCE MANAGER, TRAINING & COMPLIANCE Nigel Peacock (Volunteer, part-time: 6 hours per week) Responsible for managing the day to day finances of the organisation and the co-ordination of grant applications. Will take the lead on commercial sales, sponsorship and advertising script clearance. Also responsible for the Human Resources Training in relation to broadcast law, and Secretariat’s Compliance roles, managing the training of new presenters once they have completed their induction, the provision of on-going training for longer term broadcasters and compliance training for both broadcast and non- broadcast members, with reference to Ofcom regulations, social media and legal matters.

IT MANAGER Will Dunn (Volunteer, part-time: 2 hours per week) Responsible for managing all aspects of the IT, telephone hardware and software used by West Kent Radio. In addition, the ongoing systems refresh strategy, the station’s data security and protection strategy, West Kent Radio’s website, social media platforms and the management of IT and telephone supplier relationships.

ENGINEERING MANAGER Arthur Hosmer (Volunteer, part-time: 2 hours per week) Responsible for the management of all technical matters relating to West Kent Radio’s audio production, the transmission of programmes, the maintenance and security of the studios, ongoing broadcast technology refresh strategy, studios infrastructure and health and safety.

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER Claire Backhurst (Volunteer, part-time: 2 hours per week) Responsible for the management of all PR matters relating to community engagement, engagement with local businesses, social media, news media and the promotion of the organisation’s events.

12. Management and operations Guidance Notes Please provide information regarding each director as set Ofcom needs to know about the proposed directors and out below (some or all of which may be regarded as chair of the applicant. Some or all of the information given confidential). in this section will usually be removed from the publicly available copy of this application form. (All community In addition if any individuals have been identified for radio applications forms will be made available on our management roles at the proposed station, please give website.) If you request that any information be removed, further information in this section. please indicate which (and why by email to [email protected]). Answer (for each director):

TRUSTEES Initially members of the board of Trustees of the charity will be active members of the management team, each managing one or more of the roles shown in the organisation chart in the response to “Q.13

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Staffing Structure” below.

Name: Christopher Manser Management Role: Chair and Programming Manager Member Since: 1981 Employment: Warranty Administrator Other directorships: None Relevant experience or qualifications: An active member of Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells since 1981.

Chris has held positions on the Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells management team since 1992, as Publicity Officer, Programme Manager and as Station Manager.

For a time, Chris supported the music scheduling and commercial traffic scheduling activities for the commercial station KFM in Tonbridge.

Presenter and programme producer for the sport output, with technical operations.

Name: Philip Kidby Management Role: Secretariat Manager Member Since: 2014 Employment: Travel Agent Other directorships: None Relevant experience or qualifications: Philip has acted as secretary for Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells for four years.

Professionally, he has owned and run his own business in the travel industry.

Name: David Anthony Finn Management Role: Human Relations Manager, also responsible for Membership Management Member Since: 1997 Employment: Semi-retired Other directorships: Coolroe Ltd (Managing Director) Relevant experience or qualifications: Former Secretary and Station Manager of Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells.

Jointly developed current GDPR compliant Data Protection policy for both charities in collaboration with Will Dunn.

Managed successful application by Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells for £5,000 “Awards for All” Lottery grant.

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Developed the governing document for West Kent Community Radio as Charity Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

Chartered IT Practitioner with over 30 years’ experience delivering programmes and projects to public and private sector clients, which he continues on a part-time basis.

Name: Will Dunn Management Role: IT Manager, also responsible for Data Protection Member Since: 1998 Employment: IT Security Manager Other directorships: None Relevant experience or qualifications: Will has been a volunteer with Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells for the past 20 years, as a presenter, producer and a broadcast IT specialist.

Former Station Manager of Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells.

Led the project to online broadcasting by Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells, in addition to more traditional outputs.

Also led the project to install technical and computing equipment and software allowing Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells to broadcast 24 hours a day. Professionally, he is a qualified information security manager.

Name: Arthur Hosmer Management Role: Engineering Manager Member Since: 2000 Employment: Retired Other directorships: None Relevant experience or qualifications: Arthur has been the station engineer for Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells for the past 15 years.

Led complete studio rebuild when the station moved premises several years ago.

Manages the day to day engineering aspects both in the studio and during outside broadcasts.

Professionally, he was a public address engineer.

Name: Claire Backhurst Management Role: Public Relations Manager Member Since: 2014

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Employment: Communications and Public Relations Consultant Other directorships: None Relevant experience or qualifications: Over 20 years' experience in international PR and Communications across corporations and consultancies.

Claire has managed the outreach to local news media and the social media strategy for Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells for four years.

Name: Nigel Peacock Member Since: 1970-1997 & 2018- Management Role: Finance Manager, also responsible for Training & Compliance Employment: Semi-Retired Other directorships: Visitor Radio Ltd Relevant experience or qualifications: An early member and first station manager of Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells.

Worked at commercial station Invicta FM (East & West Kent) as the accountant at launch.

Finance director and broadcaster at commercial station KFM (Tunbridge Wells/Sevenoaks).

Nigel was the first full-time station manager and daytime presenter at community station Meridian FM (East Grinstead) and a volunteer and part-time paid administrator at Eden FM (Penrith).

Currently managing director of Visitor Radio Limited and operates two stations on trial DAB services.

In his professional life, Nigel owned several businesses including accounting services, product sales, website design and social media management.

Name: Christopher Manser Name: Philip Kidby Name: David Anthony Finn Name: Will Dunn Name: Arthur Hosmer Name: Claire Backhurst Name: Nigel Peacock

If any individuals (not necessarily directors) have been identified for management roles please state what experience identified individuals have to undertake the role in question.

A number of our current 35 volunteers take responsibility for areas on the Organisation Chart shown in Q.13.

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Although not trustees, they manage specific areas including induction, training, features, production, sport, social media and other tasks.

Each individual has been with the hospital radio station for in excess of five years, managing these specific areas. Some have been helping to manage the station for over 20 years.

13. Staffing structure Guidance Notes What is the staffing structure of your proposed radio The legislation requires that Ofcom has regard to the service? Provide a job title for each position and indicate applicant’s ability to maintain the proposed service (as well whether the individual will be paid or will work in a as to ensure the applicant is fit and proper to hold the licence). As well as its ownership, management and voluntary capacity, will be full or part-time (indicate the operations, the proposed staffing of the station is relevant number of hours for part-time posts). This may be provided to these considerations. as a diagram or organisation chart.

Answer in fewer than 400 words, plus organisation chart (optional):

14. Applicant’s experience Guidance Notes Please describe the history of your group, and any Ofcom is required to consider whether an applicant has the relevant experience of the group, or the individuals ability to run a community radio station for the licence period within the group, by answering the questions below. (up to five years). To aid our consideration we want to know about any relevant experience the applicant group as a whole, or the individuals involved, may have.

A. Please provide a brief history of your group. Answer in fewer than 300 words: Hospital radio services began in Tunbridge Wells at the Kent & Sussex Hospital in 1961, with a weekly request show broadcast by volunteers via the hospital’s internal radio system. In 1970, a separate hospital radio service went live at Pembury Hospital on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells, providing bedside radio services to patients and staff. Initially known as Radio Samantha, the name was changed to Radio Pembury in 1971. In 1972, the Leagues of Friends of the local hospitals proposed that a single hospital radio station should provide services to all six local hospitals. The existing services at the Kent & Sussex and Pembury Hospitals were merged under the name Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells, operating from the studios in the Kent & Sussex Hospital. In 1978 the service registered as an unincorporated charity and joined the Hospital Broadcasting association (HBA). When the Kent & Sussex Hospital closed in 2011, the service was relocated to the current well equipped three studio location in the centre of Tunbridge Wells. Today, the team continues to provide a 24-hour service to patients in the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury and the Tonbridge Cottage Hospital.

Throughout its existence, Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells has been self-funding, receiving no regular financial support apart from free accommodation and facilities from the NHS during its time on the Kent & Sussex Hospital campus.

West Kent Community Radio was created and registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2018, to both take over the hospital radio service and to enable us to apply for a community radio licence. If our application for a community radio license is successful West Kent Community Radio will take over the hospital radio service and receive the hospital radio station’s assets, at which point the Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells charity will be dissolved.

23 West Kent Radio application

B. Please summarise the group’s broadcasting experience (e.g. internet radio, Restricted Service Licences (RSLs)). Answer in fewer than 150 words:

As a hospital radio service, the trustees and members have between them, many decades of combined broadcast experience. The station has been broadcasting on a closed wire network to the local hospitals since 1961 and online in the form of an internet station for over a decade.

Each year, the station takes its programmes in to the local community in the form of several live outside broadcasts and has done that continuously since the early 1980s.

Although not holding an RSL licence, the station supported and trained individuals for two Radio Cracker services in the 1990s.

Several members of the station have been involved with community and commercial radio stations.

A significant number of former members are now working professionally in the broadcast industry, having held roles from presenters to the programme controller of a national commercial station.

C. Please summarise the relevant experience of the group or its members, in relevant non-broadcast areas (such as third sector, local business, fund-raising, training or education). Answer in fewer than 150 words:

Trustees Philip Kidby, Tony Finn and Nigel Peacock have all run their own local businesses in the area, each employing staff.

Nigel Peacock has secured grant monies in the volunteer sector in excess of £50,000 over several years. He was a partner in a media training company, specialising in the radio and television sector.

As a hospital radio station, more than £100,000 has been raised by the volunteer team over several decades.

D. Please summarise the radio broadcasting experience of key individuals in the applicant group (only if not already described above). Answer in fewer than 150 words:

Chris Manser supported the music scheduling and commercial trafficking activities for the commercial station KFM in Tonbridge.

Nigel Peacock has been a director and broadcaster with both commercial and community stations. He is managing director of Visitor Radio Limited, holders of a DSP licence. He has managed the financial accounting for three separate radio stations.

All but two of the trustees have been regular broadcasters on the hospital radio service over an extended period of time.

Many of the current 35 volunteers have been with the hospital station for extended periods of time, often measured in decades each.

24 West Kent Radio application

Several non-trustee station members have been, or are currently, broadcasters on both community and commercial stations.

Evidence of demand:

15. Demand and/or support Guidance Notes Please provide a summary of evidence of demand and/or When considering community radio licence applications, support for your proposed service. Ofcom is required to take into account the extent of local demand for, or support for, the provision of the proposed This may include a variety of information, for example: service. • summary of support from statutory or voluntary It is for applicants to decide what evidence of demand or sector organisations which expect to contribute support they wish to submit. However, Ofcom does not practically and/or financially to your operations, or believe that generic support for the establishment of a new which would expect to collaborate with you in joint radio service is as meaningful as evidence of considered activities; support for a specific applicant’s proposals. This means that • evidence of interest generated through radio activity Ofcom does not attach great value to numerous examples (e.g. RSLs, internet radio), community activity, of similar generic or form letters of support by your group, training, voluntary sector work etc.; or to petitions.

• results of research; Copies of letters or research reports etc. should not be submitted. However, your response here may include brief • summary of support from local politicians, councils, relevant extracts from such material and must represent an educational or religious bodies etc.; accurate and comprehensive summary of any such • summary of support from local business or other supporting evidence. If we wish to see the source material, sectors; we will ask for it.

• evidence of support from your proposed target community. Answer in fewer than 1,000 words:

RADIO ACTIVITY Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells has been broadcasting since 1961. In that time, we have collected and played tens of thousands of record requests. The station has always been well supported by listeners when in hospital and by the general public locally through their donations.

RESEARCH In order to determine what elements of a community radio station would be of interest, we carried out a detailed research survey locally, and the 452 responses we received are summarised below.

TYPES OF OUTPUT NOT AT ALL SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT VITAL IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

National & International News 4.4% 36.2% 48.7% 10.7%

Local News 0.5% 2.7% 32.4% 64.4%

Local Sport 9.1% 23.2% 42.0% 25.7%

Local Traffic & Travel 1.3% 3.8% 34.7% 60.2%

Interviews with local people 3.4% 22.2% 52.6% 21.8%

Discussion on topics of local importance 0.7% 9.4% 53.5% 36.4%

Heath Issues and Information 7.0% 38.1% 43.6% 11.3%

Events Guide 1.1% 15.32% 52.5% 31.2%

25 West Kent Radio application

How respondents listened in the past seven days: 33.1% FM at home 50.4% Digitally at home 60.0% In the car (FM) 36.7% In the car (DAB) 21.7% Mobile or Tablet 15.0% Smart speakers 15.7% Online

Local stations listened to in the past seven days: 43.8% Heart (Kent) 35.4% KM-FM 12.8% Smooth (Kent) 2.6% Gold (Kent) 28.2% BBC Radio Kent

In the free flow question “What else would you like to hear?”, 320 respondents commented, including:

“Entertainment, banter with a local friendly feel and a great blend of music” “It needs to be more talk and less music” “Local artists and musicians” (this was a common theme). “Local people and charities”. “Local business news and advice” “Holding local councils to account”

Full source material, with demographics, is available.

STATUTORY, HEALTH AND VOLUNTEER SECTOR “I am delighted to confirm the strong support of the trust for the proposal to establish West Kent Community Radio. We look forward to working together to promote health and related themes in West Kent”. Miles Scott, Chief Executive, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

“Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells already provides a fantastic service for inpatients in the hospital. I think that this sounds like a very valuable project and I would like to offer it my full support”. Doctor J Watson, Old Parsonage Surgery, Goudhurst

“I think a community station run by the community, for the community, that could help people find out about their local health and social care services would be invaluable. It would provide an opportunity to promote health, general well-being and social cohesion with seasonal health campaigns and advice on self-care; as well as when to seek help. A weekly phone in ‘surgery ‘with local health and social care professionals would be hugely popular and could cover specific topics such as: men’s health, mental health; advice for carers”. J Jedrzejewski, a senior Clinical Lead in the NHS, Southborough

LOCAL POLITICIANS & COUNCILS “Local radio has an important role to play in the life of a community and can be a real asset, so I was pleased to see ‘Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells’ as one of the areas out forward”. 26 West Kent Radio application

Rt. Hon. Greg Clark MP, Tunbridge Wells. Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

“I fully support West Kent Community Radio’s application for a community radio license. The proposed service will stress the importance of healthy living and wellbeing, promote the activities of the many excellent local charity and support organisations and will encourage volunteering among young and old, thereby helping to tackle the problem of social isolation.” Councillor Len Horwood, Mayor, Tunbridge Wells “I would welcome West Kent Community Radio providing a forum for local discussion about local issues. The council would welcome an additional platform through which it could promote new initiatives and would have no hesitation in forging a working relationship with a new radio station”. Councillor Jane Morris, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

“As the cabinet member for Community Services at TMBC I support of the establishment of a community radio service as it will provide an invaluable voice for local people and local issues”. Councillor Maria Heslop, Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council

LOCAL BUSINESSES “We are happy to endorse the application by West Kent Community Radio for a community radio license and we welcome the opportunity to advertise our products, services and special offers to the station’s listeners in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Southborough”. S Bolger, Aztec Carpets and Flooring , Southborough

LOCAL COMMUNITY “It sounds like a great idea as spreading the word and talking more about mental health is very important.” Colonel Dame Kelly Holmes (MBE, mil), Olympian, Hildenborough, Tonbridge

“Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells is a truly wonderful asset to Tunbridge Wells. Run by passionate volunteers […] it plays a huge part in supporting the local arts scene, by promoting local events and performers. It thoroughly deserves to expand into a role of providing a local community radio service”. P Dunton, Musician

“HRTW has been a massive help to the local music community by running local gigs and supporting local musicians. It tirelessly promotes our gigs and music and gives us the platform to showcase our art. They also do much for the local community by promoting local charities and community projects”. R Weeks Band

“As chair of an association representing the local business and arts community in Tunbridge Wells’ “Camden Quarter”, I support this application as I believe that a community radio service would provide the missing piece in the jigsaw to consolidate the link between creativity, mental health and well-being as well as being an important platform to celebrate local enterprise.” D Prodrick, Chair, CREATE, Tunbridge Wells

TARGET COMMUNITY Our survey with 452 respondents was key to determining what would interest the local community in a 27 West Kent Radio application

new local station. Alongside the survey, we also engaged with a significant number of individuals within our target community including musicians, politicians, representatives from the health sector, voluntary sector, community clubs, councillors and businesses to discuss their support and requirements. The output from the survey and discussions has guided the team in the preparation of this application.

Ability to maintain the service – financial information:

16. Pre-launch financial information

In assessing an applicant’s ability to maintain the service we need to know what funds and assets it holds, how much it intends to spend getting the station on-air (pre-launch expenditure), and predicted funding for the pre-launch period. Please note ‘in-kind’ income is dealt with in 18 below.

17. Year 1 financial information - income Please provide information on the predicted income for your first year of broadcasting. N.B. there is a legislative restriction on income from on-air advertising and sponsorship/commercial references (in summary, each station is allowed a ‘fixed revenue allowance’ of £15,000 per year from paid-for advertising and sponsorship; some stations may also be allowed up to 50% of their total relevant information per year (i.e. disregarding the fixed revenue allowance). See the ‘Invitation of applications for community radio licences’ for your region for further information).

18. Financial information – in-kind support Please provide totals that reflect the in-kind support you expect to receive for the pre-launch period, and for year one. You may count some volunteer input as in-kind support – please see our guidance on this http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/broadcast/radio-ops/volunteerinput.pdf

19. Year 1 financial information – outgoings Please summarise year 1 outgoings – your expected operational expenditure to cover the first 12 months after the service has commenced broadcasting. (Add rows if necessary).

20. Year 1 financial information – commercial activities on air The legislation for Community Radio places limits on the amount of income annually from the sale of on-air advertising and sponsorship that can be generated.

21. Pre-launch financial information - contingency If there is a shortfall between pre-launch predicted income and outgoings, please explain below how you would expect to cover any outstanding costs.

22. Year 1 financial information - contingency If there is a shortfall between Year 1 income and Year 1 outgoings, please explain below how you would expect to cover any outstanding costs (see also 23 and 24 below). Alternatively if there is a surplus at the end of Year 1, please explain what you intend to do with such additional resources.

28 West Kent Radio application

23. Financial information – loans and other borrowings If any of your proposed funding (either set-up or operational) is in the form of loans e.g. from directors, individuals or organisations, please provide details as to who the loan is from and the terms of such lending, expected repayment terms, interest rate charged and other associated costs.

24. Financial information – alternative funding streams

Broadcasting engineering:

Engineering notes We require preliminary radio frequency (r.f.) engineering information and applicants are advised that this section is not intended to be exhaustive. We are asking for the basic engineering parameters necessary to determine the extent of frequency availability in an applicant’s chosen area (after taking account of the requirements of neighbouring broadcasters); and to determine whether the proposed service area can be adequately served from this site. As a result, applicants should note the importance of identifying a transmission site that is suitable for the area they wish to serve. While Ofcom would not wish applicants to go to unnecessary expense (we do not guarantee the availability of a suitable frequency and/or our ability to allocate it for broadcasting from the chosen transmission site), we do require precise details about the transmission site chosen. The questions following relate to this. Applicants should provide evidence of negotiations or agreement with the site owner (e.g. whether a provisional agreement is in place). Any licence award will be based on the coverage area from the site identified in the application. If a licence is offered, Ofcom may not be able to agree to a change from the site put forward in this application (and any request for a change will need to be justified). Applicants should read and be aware of the relevant part of the Ofcom Site Engineering Code which may be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/guidance/tech-guidance/eng_code/

25. Engineering information Waveband: This application is for an FM licence Yes

Do you understand the requirements for FM (VHF) and have you incorporated these below and in, for example, Yes your start-up and other costs, detailed earlier?

Transmission site What is the postal address and post code: London Road, address: Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0RJ

Note: Our transmission plots indicate that an area of south Tunbridge Wells may not receive a 54dBu V/m signal. Our application for a licence accepts this coverage gap from a single transmitter site. We have a low power relay option available to cover the gap, with details on request.

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The NGR is a reference code comprising two letters and two groups of three numbers (e.g. SW 123 456). It is TQ 576 430 available from Ordnance Survey.

What is the height of the site, in metres, Above Ordnance 132 metres Datum (AOD)?

National Grid In metres, what is the total height of the mast / building 12 metres Reference (NGR): Above Ground level (AGL)?

About the site’s What is the height, in metres, of the transmitting antenna 15 metres dimensions: AGL? Please supply photographs of the transmitter mast / √ Tick if enclosed building and aerial location.

Who owns the site and what are their full contact details? (Include name, address and telephone number(s)

Is this site already used for broadcasting and if so by No whom? About the Delete as appropriate the yes/no answers which describe transmission site: your situation regarding proposed site (it may be that you cannot answer all four questions):

Site identified? Yes

Transmission site Provisional agreement with site owner in place? Provisional, yes availability: Final terms subject to Or under negotiation? contract negotiation Applicant group owns site? No Other – please specify. N/A Applicant group owns site? No

How to contact you:

26. Public contact details Guidance Notes Provide the name of the person who will deal with Ofcom will publish community radio licence applications, and enquiries from the press and public and the contact from time to time statements which may include public contact details for them. details, on its website. A point of contact is required to deal with press and other enquiries from interested parties.

Name: Chris Manser Email: [email protected] Website: westkentradio.com Postal address: The Studios, 23a Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2AH

27. Contact details for Ofcom Guidance Notes Provide the name of the person who will be Ofcom’s Ofcom will need to contact your group in relation to this primary contact and their contact details: application.

30 West Kent Radio application PLEASE ENSURE YOU ADVISE OFCOM OF ANY CHANGES TO YOUR CONTACT DETAILS Concluding declaration:

28. Declaration APPLICANT’S, DIRECTORS’ AND OWNERS’ OTHER INTERESTS

1. In relation to the applicant and any body’s and/or individuals whose details are given in sections 11, 12 and 13 of this application, please state whether the applicant, any body or individual is (and if so identify that body or individual) involved in any of the activities set out in the table below, and the extent of the involvement or interest. For these purposes, the applicant includes associates of the applicant (i.e. directors and their associates and other group companies): (Note: if none of the following categories in this section apply, this must be clearly indicated by writing “none” in any appropriate box.)

Activity/involvement By the applicant and/or By a director a shareholder or (section 12 of this application member form) (section 11 of this application form)

a) Local authorities N/A N/A b) Bodies whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political N/A N/A nature, or which are affiliated to such a body c) Bodies whose objects are wholly or mainly of a religious N/A N/A nature d) An individual who is an officer of a body falling within N/A N/A (c) above e) A body corporate which is an associate (as defined in N/A N/A paragraphs 1(1) and 1(1a) of Part I of Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Act 1990) or a body falling within (b) or (c) above) f) An advertising agency or an associate of an advertising N/A N/A agency Hospital Radio Tunbridge Wells g) Other broadcasting interests (including radio, television, (Closed wire satellite and cable broadcasting and allied activities). network, no RF transmissions) Other interests 2. Give details of any other interest or activity of the applicant which is or could be incompatible with the requirements imposed by or under Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Act 1990 (as modified by the Community Radio Order 2004) and Articles 6 and 7 of the Community Radio Order 2004. Please also give details of any other participant in the applicant whose interest is or could be incompatible with those requirements. (You may need to seek advice about these matters)

N/A

Other matters 3. In pursuance of its duties under Section 86(4) of the Broadcasting Act 1990 (as amended), Ofcom requires that the applicant should notify Ofcom of any matters which might influence Ofcom’s judgement as to whether: (i) the applicant; (ii) any director of the applicant; (iii) any individual, or any director of a company, who will have an interest of 5 per cent or more in the applicant; may not be considered a 'fit and proper person' to participate in a radio licence. Such matters would include, for example, the following (whether they occurred in the UK or any other country): any unspent criminal conviction,

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any undischarged insolvency and/or bankruptcy orders, any disqualification from being a director of a limited company, and any adverse findings made by Ofcom (or its predecessor broadcast regulators), any other regulatory authority and/or any court or tribunal in respect of any regulatory matters.

N/A

Do you confirm, to the best of your knowledge and belief, that: 4. The applicant is not a disqualified person in relation to the licence by virtue of the provisions of section 143 (5) of the Broadcasting Act 1996 (relating to political objects); 5. The applicant is not otherwise a disqualified person in relation to the licence by virtue of Part II of Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Act 1990 or any other rule prohibiting its holding the licence; 6. No director, member or other person involved directly or indirectly in the management of the applicant group is the subject of a disqualification order as defined by section 145 (1) of the Broadcasting Act 1996; 7. No person (body corporate or individual) involved in the application has been convicted within the past five years of an unauthorised broadcasting offence and that the applicant will do all it can to ensure that no person (body corporate or individual) so convicted will be concerned in the provision of the service, the making of programmes included in it, or the operation of the radio station if the applicant is granted a licence; and 8. Any matters which might influence Ofcom's judgement as to whether the directors or members of the applicant group are fit and proper persons to participate in a radio licence have been made to Ofcom. Applicants should note that Ofcom reserves the right to revoke a licence if at any time any material statement made is found to be false and to have been made by the applicant or any member or officer thereof knowing it to be false, and that in the circumstances of section 144 of the Broadcasting Act 1996, the provision of false information or the withholding of relevant information with the intention of misleading Ofcom could incur a criminal conviction and a disqualification from the holding of a licence.

√ Please tick this box to confirm that the applicant agrees with the above statements.

Please tick the boxes below to indicate which additional documentation is included as part of this application. We are not willing to accept additional information with this application, other than that set out below:  Memorandum & Articles of Association (N/A) √ Charity Incorporated Organisation Constitution  Certificate of Incorporation (N/A)

√ Application Payment (UK £ 600.00) non-returnable (Sent by bank transfer)

√ Photographs of the transmitter mast / building and aerial location.

I hereby apply to Ofcom for the grant of a community radio licence and declare that the information given in this application and any additional documentation is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, correct.

Chris Manser (Name of person)

Chairman & Programming Manager (Title or position in the applicant group)

15 March 2019 (Date)

Please make sure you keep a copy of this form for your records.

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