Section 355 Review of Output Lincs FM (Lincoln)

[] Redacted for publication

Publication date: 28 November 2019

Section 355 Review: Lincs FM (Lincoln)

Introduction

When a local commercial radio licence undergoes a change of control (this includes licence transfer), is required, under section 355 of the Communications Act 2003 (‘the Act’), to undertake a review of the effects or likely effects of the change of control in relation to:

• the quality and range of programmes included in the service; • the character of the service, and; • the extent to which Ofcom’s duty under section 314 of the Act is performed in relation to the service. Ofcom’s duty under section 314 of the Act relates to securing the inclusion of an appropriate amount of local material, and a suitable proportion of locally-made programmes in the service. Under section 356 of the Act, where it appears to Ofcom from its review that the change of control would be prejudicial to any of the three matters listed above, then it must vary the licence, by including such conditions as it considers appropriate, with a view to ensuring that the relevant change of control is not so prejudicial. In doing so, any new or varied conditions must be such that the licence holder would have satisfied them throughout the three months immediately before the change of control. Ofcom is required to publish a report of its review, setting out its conclusions and any steps it proposes to take under section 356. Where Ofcom proposes to vary the licence, it is required to give the licence holder a reasonable opportunity to make representations about the variation. On 6 February 2019, Ofcom received notification from Lincs FM Group Limited that agreement had been reached to sell the analogue radio licence for Lincoln, held by Lincs FM Group Limited and broadcasting as ‘Lincs FM’, to Limited. The acquisition of this licence and others owned by Lincs FM Group Limited was completed on 28 February 2019. Ofcom has now carried out its review under section 355 in relation to the Lincoln licence formerly owned by Lincs FM Group Limited. In doing so, we have reviewed the output broadcast under the licence in the three months prior to the change of control taking place, and considered information provided to it by Bauer Radio Limited with regard to the future programming of the station.

Ofcom’s assessment of the output of Lincs FM (prior to the change of control)

Lincs FM broadcast 24 hours per day of locally-made programming1 from its studios in Lincoln, meaning the licensee was consistent with Ofcom’s localness guidelines. Some of its programming was also aired by other local radio stations formerly owned by Lincs FM Group Limited: this included ‘The Farming Programme’, broadcast for 30 minutes on a Sunday morning (shared with Compass FM, KCFM, Ridings FM, and Radio) and the Top 30, broadcast on Sunday afternoons for two hours (shared with Dearne FM, KCFM, Rother FM, , and Trax FM).

1 Locally-made programming defined as programming made within the licence area or wider ‘approved area.’ 1

Section 355 Review: Lincs FM (Lincoln)

Local news bulletins, flexible in their timing but generally between three and five minutes duration, were provided by Lincs FM hourly between 6am and 7pm on weekdays, and at weekends from 7am to 2pm. A pre-recorded local-only bulletin followed the national IRN bulletin at all other times. There was also a second news bulletin broadcast each hour during weekday breakfast. The live news bulletins included a mix of national and local news but with a focus on stories from . National news stories were told from the viewpoint of people living in Lincolnshire. The bulletins were produced by a team of five journalists working out of a newsroom in Lincoln. Other local material broadcast by Lincs FM each day included travel news bulletins every hour on weekdays, and more frequently at peak times, and news of local school closures when relevant. Local weather forecasts were aired hourly across weekday daytimes. On a Sunday, sports news bulletins were broadcast between 8am and 10am. Presenter links including information about local events and information of interest to listeners in the local area were also broadcast throughout the day. Lincs FM played music from the 1960s to the present day, throughout the day. The station played ‘classic hits’ every morning at 9am and evening at 10pm, and featured an hour of 80s music on a Sunday morning. It showcased an hour of new music on weekend evenings between 6pm and 7pm (new tracks on Saturday, new albums on Sunday), and on Sunday afternoons featured an ‘Unplugged’ show featuring music from unsigned local acts. As already noted, Lincs FM shared its Sunday afternoon ‘Top 30’ show with other Lincs FM Group stations.

The new owner’s plans

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Recommended variations to the licence

Based on our assessment of the station’s output in the three months prior to the change of control, we do not believe that the service considered in this Review was broadcasting any programming that was not already reflected in the requirements of its Format which would, in our view, have a significant impact upon:

• the quality and range of programmes included in the service; • the character of the service; and, • the extent to which local material and locally-made programmes are included in the service. Therefore, we are not proposing any variations to the licence. November 2019

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