§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet in a position to make a further statement about an experiment in community radio.
§ Mr. BrittanIn reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Mr. Wheeler) on 11 July, at column505, I said that I intended to make a further statement as soon as possible setting out the locations for some 20 experimental community radio 672W stations, and outlining the application procedure for prospective licensees. After consulting my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about frequency matters, I have decided that the locations for the experimental stations and the band on which frequencies will be allocated shall be as follows:
Location Frequency band Small Neighbourhood Stations Dunfries VHF Rhondda VHF Winal VHF Sunderland VHF Calderdale VHF Solihull VHF Rutland VHF Lincoln MF Colchester VHF Cambridge VHF Purbeck VHF Penzance VHF Aylesbury VHF London* 2 VHF, 1 MF Large Neighbourhood Stations Shetland Isles MF North West Wales MF Community of Interest Stations Greater Manchester VHF North London MF South London VHF * Three stations, with a broad geographical spread. In the experimental phase it will not be possible to consider applications for community radio stations in any other locations than those set out above.
The broadcasting service radius for the small neighbourhood stations will be of the order of five kilometres. The larger neighbourhood stations will have a substantially higher radius. The community of interest stations will have a radius of about ten kilometres. The experiment will run for two years, and arrangements will be made for it to be monitored by way of studies of, for example, the nature of the services provided, audience reaction and the impact on existing local radio services.
Licences for community radio stations will be issued by the Home Office under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949, and it will be a condition of the licence that nothing should be broadcast which offends against good taste or decency or is likely to encourage or incite to crime or to lead to disorder or to be offensive to public feeling. Licences will not be issued to individuals or groups who have an interest in more than one station, to groups in which independent television or local radio companies have a majority interest, or to groups of which local authorities or political parties are part, joint or full owners. Licences will not be issued for any station which is primarily religious or political in character.
Community radio stations will be responsible for their own funding, by way of advertising, grants, private or commercial subscriptions or donations or any combinations of these. It will not, however, be possible to carry advertisements for those goods or services which may not be advertised on existing local radio services, and community stations will also be required as a condition of the licence to adhere to a code of advertising practice. I am considering how best to give effect to this. Neighbourhood stations, but not community of interest stations, will in addition be permitted to include sponsored 673W programming, other than sponsorship by those concerned with goods or services which may not currently be advertised on radio.
Full details of these and other conditions, together with technical requirements, are outlined in notes for the guidance of prospective licensees, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. Further guidance on advertising will be sent to applicants when I have decided on the regulatory framework.
In accordance with the policy outlined in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North on 11 July, the central criterion in considering applications will be that community radio should broaden the diversity of consumer choice by offering the community in question an additional service which is distinct in character, whether because of the nature of the programming, its emphasis on local or specialist interests, its appeal to specific community concerns or for other reasons. Applications which mirror the most popular programming elements of existing radio services are unlikely to be successful.
Copies of the notes for guidance for prospective licensees can be obtained from the Home Office Broadcasting Department. Applications should reach the Home Office by not later than 30 September 1985. In selecting the successful applicants, I hope to have the benefit of advice from a panel of advisers. Subject to the number of applications received, I hope to be able to announce the successful applicants in December.