Scheduling Advice

Principles
Whilst there is no specific ‘watershed’ for radio advertising as per television, scheduling care is needed for certain categories of advertisement. This generally means that some ads should not be scheduled at breakfast, drive or school run times or during school holidays. Scheduling care is needed for ads that, through their content, might harm, frighten or distress children of particular ages (whether these ages are 15 or 8) or are otherwise unsuitable for children of particular ages to hear.

BCAP Code Rules
Ads for the following categories of ad must not be scheduled near or in programming principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to listeners below 18:
Alcoholic drinks; gambling; betting tipsters; violent or sexually explicit material, slimming products, treatments or establishments; religious advertisers; live premium-rate services.

Ads for the following categories of ad must not be scheduled near or in programming principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to listeners below 16:
Lotteries; football pools; equal-chance gaming; prize gaming; category D gaming machines; medicines/vitamins/dietary supplements; low alcohol or no alcohol versions of an alcoholic drink; computer or console games carrying 18, 16 or 15 ratings.

Ads for the following categories of ad must be scheduled carefully:
Media and websites containing sensational content; sexual material, sex shops, stripograms or similar; divination or the supernatural; sanitary protection; family planning; sexual health messages; HIV prevention messages; anti drugs messages; solvent abuse messages.

Factors to Consider for Scheduling of Ads

When deciding whether a station’s programming is likely to have particular appeal to children (defined in the BCAP Code as someone under 16) or young persons, the ASA considers factors such as RAJAR audience figures (as well as target markets) in the relevant time slot, the nature of the station and programming and whether the advertisement was scheduled at breakfast, drive, during the school run and school holidays and during family-style promotions or features.