Station visits showcase radio’s public value role

A blog from Radiocentre’s CEO Ian Moss: Since joining Radiocentre last year I have made a point of getting out to visit commercial radio stations across the country.

As well as providing a sense of how operations work in practice, I have found these visits to be a valuable way of initiating discussions with our members about the opportunities and challenges we face as an industry.

Recently Radiocentre went west, as Matt Payton and I visited Bristol and Exeter. A week after storms hit the UK the sun was shining, and it was a chance to hear the stories of local news gathering directly from local journalists.  The storm itself included stories of equipment tethered to the floor by dumb bells as the storm blew in and a reporter on the coast left high and dry (or should that be low and wet) as they were unable to make the journey home that day.

As listenership of commercial radio hits new heights, with nearly 37 million listeners, it is always good to remind people that radio is one of the biggest providers of broadcast news in the UK, and reaches audiences of all types. Our research in Beyond the Bubble showed that radio is uniquely strong in its ability to reach people who are less likely to seek out news.

Our visit to the South West had two objectives: to talk to news teams about how local newsgathering remains a strong part of the commercial radio offer; and to visit Radio Exe to talk about the challenges for an established small station.

Radio Exe is using DAB to expand its reach, and it was important to hear their experience of the rules and regulations that it faces. We were also lucky to meet up with Simon Jupp MP, who has deep experience of the industry.  This was an opportunity to talk in detail about transmission and opportunities to change the approach, as well as discussing the intersection with the BBC. It was also a good discussion on the need to ensure due prominence for Ofcom licenced services on tech platforms. Simon is a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee and has an impressive grasp of the detail of the industry, as well as being a great supporter of Radio Exe.

In Bristol, we met with Bauer and Global news teams. Both are providing a network of local reporting with journalists on the ground producing daily local news across the South West patch from Swindon to Penzance. They are able to use the opportunities of technology to pounce quickly on stories and through their networks can also feed stories back into national news bulletins.

Their local reporters are rightly proud of the great content they produce on a regular basis, as well as notable stories of national interest, such as the Colston four trial and the terrible tragedy of the Plymouth shooting. For Bauer, these stories can run across their national brands. With Global the reporters are feeding stories into the local networks bulletins but also back up to LBC or LBC News where a good story can get a longer piece for a local journalist.

The changes to networks has arguably enhanced the role of local news. There is great investment in people, technology and a system that keeps reporters in localities, and gives them the opportunity to provide important local voices on national stories.

It is this sort of public value, delivered in a different way for different commercial radio audiences, that listeners still value and that sets it apart from pure-play music or streaming platforms.