Canalside Radio says Key Commitments are a nuisance, a distraction and a red herring after being found in breach of its licence for not broadcasting any original programming when monitored.
The community radio station in Bollington, East Cheshire should be broadcasting a minimum of 12 hours of original output per day.
Ofcom listened to the station for a week (7 to 13 March 2022) after receiving a complaint about the lack of content.
Canalside explained to Ofcom that multiple presenters were ill with Coronavirus and other illnesses, and added, “There was no one here as nearly everyone was ill”, in addition to some presenters already being unavailable during this week with other commitments.
The Licensee added that it aspires to provide 24 hours a day of original and locally produced programming and previously broadcast 22 hours every day, but it is no longer able to provide this.
The Licensee also commented in its responses “These Key Commitments are a nuisance and they should only be guidelines and the local listenership should be making the decision.
“They are nothing more than a distraction and a red herring” and that “the figures that are in place for so called Key Commitments are no longer acceptable and furthermore no longer achievable unless you have a massive volunteer base and / or operate in an Urban area”.
When asked specifically about how many original output hours were broadcast for the week 7 to 13 March, the Licensee stated that it “didn’t have any”.
Canalside also set out that, with regards to Key Commitments, “This week we may not tick the boxes, next week we may tick all of them (well maybe not) let us say three quarters of them”, and asked about the process to change its Key Commitments.
The Licensee also set out information about events it has been attending in the local area and training being provided to four local young people. It emphasised that it achieves being “accessible to all” by being open to new volunteers contributing on- and off-air and enabling “Local Organisations / Charities to take and / or promote what they do”.
Canalside explained how, during the Coronavirus pandemic, it provided 12 hours of original and locally-produced output each day and is now providing four hours per day of “live and local” output.
It also set out how it provides a variety of music and information of local and general interest, and that all its programming is tailored to its older listenership.
Ofcom reminded the station that it expected to be notified if a service anticipated not being able to meet any of its Key Commitments beyond 30 September 2021 as a result of the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
The regulator said it will montor the station to ensure that Canalside Radio is complying with its Key Commitments going forward.
This story first appeared on radiotoday.co.uk