The Global North

Global North- United Kingdom (UK)

Radio has been part of British culture for years, from listening to Winston Churchill on the radio during the war all the way to today, listening to the radio in the car on the way to work. In this essay I will be exploring the key features of Radio in the UK and how it operates. Radio is a key importance in today’s society and has been for many years. Community media is a popular form of broadcasting in the UK. With over 200 community stations on air, arguably this isn’t as successful as Brazil who have over 1,000 stations. However there are many regulations for broadcasting UK that are clearly laid out by Ofcom. The programmes need to reflect the needs and interests of its audience. Provide 93 hours of original output a week, mostly locally produced. On average, stations operate with 87 volunteers who give 209 hours of time a week dedicated to the station (Community radio). The regulation of community radio stations in the UK is far clearer and laid out than in comparison to Brazil.

The list of the code is all on Ofcom and divided into ten sections (Ofcom Broadcasting codes) all clearly explaining the rules and regulations the stations need to follow before and during the process of making content. The main sections of the code surround elections and referendums, about giving a non-bias views to equal parties. Religion is not banned to be spoken about but must be spoken of respectively. This differs to Brazil as primary religious stations are not allowed, neither are stations that discuss government or political views/issues etc. The list of codes given are respectively fair and equal and do not restrain community radio stations from creating varied content. There are many positives surrounding community radio stations as they broadcast geographically to appeal to those living near and the communities of interest. They also allow people to become creators and contributors to the media, something not always accessible in all countries.

There is a large issue within community media about ‘pirate stations’ mostly correlating in North London. The stations broadcast to minority immigrant communities, operating on a profit basis when community media of any form is meant to be non-profit. One of the main issues with pirate radios is the interference radio causes to the emergence services (Ofcom, 2015). However Ofcom does reserve the right to seize illegal equipment and prosecute. Arguably this does show that community media is on high demand for wide majority of communities to connect and identify over radio, therefore Ofcom should make it easier to gain a licence to begin broadcast.

Public service media is one of the largest media providers in the UK, the BBC dominates radio, news and TV and is a crucial part to society’s needs. There are currently 10 national radio stations in operation, alongside private sector stations that are still thriving. The BBC operates under the royal charter. In the charter there is the list of rules the BBC must follow to ensure all content fits the needs of society. (BBC Royal Charter, page 5). Three key words that the charter states is ‘openness, Transparency and accountability’ three areas that the public rely on this service for, from Ofcom’s report there has been an increasing amount of trust for the BBC.

(Ofocm 2017 Report)

The reason the BBC has such a responsibility is due to it being paid for through the legislation of the TV licence, of 39p a day or £147 a year per household (TV licensing). The money from the licence goes towards the funding of all of the BBC from radio to TV as well as not having to have advertisements on shows. Some disagree with the licensing fee that pays for the BBC, however it is crucial to the cultural health of the nation as it produces content that the commercial sector wouldn’t consider. Even though there are private sector radio stations they still have the same regulations as public and community. The regulations are listed on Ofcom that these companies must operate beside, or face being closed down.

It appears that regulation in the UK is more strict and firm having Ofcom as a clear guideline which ensures that all radio stations are under the same rules, ensuring all content is fair and equal, not restraining creativity of the stations in anyway, but remembering the content is for the public benefit, despite being profit or non-profit.

Bibliography:

· BBC Royal Charter: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/about/how_we_govern/2016/charter.pdf

· BBC Royal Charter, Page 5: https://shuspace.shu.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-7560396-dt-content-rid-19663920_2/courses/55-402674-AF-20178/BBC%20Framework%20agreement_uk_Gov.pdf

· Community radio: www.communityradiotoolkit.net/on-air/regulation/

· Ofcom Broadcasting Codes: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/100103/broadcast-code-april-2017.pdf

· Ofcom, 2017 report https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/103919/annex-a-audience-opinions.pdf

· (Ofcom 2015) https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2015/pirate-radio-summit

· TV licencing www.tvlicensing.co.uk/