Community radio licence: key commitments
Licence outline: CR153
Station name: Penistone FM
Community to be served: The people who live, work or are educated in the Penistone and district area.
Licence area: Penistone (up to a 5km radius from the transmission site)
Frequency: 95.7 MHz
Character of service
Penistone FM aims to provide an interactive community facility through the medium of radio
which will enhance and enrich the community.
Programming
The station will offer listeners the opportunity to hear dedicated local and specialised
programming at different times of the week.
Output will typically comprise 70% music and 30% speech during the day, with a
higher percentage of music in the evening and at night. (‘Speech’ excludes
advertising, programme/promotional trails and sponsor credits).
Music output will comprise music from the 1950s to the present day during the
daytime, with more specialist music played in the evenings and at weekends and
features for local and unsigned bands.
Speech output will include news, interviews, discussions, features, community
information and other programmes.
Output will be broadcast in English. Other community languages may feature from
time to time depending on community demand and the availability of volunteers
The service will typically be live for at least 7 hours per day, with most live shows
taking place in the evening and at weekends. (Live programming may include prerecorded
inserts, if applicable). The majority of the output will be locally produced.
Social gain objectives
Community Radio Order 2004: “It is a characteristic of community radio services that they
are local services provided primarily (a) for the good of members of the public, or of particular
communities, and (b) in order to deliver social gain, rather than primarily for commercial
reasons or for the financial or other material gain of the individuals involved in providing the
service.”
“(a) the provision of sound broadcasting services to individuals who are otherwise
underserved”
The station will focus on those people in the community, such as the rurally isolated,
who do not have access to the facilities and services enjoyed by other sectors of the
region, but will also engage with the community as a whole. People will have the
opportunity to have their opinions heard and to gain experience on radio.
“(b) the facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion”
The station will have programming about local topics, inviting feedback through such
means as phone, text and email.
To report on people’s views and comments, the station will aim to send
representatives to meetings concerning local issues within the community.
As the station becomes more established, members of the community will be able to
visit the station and record comments for broadcast.
“(c) the provision (whether by means of programmes included in the service or otherwise) of
education or training to individuals not employed by the person providing the service”
All volunteers will receive an introduction to the station and its operation. Basic
training appropriate to their involvement at the station will also be made available.
The station will offer 12 formal training places a year. There will also be places for
approximately ten people a year to take part in less formal training opportunities,
based on mentoring.
The station aims to offer informal training for non-broadcast roles in line with volunteer
demand, for example in administration, PC skills and marketing.
The station will offer six work placements and job shadowing schemes a year to
school pupils and members of the community.
The station will provide the opportunity for community groups and service providers to
access basic training on portable studio equipment so they can participate in
broadcasts without having to become volunteer members.
“(d) the better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of the links
within it”
The station will form partnerships with community organisations and institutions.
The station will also attend events to raise its profile and to develop links within the
community.
Additional social gain objectives:
The station will act as a link between people in the community and local businesses,
organisations and charities. The station’s website will be utilised to provide relevant
contact information, and will provide details of activities and events.
Access and participation
Community Radio Order 2004: “It is a characteristic of every community radio service that
members of the community it is intended to serve are given opportunities to participate in the
operation and management of the service.”
The station will hold two open days for members of the community each year. It will
also offer taster sessions, informal drop-in sessions and informal tours of the station,
when appropriate.
In the first year there will be the opportunity for 40 volunteers to participate on a
regular basis in various aspects of the station’s work, both on and off air.
Accountability to the target community
Community Radio Order 2004: “It is a characteristic of every community radio service that, in
respect of the provision of that service, the person providing the service makes himself
accountable to the community that the service is intended to serve.”
The station’s board of directors will oversee the running of the station and ensure its
objectives and commitments are maintained. The station will have procedures in
place for eligible volunteers to become board members when vacancies arise.
In addition to the board of directors, the station will look to establish two groups which
will meet quarterly to provide independent feedback on the station and its activities
and to provide suggestions for development and change:
Community Committee with key representatives from the community.
Membership will be flexible and amended if necessary, to allow other
interested representatives of establishments/groups to join.
Listener Panel of up to ten people from the community. A chairperson will be
elected from interested parties and will serve for one year only.
The minutes of Board meetings, community committee meetings and listener panels
will be placed on the station’s website and will be available in printed form on request.
An annual report will also be produced and made available on the website.
The station will hold meetings with its volunteers to hear ideas, suggestions and
concerns. Members of the community will also be able to make suggestions for the
station’s broadcast content through the website, in person and at local events. When
possible, the station will also conduct listener surveys to gain community feedback.
The station’s formal complaints procedure will be published on its website.
Listeners will be able to contact the station by telephone, text, email and post. Day-today
comments and suggestions will be dealt with by the Station Director or nominated
person. More serious issues will be taken to the station’s board of directors.
*All material in italics is direct quotations from the Community Radio Order 2004
[April 2009]