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The FM local commercial radio licence for Norwich was awarded on 9 June 2005 to Crown FM Limited.

Norwich licence award decision

When the Norwich licence was advertised last December, we stated that, given the small population coverage afforded by the licence, Ofcom would be likely to place particular emphasis on the ability of each applicant to maintain its proposed service for the duration of the licence period (Section 105(a) of the 1990 Broadcasting Act).

As a 'smaller' licence serving a locality which is not the sole focus (in editorial terms) of any existing service, we also said that Ofcom was likely to consider speech content to be more important than music proposals in assessing Section 105(c) - the extent to which each applicant would broaden the range of local commercial radio services available in the area, and that 105(c) might be considered less significant overall than Section 105(b) - the applicants' ability to cater for local tastes and interests.

Finally, in respect of Section 105(d) - the extent to which there is evidence of local demand or support for a proposed service - we said that non research-based evidence of local support would be likely to be considered alongside evidence of demand.

We also noted that this guidance is subject to discretion, and that Ofcom will always consider each of the four statutory criteria when making a licence award.

This licence attracted five good applications all offering relatively similar programming proposals. However, the Radio Licensing Committee (RLC) considered Crown FM to be the strongest on a balance of the criteria.

With regard to section 105(a), the committee felt that Crown FM offered both a credible business plan, which showed an understanding of the local marketplace, and relevant radio experience. The RLC also noted that the ownership of two neighbouring services by Tindle Radio (one of the group’s two main backers) would enable Crown FM to share resources and give it the opportunity to offer a combined advertising sell which would be likely to place the new service in a stronger position in relation to the heritage station for the wider area Broadland 102 than might otherwise be the case.

Crown FM’s Format offers a practical realisation of its full service programming proposals. While the RLC recognised that the non-news speech commitments were generally over-arching rather than specific in nature the committee was impressed by the group’s extensive commitment to local news which it felt would enable Crown to cater to local tastes and broaden choice in terms of locally-relevant speech programming. The Format promises 24 hour local news and two extended weekday bulletins. The RLC also considered that the expansive mix of popular music coupled with a limit of 40% on tracks from the last five years should ensure that Crown would be musically distinct from existing services while enabling it to appeal to its slightly more mature core target audience.

In relation to section 105(d) Crown FM conducted a comprehensive and robust range of research and local market analysis which underpinned both its speech and music proposals. The committee also made particular note of the fact that the group had established a high local profile and provided a clear demonstration of local support.

The RLC considered that, in relation to Section 314 of the Communications Act 2003, Crown FM’s programming proposals contained a suitable proportion of local material and locally-made programmes.

The station will be locally produced and presented 24 hours per day, and its Format includes commitments to deliver a wide range of local material.

The following pages set out the statutory requirements relating to radio licensing, and details of the licensing process. Further information about these, and detailed information relating to the applications for the Norwich licence, can be found at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/car/ifmapps/

• Local Commercial Radio Licence Award: Norwich [pdf]
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