Statements of Programme Policy
BBC Local Radio in England Policy 2009/2010
Service remit
The remit of BBC Local Radio is to provide a primarily speech-based service of news, information and debate to urban and rural communities. Speech output should be complemented by music. The target audience should be listeners aged 50 and over who are not well served elsewhere. There should be a strong emphasis on interactivity and audience involvement.
Delivering the BBC's purposes in 2009/2010
BBC Local Radio in England will continue to contribute towards the delivery of the BBC's public purposes in the range of ways set out in its service licence. Key developments in the way in which the service will contribute to each purpose are outlined below. These are designed to address the priorities identified by the BBC Trust, future-proof the delivery of the purposes, and address perceived gaps in delivery in line with strategies in the BBC's purpose plans.
Key developments
1 Sustaining citizenship and civil society
- Priority: BBC Local Radio will look to increase public value with new proposals designed to strengthen the BBC's performance in the nations and regions. Subject to necessary approvals, English Regions is proposing the appointment of new local government reporters for most stations.
- English Regions will also work with the rest of the BBC on plans for Democracy Live. One key element will be to offer a much more detailed and interactive online service during elections, sitting closely alongside the Local Radio offering.
2 Reflecting the UK, its nations, regions and communities
- Priority: Local radio will continue to develop in ways which recover ground among some key parts of the audience, and maintain reach overall.
- Priority: Local Radio will seek to attract under-served audiences and build existing ones, through developments which include better multimedia links, such as the launch of a new local website design which supports the aim of making Local Radio, TV and web work together better as a unified proposition.
3 Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence
- Local Radio stations will host Blast reporters again in 2009 in the scheme aimed at young people starting out on their media careers. Placements will be offered focusing on multimedia sport and arts content. The BBC has started to see real value from these placements, which attract a diverse range of individuals, many of whom continue to work with the BBC.
4 Promoting education and learning
- BBC News School Report is now its third year and English Regions will develop in its editorial approach and in the support offered to schools. This year it is planned to involve the new English Regions multimedia weather presenters in activities which support learning and media literacy.
5 Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK
- Local Radio stations will continue to work closely with their respective local websites to interact with a global audience.
- Local Radio stations are starting to generate activity related to the 2012 Olympics. In particular they will work with cultural consortia to cover cultural and other Olympics-related events across England.
6 Delivering the benefit of emerging communications technologies
- The range of podcasts offered has grown. There is a plan to expand the slate of pan-England productions to include a regular pull-together of faith content from across Local Radio and to pilot an Asian programming podcast to mirror successful work with UK Black.
- Digital Doctors events (mainly advice phone-ins on BBC Local Radio) have continued and a simple entry point will be developed, promoted on Local Radio for potential new users, to mark Silver Surfers Day in May.
- Local Radio, now streamed on the web via BBC iPlayer, continues to build a strong audience – particularly in times of major events such as weather emergencies. English Regions is working with the BBC's Future Media & Technology division to ensure improved broadcast quality and resilience for these services.
Conditions: BBC purposes and BBC Local Radio commitments
Unless otherwise stated, all commitments are minimum hours or percentages and include originations, repeats and acquisitions. All conditions are annual unless otherwise stated.
Sustaining citizenship and civil society
- 60% speech content on BBC Local Radio in core hours (06.00-18.00)
- 100% speech content on BBC Local Radio at breakfast peak
Reflecting the UK, its nations, regions and communities
- 85 hours each week for each station of original, locally made programming in line with service licence stipulations
BBC local radio stations in England
BBC Local Radio stations in England
- BBC Radio Berkshire
- BBC Radio Bristol – includes BBC Somerset
- BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
- BBC Radio Cornwall
- BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
- BBC Radio Cumbria
- BBC Radio Derby
- BBC Radio Devon
- BBC Essex
- BBC Radio Gloucestershire
- BBC Radio Guernsey
- BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester
- BBC Radio Humberside
- BBC Radio Jersey
- BBC Radio Kent
- BBC Radio Lancashire
- BBC Radio Leeds
- BBC Radio Leicester
- BBC Radio Lincolnshire
- BBC London
- BBC Radio Manchester
- BBC Radio Merseyside
- BBC Radio Newcastle
- BBC Radio Norfolk
- BBC Radio Northampton
- BBC Radio Nottingham
- BBC Radio Oxford
- BBC Radio Sheffield
- BBC Radio Shropshire
- BBC Radio Solent
- BBC Radio Stoke
- BBC Radio Suffolk
- BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey
- BBC Tees
- BBC Three Counties Radio
- BBC Radio Wiltshire
- BBC WM
- BBC Radio York
There are 38 BBC Local Radio services in England, plus opt-out services covering Dorset (Solent), Milton Keynes (Three Counties), Peterborough and the Fens (Cambridgeshire), Swindon (Wiltshire) and Plymouth (Devon).
