Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of commercial radio in the UK.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government strongly supports a vibrant radio sector, including national and local commercial stations as well as community stations and the BBC, which between them provide a rich variety of choice for listeners across the UK.
The UK’s commercial radio sector now accounts for approximately 55% of radio listening in the UK, according to figures published by RAJAR for Quarter 4 2023, with 39 million people tuning in to national or local commercial stations at least once a week. This compares to 42% of radio listening and 34 million listeners in Quarter 4 2013. The growth in commercial radio listening over the past 10 years is thanks to the investment the sector has made to develop and grow new services and its ability to adapt what it offers to listeners on digital radio or via internet-connected devices such as smart speakers.
The measures in the Media Bill to reduce regulatory burdens on commercial radio and to secure protections for the carriage of radio on smart speaker devices are intended to help support and secure commercial radio’s long-term future.
Written Evidence Feb. 21 2024
Inquiry: The future of news: impartiality, trust and technologyFound: BACKGROUND: NEWS AND INFORMATION ON COMMERCIAL RADIO 7.UK radio listeners are well served by a diverse
Nov. 17 2023
Source Page: I. Media Bill: memorandum from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. 53p. II. ECHR memorandum for the Media Bill as introduced into the House of Commons. 15p. III. Media Bill: Overarching Impact Assessment. Incl. Annexes A (Governance and Regulatory Reform), B (Repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) and C (Commercial radio de-regulation De Minimis Assessment) (4 docs.) IV. A principles-based framework for a new prominence regime for PSB online services. 59p. V. Modernising the UK’s system of public service broadcasting: Impact Assessment. 59p. VI. Regulation of radio services across voice assistant platforms: Impact Assessment. 91p. VII. Video-on-Demand Regulation and Accessibility Impact Assessments. (2 docs.) VIII. Assessment of Impacts: The removal of Channel 4 Television Corporation (C4C)’s publisher-broadcaster restriction and accompanying mitigations. 33p. IX. Letter dated 08/11/2023 from Lucy Frazer MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding documents relating to the Media Bill to be deposited in the House libraries. 1p.Found: Governance and Regulatory Reform), B (Repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) and C (Commercial
Nov. 17 2023
Source Page: I. Media Bill: memorandum from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. 53p. II. ECHR memorandum for the Media Bill as introduced into the House of Commons. 15p. III. Media Bill: Overarching Impact Assessment. Incl. Annexes A (Governance and Regulatory Reform), B (Repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) and C (Commercial radio de-regulation De Minimis Assessment) (4 docs.) IV. A principles-based framework for a new prominence regime for PSB online services. 59p. V. Modernising the UK’s system of public service broadcasting: Impact Assessment. 59p. VI. Regulation of radio services across voice assistant platforms: Impact Assessment. 91p. VII. Video-on-Demand Regulation and Accessibility Impact Assessments. (2 docs.) VIII. Assessment of Impacts: The removal of Channel 4 Television Corporation (C4C)’s publisher-broadcaster restriction and accompanying mitigations. 33p. IX. Letter dated 08/11/2023 from Lucy Frazer MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding documents relating to the Media Bill to be deposited in the House libraries. 1p.Found: Governance and Regulatory Reform), B (Repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) and C (Commercial
Jan. 22 2024
Source Page: BBC Mid-Term Review 2024Found: RADIO MARKET REMAINS STRONG, WITH INCREASED REVENUES DRIVEN BY NATIONAL COMMERCIAL RADIO Radio shares
Mentions:
1: Andy Carter (Con - Warrington South) by commercial operators. - Speech Link
2: Damian Green (Con - Ashford) when I am on TV or radio. - Speech Link
3: Andy Carter (Con - Warrington South) The combined weekly audience for all BBC and commercial radio in the UK remains extremely healthy. - Speech Link
4: Julia Lopez (Con - Hornchurch and Upminster) In particular, that should include commercial radio stations and local newspapers, especially when it - Speech Link
Found: There is strong support for the radio measures in the Media Bill from across the whole commercial
Nov. 17 2023
Source Page: I. Media Bill: memorandum from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. 53p. II. ECHR memorandum for the Media Bill as introduced into the House of Commons. 15p. III. Media Bill: Overarching Impact Assessment. Incl. Annexes A (Governance and Regulatory Reform), B (Repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) and C (Commercial radio de-regulation De Minimis Assessment) (4 docs.) IV. A principles-based framework for a new prominence regime for PSB online services. 59p. V. Modernising the UK’s system of public service broadcasting: Impact Assessment. 59p. VI. Regulation of radio services across voice assistant platforms: Impact Assessment. 91p. VII. Video-on-Demand Regulation and Accessibility Impact Assessments. (2 docs.) VIII. Assessment of Impacts: The removal of Channel 4 Television Corporation (C4C)’s publisher-broadcaster restriction and accompanying mitigations. 33p. IX. Letter dated 08/11/2023 from Lucy Frazer MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding documents relating to the Media Bill to be deposited in the House libraries. 1p.Found: Governance and Regulatory Reform), B (Repeal of Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013) and C (Commercial
Mentions:
1: Kirsty Blackman (SNP - Aberdeen North) An awful lot of the time that is either commercial radio or BBC radio.Commercial radio is already highly - Speech Link
2: Kirsty Blackman (SNP - Aberdeen North) they catch news bulletins on commercial radio. - Speech Link
3: Kirsty Blackman (SNP - Aberdeen North) It is particularly important for the BBC but also for commercial radio platforms. - Speech Link
4: Kirsty Blackman (SNP - Aberdeen North) radio is run, how advertising pays for commercial radio and how it is able to produce its services and - Speech Link
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the draft Media Bill, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to remove requirements on local analogue radio services to feature local music on (a) up and coming artists, and (b) the music industry.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Provisions in the Media Bill will update the regulatory framework for commercial radio, to reflect the significant evolution in the radio sector over recent years. In particular, the changes will make it easier for local commercial stations holding analogue licences to adapt their services in response to listener preferences, while ensuring that protections for local news and information remain, recognising that these services are fundamental to the public value of radio.
The provisions also reflect the huge growth in the radio sector over the last twenty years. In that time, the Government has put in place funding and legislation to support the development of digital radio, including enabling the rollout of small-scale DAB across the UK, and this has provided opportunities for a number of new local services to broadcast - many of which regularly feature local music. Community radio has also grown significantly since its inception in 2005, with more than 300 stations providing hyperlocal services to communities throughout the UK.