"We are Community Builders, Part of The Fabric": A Review of Community Radio

6 CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Comment on the research

6.1 The previous chapters provide an overview of community radio provision in the UK and internationally through the available literature. Subsequent chapters detail the results from primary research conducted on the community radio and independent local radio sector in Scotland. The literature reviewed reveals a surprising breadth of writing about community radio generally, although little account is given of provision in Scotland specifically. Evidence on the benefits of community radio for participants, listeners and local communities is largely anecdotal in the literature but is borne out by findings from the primary research. Given this it is possible to conclude that the benefits resulting from community radio provision are far reaching, certainly for those involved in its production. Unfortunately little is known of about the numbers, profiles and preferences of listeners and a concern about this lack of listener data was echoed by station managers and volunteers through the surveys and focus groups.

6.2 The literature and primary research findings draw attention to the difficulties stations have in funding core costs and paying for key workers and volunteer expenses. This review also invited those taking part to explain what they thought worked well or what could be improved at their stations. Findings were largely consistent with material in the literature review with Scottish participants highlighting funding, training provision, sector profile, management and governance arrangements, the lack of listener data, spectrum coverage and allocation and volunteer involvement in decision making as potential areas for improvement.

6.3 Notwithstanding the challenging funding climate and other operational difficulties, Scottish station managers and volunteers talked passionately and positively about the wide achievements and benefits of community radio. For many their involvement had proved personally rewarding, providing structure and purpose, and improving their lives in other significant ways. They were animated about their suggestions for how the sector could be improved and what they hoped it would become in the future. A number of practical suggestions were made which could realistically be implemented by the sector itself and associated partners. Improving collaboration between community radio and the arts is one such opportunity.

Findings - literature review

6.4 Below is a summary of the most significant findings from the literature review. Unless otherwise stated, these findings relate to the UK wide community radio sector.

6.5 Processes and structures:

• 18 of the UK's 231 licensed community radio stations are based in Scotland - the demand for licences outstrips supply
• The growth in the number of stations in the UK may be exacerbating an increasingly competitive funding climate

6.6 Income and funding:

• Income across the sector (UK wide) varies widely with grant funding and revenue from on-air advertising and sponsorship providing the most financial support. Mean income has dropped by 19% since 2009/10
• Applications to the Community Radio Fund far exceed awards and the average award payment for just under £16,000 is estimated to generate two to three times this amount in further grants and advertising

6.7 Output:

• UK stations broadcast an average of 80 live hours per week topped up by a further 10 hours of original pre-recorded material
• Community radio creates broadcasting space free from commercial interests and which includes contributions from local public bodies, private and third sector organisations as well as different professionals and local people
• Community radio uses and promotes the arts through, for example, literature and spoken word programming, drama productions, live and recorded music, listings and review programmes, organising and covering local events, festivals and carnivals and providing training

6.8 Accountability:

• Community radio services in the UK must meet four mandatory social gain objectives and set out how they will meet their 'key commitments' and deliver social gain as part of their licence
• Stations operating for over a year are required to complete an annual report

6.9 Market size and listeners:

• Independent audited listening figures and profiles are not available in the UK to assess the market share, advertising effectiveness or social impact of the sector

6.10 Demand:

• Research on public attitudes towards broadcasting in Scotland recorded low levels of listening for community radio, with 2% indicating they had listened in the last 7 days
• While 49% of respondents in Scotland indicated it was either fairly or very important to have a community radio station in their area, 51% indicated this was not a priority, they did not know or were unsure
• Geographical differentiations in both listening patterns and the demand for community radio stations have been noted in Scotland
• Ofcom estimate that over 12.5 million people may be able to receive a signal in the UK, this does not account for the actual numbers who take up community radio services
• Commentators maintain that maximising listenership is not a primary objective of community radio and that quality of engagement and the delivery of social gain objectives off-air are of principle importance

6.11 Impact and benefits:

• Community radio in the UK provides over 10,000 volunteering opportunities and 10,000 hours of original radio per week delivered in a wide range of community languages
• The evidence on benefits is largely anecdotal and this review did not uncover any systematic breakdown or measure of outcomes
• Benefits include: providing education and training opportunities; enhancing personal well being, creativity and a sense of belonging; encouraging participation; providing a platform for underrepresented groups and; communicating information relevant to local needs
• Many stations in the UK encourage other organisations and service providers to take part and this can enhance understanding of other forms of local provision and improve people's engagement with these services
• The literature suggests that the benefits of taking part should be offset against any potential loss in broadcast quality which is inevitable with amateur production

6.12 Volunteers:

• UK stations on average work with around 78 volunteers who contribute over 250,000 hours a month to community radio
• All stations in the UK offer some form of training for volunteers and the majority also offer training to other members of their target community such as work experience for school pupils or students
• Although community radio could not function without volunteers, there are also difficulties associated with their involvement, such as allocating roles, high 'churn' and loss of talented individuals, and the quality and commitment of work experience trainees

6.13 Common support needs:

• Concern was expressed about poor marketing and the lack of strategic thinking with stations in the UK
• The need to boost advertising revenues in the UK and change negative perceptions of community radio within the advertising industry were also mentioned
• Deficient audience data was also cited as a problem, as was poor/patchy signal reception which can hamper the ability to reach target communities across the UK
• The lack of funding in Britain, cuts in budgets and decreasing advertising revenues caused most concern - relatedly, the Community Radio Fund was regarded as being too small
• The difficulty of gaining funding for unattractive costs such as power bills or securing cultural funding when community radio is not regarded as an art form in the UK were mentioned, along with the overly prescriptive nature of project funding
• A decrease in funding can result in reduced professional involvement which can have knock-on effects on the delivery of social outcomes, training and programming for British stations

6.14 International perspectives:

• A significant portion of the international literature on community radio focuses on examples of the empowering and liberating effects of the medium
• Community radio's ability to challenge and critique authority and enable communities to self-represent are also highlighted, as is its ability to communicate information, improve community relations and even build peace
• Concerns were raised about the status of community radio relative to the wider broadcasting community as well as its lobbying position and political recognition of its worth

Findings - Scottish community radio research

6.15 The following sections summarise key findings from the primary research on community radio provision in Scotland. Much of this is consistent with conclusions from the literature review.

6.16 Funding:

• Both station managers and volunteers drew attention to how lack of finance affects their ability to service and purchase equipment, pay license fee charges, recruit paid staff, pay volunteer expenses and core running costs, make improvements, and provide training
• Difficulties accessing arts funding and securing advertising revenue were also highlighted
• Lack of awareness about funding opportunities and the need for assistance with accessing wider funding pools were mentioned

6.17 Premises and equipment:

• The majority (eight of 11) of station managers indicated that they would consider sharing premises with another arts, community, education or voluntary organisation
• The same number (as above) suggested that the equipment they use is adequate for their current purposes and they all (11) confirmed that their equipment is in reasonable functioning order
• All station managers said they would be willing to share equipment and resources

6.18 Volunteers:

• The number of volunteers working in Scottish stations varied considerably, ranging from 31 through to 85 volunteers
• Volunteers are primarily recruited through word of mouth and on-air advertising and the majority volunteer for between one and six hours a week
• The majority of volunteers are involved in presenting (96%), followed by producing (40%) and general volunteering (24%), with 17% undertaking fundraising duties
• Most volunteers (65%) do not have any broadcasting experience when they become involved
• There was wide consensus about what volunteers gain from taking part in community radio, with benefits identified as increased confidence and self worth, companionship, a greater sense of belonging, satisfaction from helping others, technical and social skills, knowledge and experience, enjoyment and improved mental and physical health, and career development

6.19 Training:

• Most station managers (nine out of 11) said that they do provide formal training in addition to induction training
• Lack of time, space, resources/funding and training skills were cited as reasons for not providing further training
• While training provision is patchy, a number of stations do provide extensive training in a wide number of areas including, technical and broadcasting skills and community development
• Volunteers indicated that the quality of training is not consistent across the sector
• None of the station managers surveyed currently offer any accredited training, although just over half of volunteers indicated that they would like to receive this
• When offering training stations most frequently link into and work with secondary and primary schools, further education institutions and community education providers
• There is clear interest in receiving additional training, support and guidance particularly in relation to marketing, volunteer management, fundraising, journalism and administration (station managers), broadcast delivery and engineering, interviewing, producing, presenting and engineering (volunteers)

6.20 Working with others:

• Although the sector currently collaborates with training providers and education establishments more could be done to improve these links and embed training provision within the wider qualifications framework
• Community radio stations do collaborate with other community stations, but it was felt that such links could be consolidated and improved
• The desire to work more closely with the arts sector was repeatedly expressed

6.21 Listeners and listener benefits:

• Consistent with the literature review, station managers were not able to provide any in-depth or systematic data on listener numbers and profiles
• Survey respondents were more likely to refer to communities of interest linked to particular music, performers and cultural programmes rather than geographically defined listeners
• A wide number of listener and community benefits were identified including, access to local musicians and talent, local news and information, an active voice, a strengthened sense of community

6.22 Successes:

• Areas of success were identified as: volunteer input and team working; working with disenfranchised and young people; community engagement activities, local news and public service output; supporting diverse music styles and artists; specialist programmes; local presentation teams and successful partnerships

6.23 Challenges:

• Challenges were highlighted in relation to volunteer management and communication, listener data, marketing and public profile, equipment costs and failure, and working with others

6.24 The Scottish Community Broadcasting Network (SCBN) and Creative Scotland:

• Recognition of the SCBN was not has high among volunteers as station managers and it was suggested that volunteers would appreciate more involvement with the organisation
• Research participants were keen on the SCBN functioning as a common body, assisting the sector to coordinate and collaborate more effectively
• It was suggested that the SCBN could potentially support smaller stations to access funding
• It was felt that there was more scope for Creative Scotland to become involved with the community radio sector (and vice versa)

6.25 External support requirements:

• Assistance with accessing alternative sources of national and local funding was sought
• The abolition of license fee charges was also viewed as important by some
• Concerns about signal coverage, FM and access to emerging platforms such as Freeview were raised and a number of participants requested support with reviewing these areas
• More active promotion of community radio by national and local politicians, the Scottish Government, businesses and community/voluntary organisations was regarded as a possible way of supporting development and increasing recognition locally
• Greater flexibility in relation to advertising levels as well as support with securing commercial advertising revenues was requested (for example through consistent paid for public service messaging)
• It was felt that the sector would benefit from assistance with improving links with professional broadcasters, for example through training, workshops, increased coverage, handing down redundant equipment and access to local news feeds

6.26 What community radio can do for itself:

• Station managers were primarily concerned to improve lobbying and increase awareness of the value of community radio, particularly in relation to local communities, for disadvantaged individuals, with the Scottish Government and funding bodies, and in terms of Scotland's international profile
• Improving training provision was a leading priority particularly in relation to course content, delivery, links with colleges and universities, certification, monitoring and progression into paid employment
• Provide more varied and creative programming and cater for a wider spectrum of music tastes
• Investigate how to increase community and listener participation across the sector
• A number of suggestion were made on how to improve interaction between stations, these included a practical system for sharing materials and shows, an information database, a skills exchange system and a common event

Implications - improving support

6.27 This review has highlighted a number of issues of relevance to the wider discussion around how best to guide and support community radio provision in Scotland. It is suggested that consideration could be given to the following areas.

6.28 Defining and measuring success:

• It could be helpful to work with the sector to reach a clear understanding of what community radio provision in Scotland should consist of, what benefits accrue from it and for whom
• Agreeing a vision for the sector could help to clarify the relative value which should be given to listener numbers as opposed to the benefits of taking part, and therefore whether further investment can be justified on the basis of potentially low listener volumes
• Benefits could be measured against this agreed vision/definition of success
• Government support for and investment in the sector could be justified through reference to this vision and the benefits resulting from implementing it

6.29 Education and training:

• It may be possible to improve the training capacity of community radio stations, for example, through better links with HMIe, HE/FE, schools, the cultural sector and creative industries
• Consideration could be given to whether the training provided by community radio stations should be accredited - this could include discussions with the above organisations and the Sector Skills Councils

6.30 Volunteers and management:

• Alternative ways of retaining talent and avoiding high 'churn' of volunteers could be explored
• Thought could be given to providing access to training in volunteer management and in management and governance skills
• It could be helpful to look at ways of further enfranchising volunteers within individual stations and in relation to the SCBN, for example

6.31 Accountability:

• Performance could be benchmarked against the overall vision for the sector, individual station objectives and stated local community and listener requirements
• Consideration could be given to whether the sector should be subject to the same standards and forms of accountability that govern other community, education and cultural providers

6.32 Support needs:

• Discussion with the sector could help to clarify what form and level of involvement policy should have particularly in relation to agreeing outcomes, setting standards and measuring benefits
• Policy support could take the form of: facilitating more effective partnerships with education and cultural sectors and the creative industries; helping to improve political recognition; consolidating the status of community radio in relation to wider broadcasting services; and providing networking and best practice sharing opportunities
• Policy could follow recommendations from the Chochrane report in order to encourage greater use and recognition of community radio within the arts community and ensure increased access to the arts funding infrastructure particularly through Creative Scotland
• With the assistance of the SCBN community radio stations could explore how to strengthen links with the professional broadcast sector in order to expand training, resource and programme sharing opportunities