Community radio licence: key commitments
Licence outline: CR158
Station name: Preston FM
Community to be served: People who live, work or study in the environs of the city of Preston
Licence area: Preston (up to a 5km radius from the transmission site)
Frequency: 103.2 MHz

Character of service
Preston FM will provide a local station serving the geographical community of Preston, and the many communities of interest which it contains. The station will broadcast programmes reated by local people and by local organisations, presented by local voices who truly know and understand the city.

Programming
The station will broadcast a diverse range of speech and music programmes, made by and for local people.

• Output will typically comprise 75% music and 25% speech during the day, (‘speech’ excludes advertising, programme/promotional trails and sponsor credits). As the station develops there will be an increase in the percentage of speech programming. Music will be more prominent in the evening, with some sections of late night output being up to 100% music.
• Music output will mainly feature mainstream popular music (singles and album tracks) from the 1960s onwards. The service will also air specialist music programmes.
• The speech output will typically include news and sport programmes, local and community news and information, interviews, specialist magazine programmes and other programmes focussing on matters of local interest as well as on topics relevant to particular groups within the target area.
• Output will be broadcast in English and may feature other community languages such as Gujarati and Urdu depending on community demand and the availability of volunteers.
• The service will typically be live for at least 6 hours per day, increasing to 12 hours as the station develops over the first year. (Live programming may include pre-recorded inserts, if applicable and programming recorded “as live”). 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 offer programming for small communities of interest (for example Asian communities, LGBT communities, disabled community) and specialist music programming.
• The station will enable local agencies, voluntary and community groups and faith organisations to distribute information and advice, especially to audiences that they find difficult to reach by alternative means.
  

“(b) the facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion”

• Preston FM will provide support and training to allow people to get their voices heard, to raise issues that are important to them and to supply accessible, relevant and local information to the community at large, and to particular groups within that community.
• Programming will include opportunities for debate and discussion, based around local issues of importance.
• On-line services will augment the station’s broadcasts and other resources such as webbased surveys, blogs and forums will enable members of the community to contribute to discussions on topics that have been raised on air.
  

“(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”

• Preston FM will encourage people to volunteer at the station and to get involved with all aspects of its work. The station will have up to 150 volunteers involved at any one time. There will be the opportunity for up to 40 new volunteers a year to participate in a “basic” ten week training programme.
• Preston FM will offer a demand-based programme of “continuing development” to those volunteers who have completed the basic course.
• The station will offer tailored “taster” training sessions to school and college groups, and to members of community and voluntary organisations.
• The station will also offer work experience placements, with an average of three places available each year.
  

“(d) the better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of the links within it”

• Preston FM will be set up as a community resource, to be used by individuals and organisations making up the target community. The station will develop and strengthen links with other voluntary and community sector organisations.
• The station will make it possible for volunteers to mix across ages, cultures, neighbourhoods and religions. Opportunities will be provided for people from different walks of life to work together, producing programming or forming teams responsible for other aspects of work at the station.
  

Additional social gain objectives:

• The station will develop links with local businesses and organisations to provide support and advice. It will also work to help individuals move on to further training or employment.
• The station will provide coverage of local events and activities where possible through recorded interviews and reports, or outside broadcasts. The website will also be available for community members to upload their own audio content.
  

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.”

• Preston FM will encourage people from the community to volunteer. The station’s steering group will be made up of representatives from its volunteer base, as well as from the local voluntary and education sectors. The steering group will ensure that the station reflects the community it serves, both in terms of broadcast output and volunteer involvement.
• All volunteers involved in the project will be eligible to stand for a place on the steering group or, if they prefer, to take part in one of the project’s “working groups”, which will be responsible for various aspects of the station’s operation (for example marketing, music policy and web/digital).
  

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.”

• A bi-annual magazine will be produced, updating members of the community on the project’s activities and giving individuals and organisations the chance to make contact with the service and influence its operation.
• The station will obtain views on the programme output at regular intervals, for example by holding ‘audience feedback’ sessions in local community venues or by carrying out street surveys. The station will use its website to provide a place for listeners, volunteers and staff to comment on and discuss its broadcasts. The station will also use on-line surveys to enable listeners to give “snap-shot” feedback on programme output. All the feedback will be regularly passed to the project steering group, and used to inform future decisions on scheduling, commissioning and the future development of the project.
• Listeners will also be able to interact with the service in the usual ways, through e-mail, SMS, telephone and post. The station will publish contact details on its website and promote them on-air.
• Complaints will be handled using Preston FM’s complaints policy, which will be available on the website.
  

*All material in italics is direct quotations from the Community Radio Order 2004