Radio Plymouth - Ofcom Licensing

RADIO PLYMOUTH
We intend to stream our output on-line from day one. More and more listening is done at the
computer whilst people are working or surfing, it is important that we tap into this audience and use
the website as a way of enhancing the sell for Radio Plymouth to advertisers. Our output will include
regular reminders to visit our own website where listeners will be able to key into classified
advertising, small ads, listeners’ restaurant reviews and advertisers’ information and special offers.
Our spring monitoring showed that Plymouth Sound, Pirate FM and Classic Gold were all running
well over fifteen minutes an hour of adverts and sponsorship announcements in their breakfast
shows. This was cited again and again in our focus groups as an irritant and we have decided to
restrict our commercial airtime to a maximum of nine minutes an hour. This means we must price
our packages very carefully, cost effective enough to tempt existing and new advertisers to the
station but not so cheap that it would be impossible to get the rates up to a decent level in the future.
It is important for us to build market share in the early days of the business and to this end we have
ensured that we have enough working capital to support this strategy.
We recognise that the track record of independents within the radio industry is poor. There seem to
be a number of reasons why this has been the case. Our financial structure should ensure that
Radio Plymouth bucks the trend. Firstly our local investors are committed to a long term investment
in the radio station; we have included provisions within our shareholders agreement ensuring that
our shareholders are unable to sell out just for a quick profit. Second, the involvement of LMC
ensures that the often underestimated areas of sales and admin support can be delivered in a cost
effective way. We have reached agreement with LMC to contract out advertising scheduling and
some commercial production. We have also agreed that we will provide reciprocal access to
local/regional news stories and offer advertisers regional sales opportunities with Torbay’s Palm FM.
With his experience in successfully setting up and launching both Orchard FM and Gemini Radio,
David Rodgers will play the same role, as launch director, at Radio Plymouth. He will oversee all the
initial contracts, fit out and staffing of the station from licence award to the end of the first half-year
of broadcasting. This will allow the company to start work immediately on award of the licence whilst
placing key management positions and getting essential work started.
Charles Howeson is a distinguished community leader in Plymouth currently serving as a Vice chair
of the Local strategic Partnership. He will chair our community liaison forum which will be designed
to ensure that the station not only remains locally focused but is also thoroughly responsive to local
views and issues. The group will meet quarterly to review the company’s success at understanding
and targeting city wide issues and community concerns. It will consist of the MD/Sales director,
programme controller, news editor and, on each occasion, an invited guest from the voluntary,
community and business sectors. Plymouth is in a state of great economic and regenerative change
at present and this proactive linkage is seen as fundamental to the role of a truly locally managed
radio station.
All the investors in Radio Plymouth have two distinct objectives which we believe are not in conflict –
to enjoy running a meaningful radio station for Plymouth whilst making a realistic return on our hardearned
cash.
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