Radio Plymouth - Ofcom Licensing

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RADIO PLYMOUTH This reflects many of the comments in our focus groups, which we review in a moment. But in summary, many of those who listen to Plymouth Sound are dissatisfied with what they hear – even those of a comparatively young age. Plymouth Sound is very focused on its younger audience and serves their needs well. Above the age of 24, listeners are prone to switch stations – even to services that are not aimed specifically at them. 16% of all respondents, and 23% of 35-54s, choose to listen to Cornwall station Pirate FM, suggesting that listeners are not unhappy with commercial radio per se. Instead, the limited availability of radio stations in Plymouth directs listeners to a station they can receive, in this case, from Pirate FM’s eastern transmitter where the music and presentation (but not necessarily the news and information) is more palatable to their tastes. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, older people are more likely to listen to BBC Radio 4 or BBC Radio Devon. If one maps listening through a sample lifespan, one might consider it to be a person who starts their radio listening life bopping to chart and club music, gets a bit rockier and melodic in middle years (women) and in young adulthood (men), then switch to speech radio or classical music as they move towards retirement. To verify our August 2003 RSL survey, in our main research we asked once more about the propensity to listen to a station with the characteristics we propose. Again, more than four out of five (82%) of respondents and 86% of 25 to 54 year-olds (and 88% of 35 to 54 year-olds) claimed to be either “very likely” or “quite likely” to listen. By this stage, each element in our research is pointing in one direction: demand for a music-led station, with intelligent (but not necessarily overly-serious) speech, primarily for people over the age of 25, but especially for 35-54 year olds. 90 88 86 % 84 82 80 78 Conclusions for Radio Plymouth "Likely" or "Very Likely" to listen to Radio Plymouth 50 All adults There is a clear market for a new Plymouth focused radio service for the 25 to 54 age group. Younger people are served well by Plymouth Sound, older people by BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio 4. The 35-54 age range is especially underserved by local services, with many people tuning to commercial stations outside the county. A switch of listening from Plymouth Sound and Pirate FM to BBC Radio 2 is most prominent in this age band, suggesting that Radio Plymouth should super- serve this group, while having a broad target audience. 25-54 35-54
Station format RADIO PLYMOUTH When we asked about the main reason for listening to radio, the answer was music all the way. There’s no other more important reason, whatever the age group. It is by far and away more critical than the next most cited reason, the presenters. There is little appetite for a speech-only or speech-dominated service. Indeed, almost threequarters of respondents are not (or not very) interested in a breakfast programme with no music. When we asked about all reasons for listening, presentation increases in importance – and the older you get, the more important it becomes. Our qualitative work also shows that quality of speech content matters to the Plymouth audience. Conclusions for Radio Plymouth Radio Plymouth will be predominantly a music-based service, with speech content that is relevant to our listeners’ lives. National and international news is important to Plymouth’s radio listeners and it won’t be ignored by Radio Plymouth. Where possible, we will present national issues in a local context: whether that is the deployment of local troops overseas, or how crime, health and education impact on Plymouth life. Naturally our news bulletins will be rich in local news and our mid-morning show will carry interviews with those behind the main Plymouth stories. News and information Our focus groups provided more insight into local news. It obviously is important, but not simply because it’s local. Plymouth people are proud of their identity, but they want to understand the issues of the wider world. We asked specifically about where listeners got their local news. Newspapers score highest at 44%. But almost a third of respondents (29%) say the best source for Plymouth news is the television – above radio which scored a woeful 16%. As there is no dedicated Plymouth television service, this is a sad reflection on the state of local radio news and information. Nevertheless, taking radio specifically, Plymouth Sound is the main provider of Plymouth news and information (34%). As the nearest to a full-time radio station for the city, this is unsurprising. Above the age of 45 (but not 35), Radio Devon overtook its commercial rival, reflecting the fact that many people above this age are not especially close to Plymouth Sound. 51
Page 1 and 2: RADIO PLYMOUTH An application to Of
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Page 5 and 6: RADIO PLYMOUTH PAUL HUSSELL - Compa
Page 7 and 8: RADIO PLYMOUTH RICHARD BATH - Non-E
Page 9 and 10: NEIL ROMAIN - Non-Executive RADIO P
Page 11 and 12: RADIO PLYMOUTH (b) Proposed Investi
Page 13 and 14: RADIO PLYMOUTH SUNRISE GROUP UK BRO
Page 15 and 16: RADIO PLYMOUTH 2. Financial and bus
Page 17 and 18: RADIO PLYMOUTH We intend to stream
Page 19 and 20: RADIO PLYMOUTH All this combined wi
Page 21 and 22: RADIO PLYMOUTH Having looked at sev
Page 23 and 24: RADIO PLYMOUTH Our research shows t
Page 25 and 26: 3. Transmission Proposals RADIO PLY
Page 27 and 28: RADIO PLYMOUTH SECTION 105(B) AND (
Page 29 and 30: (a) Range & Variety of Music RADIO
Page 31 and 32: (c) On-air Personalities RADIO PLYM
Page 33 and 34: RADIO PLYMOUTH (a) Existing Local C
Page 35 and 36: RADIO PLYMOUTH We have also had the
Page 37 and 38: MID-MORNING 10.00 - 13.00 RADIO PLY
Page 39 and 40: CUT LOOSE 15.00 - 18.00 RADIO PLYMO
Page 41 and 42: 5. Proposed Format. Licence Outline
Page 43 and 44: RADIO PLYMOUTH Specific questions a
Page 45 and 46: RADIO PLYMOUTH Census data for Radi
Page 47 and 48: RADIO PLYMOUTH The share of listeni
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Page 53 and 54: 80 70 60 50 % 40 30 20 10 0 Artists
Page 55 and 56: Conclusions for Radio Plymouth RADI
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Page 59 and 60: RADIO PLYMOUTH Most pleasing was th
Page 61 and 62: RADIO PLYMOUTH Even in the wider br
Page 63 and 64: Minutes 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 RA
Page 65 and 66: RADIO PLYMOUTH On Pirate FM commerc
Page 67 and 68: RADIO PLYMOUTH MPs, event organiser

Radio Plymouth - Ofcom Licensing

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