Radio Plymouth - Ofcom Licensing

RADIO PLYMOUTH
On Pirate FM commercial load was high. The peak was 13 minutes per hour between 6 - 7am, 8 - 9
am, 3 - 4pm. and 5 - 6pm. The lowest minuteage was 10 in the 4 pm. hour and the average between
6 am. and 7 pm. was12 minutes per hour. 35 local clients featured, of whom almost one-third
received at least five transmissions throughout the day, while a further 43% received one or two.
On Classic Gold, advertising minuteage was less than on the two FM services monitored, although it
was still high, with an average of 10 minutes per hour between 6 am. and 7 pm. The peak was 12
minutes between 8 and 9 am. 44 local clients featured, for whom there seemed to be an imbalance
between over and under-exposure. More than one-third (34.1%) received at least five transmissions,
while almost one quarter (22.7%) had two or less transmissions throughout the day.
Conclusions for Radio Plymouth
These findings suggest that the existing services are offering mainly recent popular chart hits. Radio
Plymouth’s proposed format would be meeting a demand for a wider range of music from across the
popular spectrum. Music is what people want most and we will give them more in breakfast and
drive.
Local news and traffic information are acknowledged as important, and generally appreciated,
elements of the existing services. Radio Plymouth will ensure that the quality and quantity of both
elements match or exceed those available currently.
The volume, scheduling and production of commercials are of crucial importance as, not only are
commercials a potential switch-off for the listener if they are not well produced and scheduled, they
will not work for the client either. Radio Plymouth will implement a coherent strategy regarding
commercial volume, scheduling and production.
Although Atlantic FM cannot be monitored currently, their licence application states that “the output’s
core appeal will be for listeners aged 25 to 54”. It also states that Atlantic FM will be “full service
local radio specifically for Cornwall, featuring locally-focused news, information and speech content
mixed with adult-orientated popular music” and that it will have “a range of off-peak programmes to
appeal to more specific tastes and interests”.
Radio Plymouth will be different, as its focus will be on Plymouth and its programming will be more
consistent with mainstream appeal programmes throughout the day and across the week.
(vii) Quantitative data tables and questionnaires for research studies 3 and 4 are included in a
separate appendix supplied to Ofcom.
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