Community Radio
Key commitments annual report form















Publication date: April 2010
Issue 4

Contents

Section Page
1 Community Radio Annual Report Form 1
2 Declaration 21
3 Checklist 22

Section 1
1 Community Radio Annual Report Form
1.1 Community Radio Annual Report Form: Year Ending 31 March 2010
Station details

Licence Number
CR148

Station Name
Drystone Radio

Launch Date
16th January 2009

Web address where you will publish this report
www.drystoneradio.com

PLEASE NOTE: The following sections are set out one question per page. However, each section can be expanded to take as much information as you need to provide.


1.2 Key commitments: programming
A programme of music, news, interviews, discussions, reflecting the local community and involving programmes promoting social change.

• Output will typically comprise 80% music and 20% speech (‘speech’ excludes advertising, programme/promotional trails and sponsor credits).

• Music output will comprise pop, jazz, alternative modern, soul, reggae, world, classical and folk.

• Speech output will comprise interviews, news, discussion, sport, phone ins, documentaries, outside broadcasts and ‘what’s on’.

• Output will be broadcast in English with some output in the local dialect.

• The service will typically be live for at least 5 hours per day. (Live programming may include pre-recorded inserts, if applicable). The majority of the output will be locally produced.

We broadcast 45 live hours per week all from our studio in Cowling to which is added 9 hours of pre-recorded material all again produced in our studio. There are 6 hours of repeat shows.

Music is Pop: Jazz : Folk : Blues: Soul and Northern Soul :Brass Band : Nostalgia :Local Bands: Rock: Classical : Contemporary :

Speech output is Interviews: News (local and national): Sport: What’s On : and outside broadcasts: Jobs :: Radio Drama: Phone use is in most of these aspects.

Broadcasting is in English and dialect.

We have accumulated over the first year a wide range of interviews enabling the repeating periodically of the interviews where appropriately not time based.

1.3 Key commitments: Social gain objectives (a) The provision of sound broadcasting services to individuals who are otherwise underserved
• Drystone Radio will broadcast programming aimed at the socially isolated within its rural community; this will include programming for older people, younger people, those on benefits and others.

We run nostalgia and comedy shows during the day as well as live broadcast at Lunchtime focused on the higher age group not at work during those hours.

The young are catered for both as broadcasters and listeners at weekends and early evenings.

We have local news from each of our eight village parts of South Craven leading to a growing cohesion of the area.

Our rural community nature is manifest in most of what we do from campaigning against local issues about transport: parking meters in villages: to supporting the local milk delivery system and against dog fouling. We also find lost dogs.

You can look for a job through us : find out where the rural library stops and support any of the many local charities promoted by us.

1.4 Key commitments: Social gain objectives (b) The facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion
• Drystone Radio will host ‘round table‘ programmes, will invite local organisations to participate in discussion programmes and will encourage audience participation through phone ins and email.

We have hosted Young Farmers debates : Had debates on Council issues and the financial difficulties of our area.

Many discussions have been held on health issues from Narcotics to Bowel Cancer.

The sport programme involves local team phone ins as well as committee men updates of local matches etc.

We have partnered with 54 organisations throughout the first year in one manner or another.

1.5 Key commitments: Social gain objectives (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
• Any individual joining the station will be offered training in the basic operation of technical equipment and the Drystone Radio website. The station expects to train up to 60 people over the first two years. Drystone Radio also offers more specific education and training for groups and individuals who have undergone the basic training (up to 20 people over the first two years).

• Drystone Radio will also provide work placements for up to 8 students from local schools and colleges and will provide skills and training for Duke of Edinburgh Award participants.

We have a constantly active training programme focused on volunteer broadcasters.

Volunteers come and go but currently we have 49 volunteers involved at the station.
All but 15 have been trained throughout the year to which should be added 12 who have been trained and have left.

New equipment is constantly being introduced requiring updating training of all involved.

The website is primarily updated by three individuals.

We have provided 6 work placements and had no duke of Edinburgh Awards participants contrary to expectations.

We have however helped a school and college in setting up their own facility for radio.

1.6 Key commitments: Social gain objectives (d) The better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of the links within it
• Drystone Radio’s members will be drawn from within its target community. Volunteers with an interest in journalism will go out into the community, meet people and research stories of interest to the target audience. Drystone Radio also hopes to undertake Outside Broadcasts from community events.

Our members range from a 10 year old girl who broadcasts with her father to members of Drystones Old Guard. Women represent sadly only 10 % of our members which is a matter we are looking to address.

Geographically our members are a cross section of the area with members from Ilkley to Barnoldswick : Skipton to Keighley. We have very few members from outside our listening area.

Local News is provided however by a Leeds University student.

We have interviewed members of local arts shows and done vox pop at Galas Firework displays and the waterways festival.

1.7 Key commitments: Additional Social Gain objectives (if any are specified in your licence).
• Drystone Radio intends to disseminate information about local authority services and local amenities through its programming and website. It aims to promote economic development and social enterprise within South Craven and will develop deeper links with the small immigrant population in South Craven. The station aims to enhance the spirit of volunteering and will publicise the activities of other volunteer organisations Drystone Radio has links with.

We undertake very cheap advertising of local businesses ( classified in nature ) This promotes their businesses.

We have worked with the local trading standards officers re unfair practices and bogus charities.

The small immigration population in the area ( les than 7% ) has not engaged much with us yet other than 3 individuals .

We publicise the doings of many volunteer groups from cat refuge charities to mental health charities.

Our information during the year has often been about the withdrawal of local authority services as mounting debt has gripped the local council.

We have supported the library service and promoted many issues raised by individual councillors.

1.8 Key commitments: Access and participation
• Drystone Radio expects to have up to 60 active volunteers on a weekly basis. Additional volunteers will also be involved, at an estimate of a further 20 within the first year of broadcasting, on a more casual basis.

• Drystone Radio will have an open door policy. Members of the community interested in accessing the station can drop in, email or call the station and express an interest. Members will almost always be part of the target community themselves, and have an involvement in the decision-making processes at the station.

• For more specific or specialist training needs, where appropriate there will also be the chance for volunteer groups to use a training centre in Settle for longer, intense radio workshops.

• Drystone Radio expects to work with eight people a year referred through the Skipton Mental Health Scheme.

We have 49 volunteers (a little less than expected ). All are active to a minimum extent of 6 hours per week (minimum commitment ) and some are involved up to 20 hours per week.

The training centre at Settle has not yet got off the ground .

We continue to work with those affected by mental health problems but with 5 people during the year.

We do not heavily chase volunteers, they find us

.In this way they are more committed.

All are welcome .

1.9 Key commitments: Accountability to the target community
• Drystone Radio’s directors are elected by its members.

• Drystone Radio’s Steering Group has a managerial and overseeing role, and will also act as a complaints panel. The group is made up of the leaders of the various sections of the volunteers invited to sit on the steering group by the directors.

• All members will receive the meeting minutes from quarterly Steering Group meetings and the AGM, which they will be invited to attend.

• Drystone Radio also plans to distribute and collect an annual questionnaire within the surrounding villages to ensure it is meeting the community’s needs and understands its target audience.

• Drystone Radio will have a published complaints procedure and will publish an annual report.

We have three directors elected by the members.

We have had no public complaints but we have self regulated through our leaders a handful of issues during the year leading to one suspension and one warning as to future conduct.

We have become a charity and now have charity trustees.

We have invited public participation at all times and have conducted an annual survey of the target audience.

The steering group no longer exists being superseded by the leaders trustees and directors of the station.

The annual report is attached to the Accounts of the Company available to all.

We have created during the year a community café into which the public call and tell us what is going on in the area.

1.10 Volunteer inputs (see guidance notes on page 2)

Volunteers comprise:-

1 Website Volunteer (28 hours per month )

3 Technical Volunteers ( 6 Hours per month each )

6 Café Volunteers ( 20 hours per month each )

46 Broadcasting Volunteers ( An average of 25 hours per month each ) ( Some 80 hours per month )

We have only two part time employees at the station and two at the Cafe and rely on volunteers for everything else other than bought in special technical help.

2

2.11 Significant achievements

Keeping going all year.

Increasing our audience.

Engaging with the community at 12 local events .

Setting up our community café.

Running successful campaigns.

Becoming a charity.

2.12 Significant difficulties
Do you wish this section to be kept confidential? Yes

Finding Finance of sufficient amount.

Coordinating Volunteer activity ( all going in the same direction )

Increasing Public Relations

Meeting Technical Challenges.

2.13 Audience research
Please provide a summary of any audience research/ data you have collected during the year.

Station Awareness 80 %

Regular Listeners 20%

Online listening 6400 contacts per month.


Community Radio (5th Floor),
Ofcom
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road,
London
SE1 9HA.

April 2010 – Issue 4