Cornwall's 105 to 107 Itchy FM - Ofcom Licensing

(b) Evidence of support
In addition to the quantative and qualitative research undertaken by IMD Radio, we have also identified
a huge amount of support throughout the last 5 years of lobbying and local consultation.
From summer 1999, Ian Merricks started receiving requests from local people (Plymouth and Cornwall)
for a new permanent station in the South West. Our summer RSL in neighbouring Plymouth reached
the Cornwall boundaries (Saltash) and we had a number of complaints from young people in Cornwall
who had read about the station but could not listen to it. As one of the local newspapers reported on
the eve of the station’s launch “Whatever people say, we don’t have a dedicated youth market radio
station, serving Cornwall, but this could be the start…”
Ian Merricks commissioned a review of the potential for a permanent youth radio station broadcasting in
the South West, and appointed a Project Manager to assess local interest and potential support. The
research demonstrated that the whole of the South West area was underserved by local radio, with the
youth demographic having the least choice of relevant commercial radio. This activity culminated in an
initial letter of intent being sent to David Vick at The Radio Authority in September 1999.
The letter alluded to the extensive and ‘unprecedented’ local support that had been received by the trial
station – from an audience, “comprising local young people”, and went on to outline the gap in the local
marketplace, suggesting that “a young ILR license covering…would be able to sustain itself in terms of
both audience and commercial support” as its only competition would come from “Pirate FM, a regional
‘adult contemporary station’ “.
Over the last 5 years, the management of IMD’s historic radio experience, alongside growing expertise
in wider youth media and marketing has been integral to ensuring that this license application in
Cornwall remained a priority at Group level, despite numerous changes to the licensing timetable. To
date, a massive amount of local work has been undertaken to help create this application and
demonstrate support from local Under 35s, the wider community, businesses active in the youth market
and other prominent local organisations. This activity, taking in commercial, audience and community
research is summarised (briefly) below.
Activity outline:
• Face to face meetings in the County with over 250+ individuals (since IMD Board meeting
May 02 sanctioning application)
• Appointment of Koru Communications, a Wadebridge-based marketing consultancy to
manage our Local Partnerships Programme (since July 03)
• 5 high profile advisory committees formed
• Received letters of support from partners
• Received expressions of support from potential listeners
• Held a series of youth consumer research sessions across Cornwall
• Local feedback invited and received regarding OfCom consultation
• Monthly e-newsletter to hundreds of County-wide decision makers
From Ofcom’s guidelines we understand the regulator is not looking for extensive letters, or detailed
reports and as such we have not submitted nor actively solicited evidence in this format. We do
however have an extensive meeting log report, detailing dates and times and meeting outcomes for
each of our 250+ face to face consultations. We also have numerous letters of support from listeners,
local businesses and organisations and national brands, collected over the last three years. From this
bank of evidence of commercial, community and audience interest and support for the station, we have
60