Cornwall's 105 to 107 Itchy FM - Ofcom Licensing
Cornwall's 105 to 107 Itchy FM - Ofcom Licensing
Cornwall's 105 to 107 Itchy FM - Ofcom Licensing
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
(b) Evidence of support<br />
In addition <strong>to</strong> the quantative and qualitative research undertaken by IMD Radio, we have also identified<br />
a huge amount of support throughout the last 5 years of lobbying and local consultation.<br />
From summer 1999, Ian Merricks started receiving requests from local people (Plymouth and Cornwall)<br />
for a new permanent station in the South West. Our summer RSL in neighbouring Plymouth reached<br />
the Cornwall boundaries (Saltash) and we had a number of complaints from young people in Cornwall<br />
who had read about the station but could not listen <strong>to</strong> it. As one of the local newspapers reported on<br />
the eve of the station’s launch “Whatever people say, we don’t have a dedicated youth market radio<br />
station, serving Cornwall, but this could be the start…”<br />
Ian Merricks commissioned a review of the potential for a permanent youth radio station broadcasting in<br />
the South West, and appointed a Project Manager <strong>to</strong> assess local interest and potential support. The<br />
research demonstrated that the whole of the South West area was underserved by local radio, with the<br />
youth demographic having the least choice of relevant commercial radio. This activity culminated in an<br />
initial letter of intent being sent <strong>to</strong> David Vick at The Radio Authority in September 1999.<br />
The letter alluded <strong>to</strong> the extensive and ‘unprecedented’ local support that had been received by the trial<br />
station – from an audience, “comprising local young people”, and went on <strong>to</strong> outline the gap in the local<br />
marketplace, suggesting that “a young ILR license covering…would be able <strong>to</strong> sustain itself in terms of<br />
both audience and commercial support” as its only competition would come from “Pirate <strong>FM</strong>, a regional<br />
‘adult contemporary station’ “.<br />
Over the last 5 years, the management of IMD’s his<strong>to</strong>ric radio experience, alongside growing expertise<br />
in wider youth media and marketing has been integral <strong>to</strong> ensuring that this license application in<br />
Cornwall remained a priority at Group level, despite numerous changes <strong>to</strong> the licensing timetable. To<br />
date, a massive amount of local work has been undertaken <strong>to</strong> help create this application and<br />
demonstrate support from local Under 35s, the wider community, businesses active in the youth market<br />
and other prominent local organisations. This activity, taking in commercial, audience and community<br />
research is summarised (briefly) below.<br />
Activity outline:<br />
• Face <strong>to</strong> face meetings in the County with over 250+ individuals (since IMD Board meeting<br />
May 02 sanctioning application)<br />
• Appointment of Koru Communications, a Wadebridge-based marketing consultancy <strong>to</strong><br />
manage our Local Partnerships Programme (since July 03)<br />
• 5 high profile advisory committees formed<br />
• Received letters of support from partners<br />
• Received expressions of support from potential listeners<br />
• Held a series of youth consumer research sessions across Cornwall<br />
• Local feedback invited and received regarding OfCom consultation<br />
• Monthly e-newsletter <strong>to</strong> hundreds of County-wide decision makers<br />
From <strong>Ofcom</strong>’s guidelines we understand the regula<strong>to</strong>r is not looking for extensive letters, or detailed<br />
reports and as such we have not submitted nor actively solicited evidence in this format. We do<br />
however have an extensive meeting log report, detailing dates and times and meeting outcomes for<br />
each of our 250+ face <strong>to</strong> face consultations. We also have numerous letters of support from listeners,<br />
local businesses and organisations and national brands, collected over the last three years. From this<br />
bank of evidence of commercial, community and audience interest and support for the station, we have<br />
60