Rother FM - Ofcom Licensing

Section 105 (B) and (C): Catering for tastes and interests/broadening choice
of our core target age group and beyond, and we will watch carefully to see if this programme
proves popular with our general audience. We do not want to commit to it in our format.
Presentation style
All Rother FM’s programmes will be single-headers, with presenters aiming to form a
conversational bond with the listener rather than chatting to other people in the studio. Music
beds will not be used extensively, and the general sound of the presentation will be down-toearth
and uncluttered. Presenters will always back announce songs and artists. We will
encourage music flow, with at least two segues of two songs in each hour (except at peak
breakfast time), and several musical features of three songs in a row.
Rother FM’s presenters will talk about everyday matters of interest to our target audience,
without the focus on gossip or crudity that some stations seem to adopt. We will aim
wherever possible to appoint presenters who are local to Rotherham. All presenters will be
aware of who is likely to be listening and when. During the “school run” and in school
holidays, presenters will be particularly careful to ensure that all daytime and early evening
programmes are suitable for both adults and children; and particularly for adults listening with
children.
Listeners will be able to get involved in daily talking points, fun competitions and challenges –
often with small or no prize. We have found that listeners are more likely to call if they can
have their say without the fear or pressure of being put to air, so in many cases (such as our
talking points) our presenters will recount the kind of listener responses we’ve received
without taking calls to air.
News
News and information will be the cornerstone of our programming. 82% of respondents to our
market research agreed it was important that a new local radio station should provide a
comprehensive local news and information service. Rother FM will broadcast bulletins of
mixed local and national news on the hour during weekday daytimes and weekend mornings.
Bulletins will mostly be three minutes in duration, with five minute bulletins at breakfast time,
lunchtime and early evening (each of these longer bulletins including business headlines),
and an extended “Report at Five” at 5pm, allowing for a more in-depth report on one or more
of the big stories of the day. Additionally, there will be headline summaries and sports news
on the half-hour during breakfast and teatime, and one-minute summaries of the day’s big
local news stories during the evening until midnight. IRN’s three-minute “180” bulletin will be
carried on the hour at all other times.
Localness will be at the heart of our news service, but not artificially so. The lead story will be
the one that our journalists judge to be the most relevant, interesting and important for our
listeners. This will often be a local story, but may well be a national story. When appropriate,
we will look for a genuinely relevant local angle on a national story. We will not use the sort of
fake localisation that can give local radio news a bad name.
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