Sheffield Live - Ofcom Licensing

Community Radio 

Licence Application 

November 2004 

Commedia Sheffield Ltd 

6 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2QQ 

Company Limited by Guarantee no: 04295047

Public Version 1.0 30th July 2004. 

A. Please read the Notes of Guidance for Community Radio Licence 

Applicants before completing this form. For assistance with individual 

questions, please refer to the relevant sections of the application 

notes which accompany this form. 

B. Please read this document carefully and then answer all the questions 

as fully and accurately as possible. 

C. Please complete this form in English. One typed copy should be sent by 

e-mail to: communityradio@ofcom.org.uk (if it is not possible to e-mail 

your application, please send one typed copy to the address below). 

D. Applications will be made available for public inspection on Ofcom’s website. 

Details of which parts of an application may be submitted in confidence are 

included on the first page of the 'Application Notes' which accompany this 

form. If you wish to submit any information in confidence other than that 

which is indicated in the Application Notes, as being specifically permissible in 

such a form, confirmation that this is acceptable must be sought in advance, in 

writing from Ofcom's Community Radio Licensing Team. 

E. If you are completing the form on behalf of some other company, please make 

this clear in an accompanying letter. You will need to provide evidence of 

your authority to act on behalf of the applicant. The form should be filled in so 

as to include information about the applicant, not about you acting on their 

behalf. 

F. Sufficient information must be supplied about the identity, composition and 

ownership of the applicant and any body which controls the applicant to 

ensure that the applicant may hold a community radio licence granted under 

the Broadcasting Act 1990 (as amended) in accordance with the 

Communications Act 2003 and under the Community Radio Order 2004. 

Before a licence is granted, further details may be required. 

G. In submitting this application you agree that, should a licence be granted, 

Ofcom may publish contact details for the licensee (specified in section 2.6) 

of this application form), which may include personal data, on the Ofcom 

web site and/or in other relevant publications. 

H. This application form covers the requirements of the Broadcasting Act 1990 

(as amended) and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949. If the application is 

successful you will be issued with both a Broadcasting Act licence and a 

Wireless Telegraphy Act licence. 

Community Radio Licensing, Radio Planning & Licensing Team 

Ofcom 

Riverside House 

2A Southwark Bridge Road 

London SE1 9HA. 

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SECTION ONE. OPENING STATEMENT. 

1.1 Opening Statement. 

Please provide a short introductory statement summarising the target community, the 

objectives of the service, and its broadcasting philosophy. 

(For more information please refer to section 1.1 of the accompanying notes). 

Sheffield Live! will provide a dynamic, positive and outward looking urban community 

radio service celebrating the diversity of Sheffield’s inner city. It seeks to cover most 

of Sheffield’s urban heartland including the wards of Central, Nether Edge, Broomhill, 

Crookes, Walkley, Burngreave, Manor, Arbourthorne, Gleadless and Darnall. 

On Sheffield Live! you will hear our many voices, accents, stories, music and 

languages. Sheffield Live! will promote, encourage and involve local musicians, 

bands, DJ’s, composers, writers and artists. It will engage many cultures and 

communities, particularly people facing disadvantage and exclusion, black and ethnic 

minorities and others groups under-represented in the mainstream media. 

The population within the proposed coverage area includes large Caribbean, Somali, 

Yemeni, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Irish communities as well as 

more recent refugees and a large, international student population. Sheffield Live! will 

aim to break down stereotypes and cultural barriers, to promote mutual 

understanding and to celebrate our city’s creativity and global connections. 

Sheffield Live! will build on firm foundations. We have operated annual Restricted 

Service Licence broadcasts since 2000. Since 2002 Sheffield Live! has been 

broadcasting regularly, four days a week on the Internet. Sheffield Live! has 

extensive studio, production, training and access facilities already in place and a 

membership base of over 1000 individuals from all sections of the community. 

Sheffield Live! seeks to be among the first of the new generation of community radio 

services in the UK and to give fresh meaning to the phrase “Made in Sheffield”. 

Please continue to Section Two on next page. 

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SECTION TWO – About your organisation and how to contact you. 

Ofcom needs information about your organisation and needs to be able to contact 

you. 

(For more information about the individual questions below, please refer to 

sections 2.1 to 2.7 of the accompanying notes). 

2.1 Proposed Name of Station 

Sheffield Live! 

2.2 Contact Address 

6 Paternoster Row 

Sheffield You must include the postcode S1 2QQ 

Is this address: 

The main address of your organisation? 

The registered office of your organisation? 

The home address of the main contact? ? 

Other contact details for your organisation, as applicable: 

Phone (work) 0114 2814082 Phone (home) 

Mobile number Fax number 

E-mail address sangita@thedrum.org.uk 

Website address www.sheffieldlive.org 

2.3 Contact Name 

Sangita Basudev 

Section continues on next page… 

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2.4 Company Details: What type of organisation are you? Please tick the 

appropriate boxes and provide the additional information requested. 

Company Limited by Guarantee Waiting to be registered ? 

OR Registration Number: 04295047 

Date of Registration or Application: September 2001 

Company Limited by Shares ? Waiting to be registered ? 

OR Registration Number: 

Date of Registration or Application: 

2.5 Is your organisation a registered charity in England, Wales, Scotland or 

Northern Ireland? If so, please provide details here. 

Registered Charity ? Waiting to be registered ? 

OR Registration Number: 

Date of Registration or Application: 

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2.6 Public Contact Details. 

For publication on the Ofcom website and/or in other relevant publications (published 

either by Ofcom or third parties directed by Ofcom) should a licence be granted. 

Contact Name: 

Sangita Basudev 

Contact Address: 

Sheffield Live 


Sheffield 

S1 2QQ 

You must include the postcode 

Other contact details for your organisation, as applicable: 

Phone number: 

0114 281 4082 

Mobile number: 

Fax number: 

E-mail address: 

info@sheffieldlive.org.uk 

: 

Website address: 

www.sheffieldlive.org 


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2.7 Supporting Documentation. 

Ofcom needs to check that your organisation is eligible to operate a Community 

Radio service. Please tick the appropriate boxes to show which of the following 

documents you have provided: 

Certificate of Incorporation 

Memorandum & Articles of Association 

(Please make sure you include your organisation's name and postcode on the front 

page of the constitutional document(s) provided.) 

Please continue to Section Three on next page. 

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SECTION THREE – Ownership. 

Please provide the following information in relation to the directors of the applicant 

group. 



DIRECTORS 

3.1 Name of member or director 

Michael MCCARTHY 


23 Endcliffe Rise Road 


Other contact details 

You must include the 

postcode 

Phone number 0114 221 0386 Mobile number 07775 646482 

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S11 8RU 

Fax number 0114 221 3086 E-mail address Mike.eventus@ 

workstation.org.uk 

3.3 Other Employment 

Director of Eventus Limited 

3.4 Relevant interests 

Community based cultural activity, creative industries, social enterprise 

3.5 Expected Role in Community Radio Station 

Chair of the Board and Non-Executive Director 

PLEASE REPEAT QUESTIONS 3.1 – 3.5 FOR EACH DIRECTOR OF THE 

APPLICANT GROUP 

Section continues on next page…


DIRECTORS 


Waqaas BHATTI 


30 Burton Road 




postcode 

Phone number 0114 2757295 Mobile number 

Fax number E-mail address 


Director of Yellow Arch Studios 


Interest and experience in music, media and community arts 


Non-Executive Director 

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S3 8BX 





DIRECTORS 


Stephen BUCKLEY 


104 South View Road 




postcode 

Phone number 0114 279 5219 Mobile number 07801 945037 

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S7 1DD 

Fax number 0114 279 8976 E-mail address sbuckley@gn.apc.org 


Co-Director/Consultant, Community Media Solutions Limited 

Various freelance media consultancy 


President, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters 

Council Member, International Freedom of Expression Exchange 

Previous involvement in two local regeneration agencies 

Former Director of the the Community Media Association 







DIRECTORS 


Alan DEADMAN 


43 South Grove Road 




postcode 

Phone number Mobile number 



Coordinator, The Juju Club 

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S10 2NP 


Local promoter of global music. He is the Founder and Coordinator of the Juju Club 

Co-founder and Partner of Headcharge, local dance music club 

Involved in the planning and programming of community festivals in Sheffield. 







DIRECTORS 


Elisabeth KETTLE 


9 Montgomery Avenue 




postcode 

Phone number 0114 250875 Mobile number 


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S7 1NZ 


Group Support Worker (Neighbourhood Renewal Chest) for Voluntary Action 

Sheffield and South Yorkshire Community Fund 

Freelance writer, Voluntary Action News 


Experience and involvement in Sheffield voluntary and community sector 







DIRECTORS 


Veena Swaminathan 


Flat 23 Chestnut Court 

55 Union Road 

Sheffield You must include the 

postcode 


Phone number 0114 2586099 Mobile number 0782 1073906 



Freelance software developer 


Member, Institute of Electrical Engineers 



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S11 9EH 





DIRECTORS 


Frank WILKES 


35, Littlewood Drive 




postcode 

Phone number Mobile number 07837 965464 



Manager, Red Tape Studios 




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S12 21Q 





3.6 Please provide the names and addresses of the members of the company. If 

the applicant is a company limited by shares, this information should be provided in 

respect of participants with an interest of more than 5 per cent in the applicant, as 

well as participants with an interest of more than 5 per cent in any body which 

controls the applicant. 

The following members are Directors of the company: 

Mike McCarthy (Chair), 23 Endcliffe Rise Road, Sheffield S11 8RU 

Waqaas Bhatti, 30 Burton Rd, Sheffield S3 8BX 

Steve Buckley, 104, South View Road, Sheffield S1 2BX 

Alan Deadman, 43, South Grove Road, Sheffield S10 2NP 

Elizabeth Kettle, 9 Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield S7 1NZ 

Veena Swaminathan, Flat 3, Chestnut Court, 55 Union Road, Sheffield S11 9EH 

Frank Wilkes, 35, Littlewood Drive, Sheffield S12 2IQ 

Commedia Sheffield has a membership of over 1000 individuals. None have more 

than a 5 per cent interest. A list of names and addresses is supplied separately. 

Please state whether the applicant or any member about whom information has been 

provided under question 3.6 above is involved in any of the activities listed below, 

and give the extent of such interest. For these purposes the applicant includes 

associates of the applicant (i.e. directors and their associates and other group 

companies). If any of the following categories do not apply, applicants must still 

complete this section, clearly indicating that this is the case by writing 'none' in each 

such section. 

3.7 Local Authorities 

Frank Wilkes is Manager of Red Tape Studios, a project of Sheffield City Council 

3.8 Bodies which are wholly or mainly of a political nature, or which are affiliated 

to such a body: 

None 

3.9 Bodies whose objects are wholly or mainly of a religious nature: 

None 

3.10 An individual who is an officer of a body falling within 3.9 above: 

None 

3.11 An advertising agency or an associate of an advertising agency: 

None 


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3.12 Other Broadcasting Act licensees, specifying which licences: 

None 

3.13 Affiliations with other bodies not outlined above, (for example related charities 

or community groups): 

None 

3.14 Other matters which may influence the application. 

Ofcom requires that applicants should, at the time of making this application, notify 

Ofcom of any matters which might influence Ofcom’s judgement as to whether: 

a) any director/manager or the applicant group, or, 

b) any individual, or any director of a company, who will have an interest of 10 

per cent or more in the applicant group 

may not be considered a ‘fit and proper person’ to participate in a radio licence. 

Tick here if there are no reasons why Ofcom might consider the applicant not to be a 

fit and proper person to participate in a radio licence: 

If you have not ticked the above box, please provide details on a separate 

sheet, such that this information may be kept confidential by Ofcom. 

3.15 Has the applicant made any other application to Ofcom (or its predecessor 

broadcast regulators – the ITC and the Radio Authority) for any licence within the last 

five years? If so, provide the licence reference number(s) and / or the name(s) of the 

service(s) for granted licence(s). 

Tick here if the Answer is No ? 

If you have not ticked the above box, please provide details of here 

Sharrow Live! Restricted Service Licence July 2000 

Sheffield Live! Restricted Service Licence July 2001 




Sheffield Live! Access Radio Pilot Scheme: Letter of Intent, July 2001 

Please continue to Section Four on next page. 

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SECTION FOUR – Management. 

Please provide details of those individuals who will be responsible for management 

and policy-making process. 

4.1 Details of board, management committee or equivalent: 

Commedia Sheffield has a voluntary Board of Directors with extensive expertise in 

community media, community development and urban regeneration. Most of the 

members of the Board are long term residents of Sheffield and they bring contacts 

and involvement in a wide range of local community initiatives and activities. 

Mike McCarthy (Chair) 

Mike McCarthy is an urban regeneration and cultural industries advisor. He is the 

Founder and Director of Eventus, a creative industries consultancy and has 

experience and interests in social enterprise and community-based cultural activity. 

He has been Chair of Commedia Sheffield since it commenced trading. 

Waqaas Bhatti 

Waqaas is Director of Yellow Arch Studios a local community music project. His 

background and interests are in music, media and community arts. 

Steve Buckley 

Steve Buckley has been involved in community broadcasting initiatives in the UK 

since the early 1980s. He was Chief Executive of the Community Media Association 

from 1991 to 2004 and now co-manages a media consultancy, Community Media 

Solutions. Steve has lived and worked in Sheffield since 1991 and has been active in 

local regeneration and community development. He served as a Board Member of 

Sheffield’s Cultural Industries Quarter Agency and Inspiral Limited (a sister company 

support creative businesses). Steve is a co-founder of Commedia Sheffield. 

Alan Deadman 

Alan Deadman is a local promoter of global music. He is the Founder and Coordinator 

of the Juju Club, Sheffield’s leading global music club, established in 1988. Alan has 

promoted and organised tours and visits to Sheffield by an enormous range of artists 

from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. He is a Co-founder and Partner of 

Headcharge, Sheffield’s top monthly dance music club night. Alan is also closely 

involved in the planning and programming of community festivals in Sheffield. 

Liz Kettle 

Liz Kettle is a Group Support Worker for Voluntary Action Sheffield, the umbrella 

body for the Sheffield voluntary and community sector and for South Yorkshire 

Community Fund. She is also a freelance writer for Voluntary Action news, the 

national voluntary sector magazine. Liz has extensive voluntary sector 

contavcctpreviously worked for a local voluntary sector advice agency, South 

Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau. 

Veena Swaminathan 

Veena is a freelance software programmer and developer. She has worked for a 

number of software companies before setting up her own software business in 

Singapore. Since moving to Sheffield she has been involved as a volunteer with 

Sheffield Live! assisting with redevelopment of the Sheffield Live! website. 

Frank Wilkes 

Frank Wilkes is the Manager of Red Tape Studios, a music industry training and 

facilities centre established by the Education Department of Sheffield City Council. He 

currently also chairs the South Yorkshire Music Industry Association. Prior to joining 

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Red Tape in 2001, Frank was manager of Darnall Music Factory, a Sheffield-based 

community media and music project. Frank has extensive experience in delivery of 

accredited training schemes, managing public funds and community development. 


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4.2 Indication of Staff structure, to include numbers of unpaid, (volunteer) staff 

positions and number of paid staff (if any): 

Sheffield Live! is the community broadcasting arm of Commedia Sheffield, Sheffield’s 

leading community media organisation which also manages “The Drum” community 

media centre. There are three full-time and two part-time employees although this is 

planned to increase following recent new commitments from funders and with the 

development of the community broadcasting service. The present paid staff are: 

Sangita Basudev (Manager) 

Sangita has 19 years of experience in community media including community radio, 

RSLs and community video. She has extensive experience in community 

development and the voluntary sector and is also a trained counsellor who has 

worked in alcohol advice, victim support, women’s refuges, and telephone helplines 

for women and girls. Prior to joining Commedia Sheffield in 2001, Sangita was Project 

Manager at the Community Media Association responsible for initiatives to involve 

women and young people in community broadcasting. She has been involved in a 

wide range of local community initiatives since moving to Sheffield in 1993 including 

serving from 2000 to 2004 on the management committee of South Yorkshire Open 

Forum, the voluntary and community sector umbrella body for South Yorkshire. 

Programme Coordinator (vacant) 

Currently vacant pending new appointment. Responsible for managing volunteer 

enquiries and databases, volunteer coordination, programme coordination and 

scheduling, monitoring of programme output, administrative support to the Manager. 

Kirsty Vietch-Sorsby (Training Officer) 

Kirsty has had extensive involvement in Restricted Service Licence radio prior to 

joining Commedia Sheffield in 2001 including Red Road Radio, Sure FM and Forge 

FM. She is an experienced radio trainer accredited to the Open College Network and 

she has been responsible for managing our successful media training programme 

and for tailoring courses to the needs of our target communities 

Neils Puttemans (Technical Operations Officer) 

After completing an MA in Music Technology at the University of Leuven (Belgium), 

Niels moved to Sheffield to commence a music technology research programme at 

Sheffield University. Prior to joining Sheffield Live! he also worked as Technical / IT 

worker at AMP (a community arts and media project). Niels has been with Sheffield 

Live! since July 2002. During this time he has been the Technical Manager. He also 

assists with technical training and is internal moderator for the Open College Network. 

Graham Hutton (Finance Manager, part-time) 

Graham is a retired qualified accountant who has previously worked in the public and 

voluntary sector. He is responsible for maintaining all of our financial books and 

accounts, including grant accounting and processing sales and purchase invoices. 

Angelina Contreras-Quirke (Administrative Assistant, part-time) 

Angelina started with Sheffield Live! as a volunteer receptionist and programme 

producer. She now takes responsibility for reception, enquiries and duty rotas. 

In addition to the full-time paid staff, Commedia Sheffield employs freelance trainers 

to deliver its programme of training in media and ICT skills for unemployed people. 

As a result of new funding commitments and in moving towards a full-time community 

radio service, Commedia Sheffield will take on the following additional employees: 

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Development and Outreach Officer – responsible for a programme of outreach work 

to disadvantaged communities in Sheffield and South Yorkshire, including Sheffield 

Live! support for community festivals and neighbourhood community media projects. 

Communications and Marketing Officer – responsible for marketing and promotion of 

the project including all publicity material and supervision of the website, managing 

sales and client liaison for on-air advertising and programme sponsorship. 

Sheffield Live! will be supported by the staff team at Commedia Sheffield but will be 

run by volunteer producers and presenters. We have built up a strong and diverse 

volunteer base. There are currently 1021 registered centre users. In the last RSL 

broadcast (July 2004), over 400 volunteers were involved in programme making. 

Volunteer producers and presenters already sustain four days per week (72 hours) of 

Internet broadcasting which continues when Sheffield Live! is not running an RSL. 

Training 

Officer 

Tutors 

Organisational diagram 

Board of 

Directors 

Manager 

Technical 

Operations Officer 

Volunteers 

Please continue to Section Five on next page. 

- 20 - 

Finance 

Manager 

Programme 

Coordinator 

Administrative 

Assistant


SECTION FIVE – Community to be served 

The Community Radio Order 2004 defines a ‘community’ as 

(a) the persons who live or work or undergo education or training in a particular 

area or locality, or, 

(b) persons who (whether or not they fall within paragraph (a)) have one or more 

interests or characteristics in common. 



5.1 Description of the Target Community (or Target Communities). 

The primary coverage area of Sheffield Live! will be the urban inner city wards in a 

roughly 5km radius from the city centre studio location. The coverage area should 

reach ten of the most deprived inner city wards – Central, Nether Edge, Broomhill, 

Crookes, Walkley, Burngreave, Manor, Arbourthorne, Gleadless and Darnall. 

The population within the coverage area is culturally very diverse with significant 

Caribbean, Somali, Yemeni, African, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and 

Irish communities. Within its coverage area Sheffield Live! will target and seek to 

involve people facing disadvantage and social exclusion, black and ethnic minority 

communities, and other groups that are under-represented in mainstream media. 

5.2 Community Demographics. 

The Sheffield metropolitan area has a total population of 513,000 making it the fourth 

largest city in England. It has a geographical coverage of more than 500 square 

kilometres consisting of the inner city heartlands, outlying sub-urban and semi-rural 

neighbourhoods and large areas of rural moorland and forestry. 

Sheffield Live! will focus on the urban inner city core of the Sheffield metropolitan 

area which is a relatively compact and distinct zone, just over 5km radius and having 

some of the highest levels of urban deprivation in the UK. This area is roughly 

defined by the ten inner city wards of Central, Nether Edge, Broomhill, Crookes, 

Walkley, Burngreave, Manor, Arbourthorne, Gleadless and Darnall, with a total 

population of 190,000 people. It is notable for its cultural diversity, its relatively young 

population and its relatively high levels of unemployment and economic inactivity. 

Black and ethnic minorities make up an average of 21 per cent of the population 

across the proposed coverage area (40,000) the largest single group being Pakistani 

(7.2 per cent) and others including Caribbean, Somali, Yemeni, Indian, Bangladeshi, 

Chinese, Irish and Eastern European. There is also a large student population with 

two major universities and including significant numbers of international students. 

Young people aged 16 to 35 make up 36 per cent of the population compared to 28 

per cent for Sheffield as a whole. Of the economically active population 9.2 per cent 

(7,500 people) are unemployed, compared to 6.6 per cent for Sheffield as a whole. 


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5.3 Evidence of Local Demand and Support: 

Sheffield Live! has broadcast an annual summer RSL since July 2000 and since July 

2002 we have also broadcast four days per week on the Internet. We have assessed 

local demand and support on the basis of response to the short term broadcasts and 

to the Internet service, a quantitative survey of people who support Sheffield Live! 

and extensive consultation with community groups and other local organisations. 

The summer RSL broadcasts have generated thousands of telephone calls, text 

messages, emails and website hits. This has provided us with anecdotal evidence of 

the popularity of Sheffield Live! and it has also enabled us to build up a large base of 

users and supporters. In January 2004 we invited centre users and supporters to 

become members of Sheffield Live! and to complete a short questionnaire in order to 

enable us to build a demographic profile of our community base. Between January 

and October 2004 we gathered a survey sample of 1021 people from which we have 

a clear profile of our current community base compared to the population. 

The objective of Sheffield Live! has been to reach out to and involve groups facing 

disadvantage and exclusion especially black and ethnic minorities. The quantitative 

research we have undertaken shows considerable success in this objective. The 

main conclusions from our quantitative research has been the following: 

A majority of the Sheffield Live! community are from black and ethnic minorities. Of 

those who stated their ethnicity 54 per cent were from black and ethnic minorities. 

The results show a particular high percentage of people from African communities. 

This reflects the active involvement in and use of Sheffield Live! by African refugee 

communities including from Somalia, Congo and Sierra Leone. The following table 

shows results (%) in comparison to the population in our target coverage area. 

Census 2001 Sheffield Live! 

White British 79.1 46.1 

White Other 3.1 8.3 

Pakistani 7.2 3.3 

Indian 1.0 1.2 

Bangladeshi 0.9 0.4 

Chinese 0.8 1.0 

Asian Other 1.0 2.4 

Caribbean 1.9 2.1 

African 1.5 16.9 

Black Other 0.2 5.7 

Mixed 2.4 8.8 

Other 0.8 3.6 

A majority of the Sheffield Live! community are young men under 35. Of the sample 

surveyed 22 per cent were 16 or under, 49 per cent were in the range 17 to 25, 18 

per cent were in the range 26 to 35, and 11 per cent were 36 or older. Men 

disproportionately outnumbered women at Sheffield Live! by a ratio of 3 to 1. 


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Our survey results and other quantitative evidence that we have gathered shows the 

demand and support for Sheffield Live! to be predominantly from young people, 

especially men, who are unemployed or on low income and have few educational 

qualifications, with a majority being from black and ethnic minorities. This profile is 

consistent with Sheffield Live! objective to combat disadvantage and exclusion. It will 

also inform our future outreach programme which will include particular initiatives to 

involve more women and to increase participation from the Pakistani community. 

Since our first broadcast in July 2000 we have gathered considerable qualitative 

evidence of demand and support from listeners and participants, in response to the 

broadcasts and through outreach to and consultation with target communities. Of 

particular note is the extent to which Sheffield Live! has been invited to provide 

support for the development of several other local community media initiatives. 

Our first RSL broadcast (Sharrow Live!) was for Sharrow Festival in 2000, a multicultural 

neighbourhood festival in a predominantly Asian community. We have 

continued a high profile annual presence at the Sharrow Festival as a result of which 

we are frequently approached to assist with other festival radio broadcasts. These 

include Modal FM (Modal International Music Festival in 2002 and 2003), bRadio 

(bTV Digital Arts Festival), Quarter Past FM (Cultural Industries Quarter Festival). 

We have also provided training, advice, support and equipment for other local 

community broadcast initiatives including the Somali Youth Centre (Somali youth 

RSL broadcast 2002), Northern Media School (NMS Live! RSL training broadcast 

2003), Burngreave Community Radio ( neighbourhood-based RSL in Burngreave 

2004) and Unity FM (an Asian RSL broadcast during Ramadan 2004). Sheffield Live! 

will continue to support these and other local community broadcasting initiatives by 

providing them with air-time on the Sheffield Live! FM community radio service and 

by assisting with RSLs and access to other media platforms including the Internet. 

Public consultation 

Sheffield Live! has organized a public meeting to present its licence application 

proposals to volunteers, listeners and key stakeholders. The meeting held on 10 

November 2004 was publicised in the local Sheffield Star newspaper and was 

attended by around 100 people of whom 90 per cent had listened to or taken part 

previously in Sheffield Live! broadcasts. Participants provided feedback on our 

outline plan for Sheffield Live! as a full-time community radio service. Several 

participants gave testimonies of positive experience with Sheffield Live! Others 

offered suggestions as to how our service can continue to improve and develop. 

In addition to the public meeting we have consulted on our proposals with key local 

stakeholders including Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Cultural Industries Quarter 

Agency, local MPs, Yorkshire Forward and Sheffield First for Learning. 

Letters of support 

Sheffield Live! has a considerable body of letters of support and other testimonies 

that back-up our proposals for a full time community radio licence. We have 

appended a list of letters of support and copies of letters of support from key local 

stakeholders including MPs, councillors, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield First, 

together with sample testimonies from community organizations and individuals. 

Please continue to Section Six on next page. 

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SECTION SIX – Social Gain, Accountability and Access to Station. 

Every applicant for a community radio service must demonstrate that the proposed 

service would be provided primarily for the good of members of the public, or of the 

target community, and in order to deliver social gain. Applicants must provide 

evidence that their proposed service would result in the delivery of significant social 

gain to the public, or the target community. In addition, when deciding whether or to 

whom to award a community radio licence, one of the criteria to which Ofcom must 

have regard is the extent to which the proposed service would result in the delivery of 

social gain to the target community. The Community Radio Order lists four 

mandatory social gain objectives and a further (non-exhaustive) list of seven other 

social gain objectives that may be applicable. 

Please use the first three questions in this section (boxes 6.1 to 6.3) to answer 

general questions about how the applicant proposes to serve its target community. 

Explain (in boxes 6.4 to 6.7 below) how you propose to meet the four mandatory 

social gain objectives and explain (in box 6.8 below) what additional social gain 

objectives (if any) you intend to include as social gain objectives for your proposed 

service. For each of the objectives, please specify the nature of the targets involved 

and outline how you expect these to be achieved. 

In addition to social gain objectives, when considering applications, Ofcom is 

required to have regard to various underlying characteristics which define community 

radio services, some of which are relevant to this section of the application form, 

(boxes 6.9 and 6.10 below). 

In addition to the social gain objective concerning training for members of the target 

community or the wider public (box 6.6), the Community Radio order 2004 contains a 

further, slightly different, reference to training as a selection criterion. Ofcom is 

required to have regard to provision of training in the use of station facilities by 

members of the target community. 

Finally, this section of the application form also gives applicants the opportunity to 

detail other forms of community involvement (boxes 6.12 to 6.14). 



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6.1 Addressing Community Needs. Please give a general overview of how you 

propose to ensure that your service will address community needs. In 

particular, the extent to which the service would cater for the tastes and 

interests of the target community, and broaden the range of programmes 

available by way of local services in the area to the target community. 

Sheffield Live! will carry many different voices, accents, stories, musics and 

languages. We will give air space to local musicians, bands, DJ’s, composers and 

writers. We will carry local news, information and community advice with a focus on 

Sheffield and particularly the central inner city neighbourhoods. Our programming will 

celebrate the sounds of a lively and diverse city and work to break down stereotypes 

and barriers to community dialogue. Sheffield Live! will carry programmes 

showcasing particular cultural and other interests but our approach will be eclectic 

and will encourage our audience to take interest in other cultures. In the last year 

alone we have broadcast in 26 different languages and have carried voices, sounds 

and music from all continents of the world. Non-english language output that has 

featured regularly includes Urdu, Somali, Yemeni, African-French, Cantonese, 

Latino-Spanish and Portuguese. We will continue to ensure that Sheffield Live! caters 

for minority communities that are not otherwise heard while ensuring a mix of 

community oriented programming that offers something for all. We will feature 

neighbourhood festivals and events and will encourage and provide airtime for other 

community media projects to support the growth of community media in the city. 

Sheffield Live! will have a core commitment to community participation and will run 

regular taster courses, induction events and training sessions in radio production, 

interview techniques, how to use the studio, make your own website, sound editing, 

DJing, presentation skills and duty management. Our regular courses run over ten 

days and are accredited with the Open College Network. Training will be open to 

everyone but we particularly support involvement of unemployed people and we will 

take positive action to involve women and people from under-represented groups. 

Sheffield Live! will sound distinctly different from other local services in the area and 

has already demonstrably built it own niche and community profile. There is no local 

commercial radio service dedicated to Sheffield. Hallam FM and Magic AM are both 

South Yorkshire wide services catering also for Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 

and both have a mainstream popular music format with Hallam FM playing mainly 

chart music and Magic AM carrying easy listening. Galaxy FM (dance/RnB) and Real 

Radio (music and talk) are regional services not based in South Yorkshire. BBC 

Radio Sheffield has a higher speech content but caters for an older audience. 


- 25 -


6.2 Targets and Milestones 

Sheffield Live! has the following objectives, targets and milestones for the first year: 

1. To provide programming to meet the needs of the target communities 

• provide a minimum of 18 hours programming daily by end of year one 

• broadcast a 75:25 ratio of music to speech 

• provide extensive coverage of local community organisations 

• provide extensive coverage of local musicians and artists 

• broadcast regularly in English, Hindi/Urdu, French, Spanish and Portuguese 

• carry some programming in at least 12 other languages 

• broadcast content to mark community and neighbourhood festivals and events 

• carry local news, information and community announcements 

• provide information on local services and local government 

2. To provide training and encourage participation 

• deliver a rolling programme of training courses and train for at least 200 people 

• provide drop-in sessions and media and ICT awareness for a further 800 people 

• enable 100 young unemployed people to achieve accredited training units 

• to support the regular participation of at least 400 volunteers 

• to provide 10 work experience placements for students and young people 

3. To engage in outreach to the target communities 

• organise a programme of outreach to the target communities 

• maintain links with cultural organisations and neighbourhood groups 

• maintain links with schools, youth workers and other public service providers 

• support and assist 20 other community media groups in South Yorkshire 

4. To ensure effective monitoring, oversight and review 

• hold monthly meetings for producers, presenters and duty managers 

• ensure quarterly monitoring of targets and oversight by the Board of Directors 

• hold twice yearly open meetings for members and listeners 

• produce an annual report on achievements and community benefit 

• hold an annual general meeting open to members and the public 

6.3 Numbers Involved 

From our previous RSL and experience in providing training and access to facilities 

over the last five years we anticipate the following numbers accessing the service: 

Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 

Listener calls, texts and requests 20,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 

Drop-in users of the centre 800 900 1,000 1,000 1,000 

Guests and interviewees 800 900 1,000 1,000 1,000 

Volunteers 400 400 400 400 400 

Trainees 200 200 250 250 250 

Work placements 10 10 10 10 10 

Paid staff 8 8 8 8 8 


- 26 -


6.4 (Mandatory social gain objective) Explain how you have identified your 

target audience(s) (defined in Section 4) as including individuals "who are otherwise 

underserved" and explain what appropriate radio programming you intend to provide. 

The need for a community radio service catering for black and ethnic minorities and 

disadvantaged groups in central Sheffield has been identified through a series of trial 

broadcasts since 2000, through a quantitative survey of the substantial membership 

base of Sheffield Live!, through assessment of existing local radio services and 

through analysis of the demographics of the inner city wards in the proposed 

coverage area. Local regeneration planning such as the South Yorkshire Objective 1 

Single Programming Document has also highlighted the needs of these communities 

which face multiple disadvantage and social exclusion and have been hard to reach 

for mainstream service and support agencies. The target communities are not well 

catered for by existing local radio services, which are essentially music services, and 

not oriented strongly to the particular geographical area or to the target demographic 

groups. Two of these services (Hallam FM and Magic AM) are mainstream popular 

music stations serving a much wider sub-region of Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham 

and Doncaster. The other services include a dance/RnB genre music service 

(Galaxy) which has a regional footprint and very little Sheffield content, and a music 

and talk service (Real Radio) which does not target disadvantaged groups. 

Sheffield Live! will be distinctively different with a participatory programme format 

featuring the voices and languages of the target communities and carrying diverse 

music from outside the mainstream but oriented to the particular tastes and interests 

of the target audience. Support and interest from the community is reflected in the 

fact that we have been able to sustain four days a week of Internet broadcasting 

between Restricted Service Licences, in a substantial and growing membership base 

and in the letters of support we have received from key stakeholders. Sheffield Live! 

will carry around 25 per cent speech programming with a focus on the interests and 

concerns of the target communities including informational and participatory 

community affairs programmes, programming in languages other than English, 

programmes that promote and encourage creativity and the arts, and programmes 

that address social issues such as health, disability and the environment. Music 

programming will be very diverse but will include reggae, ragga, jungle, asian pop, 

asian traditional, latin, African, dance, RnB, indy pop and chart. Not more than 10 per 

cent of music programming will be drawn from current top 40 chart music. 


- 27 -


6.5 (Mandatory social gain objective) Explain how your proposed service will 

"facilitate discussion and the expression of opinion". 

Sheffield Live! will carry a daily flagship community affairs programme, “Communities 

Live!” which will encourage studio discussion, interviews and listener phone-ins on 

issue of local topical concern. Communities Live! will develop and maintain close 

links with the local community and voluntary sector, the local authority and other 

public agencies and local experts. It will encourage listeners to write, email, text or 

phone-in with their comments, questions and opinions and it will facilitate live 

interactive discussion. There will be several other speech based and magazine 

format programmes that facilitate discussion and the expression of opinion including 

programmes focussing on particular neighbourhoods, on particular communities, 

including programming in languages other than English, and on particular issues 

such as disability, health and environment. We currently have, for example, a music 

and discussion programme produced by refugees from central Africa, an advice line 

programme produced by and for people with disability and we are committed to 

continuing to support neighbourhood initiatives such as Burngreave Community 

Radio which will be offered its own regular programme slot on a full time service. 

Sheffield Live! will encourage and develop multiple spaces for interaction such as our 

live web-based chat space where listeners can interact with presenters and guests 

and an on-line text message board as well as live on-air phone-ins. We will also 

ensure that volunteer producers and presenters are trained in skills and techniques 

of interactive programming such as live interviews, use of the on-air phone line, use 

of web-based tools such as the chat space and text message board. 

Discussion and expression of opinion will also be encouraged through non-broadcast 

activities. We have monthly meetings for Sheffield Live! volunteers and twice yearly 

open meetings for members and the general public. We encourage interaction 

between different production teams to break down barriers and promote mutual 

respect and we will engage in a programme of community outreach to encourage 

and facilitate involvement in Sheffield Live! and to support community initiatives. 


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6.6 (Mandatory social gain objective) Explain how you propose to provide 

education and / or training to individuals not employed by your organisation. 

The provision of training in media and ICT skills will be a core component of Sheffield 

Live! operations supported by experienced media trainers and including training 

delivery in community languages. The Sheffield Live! training programme has been 

developed over the last six years with courses accredited by Open College Network 

as well as taster sessions. Training at Sheffield Live! will not only provide a gateway 

for new volunteers on the full-time service but will also focus on development of wider 

media and ICT skills for employment. In addition to training at The Drum community 

media center, Sheffield Live! will have a mobile studio facility that can be taken out 

into the community for community-based training and outside broadcasts and which 

will assist to continue to deliver and to develop training for schools, for community 

and voluntary organisations and for the statutory sector in the region. Over the last 

four years we have provided training and technical support for 10 Restricted Service 

Licence broadcasts in Sheffield run by local community groups and festivals. 

Our training programme is well established. Our first training courses commenced in 

1998 with the support of the Learning and Skills Council, European Social Fund and 

Single Regeneration Budget. In the last four years we have trained over 700 young 

unemployed people and we have built up strong relationships with local schools and 

with referral agencies such as Connexions and the Probation Service. We have a 

training philosophy which is focussed on creative goal oriented work in radio 

production and use of the Internet while introducing skills for life including numeracy 

and literacy, basic ICT skills, communication, time-keeping and team-working. We 

have found that our approach to training has introduced people to computers who 

would otherwise be put off by standard office administration ICT courses and we 

have found that the context of work in radio accelerates acquisition of basic literacy 

and numeracy, as well as language skills. Through our training programme we have 

helped young people excluded from school back to learning, we have had long term 

unemployed people go on to full time employment and we have introduced women 

returners and older people to new skills for employment. Several of our presenters 

have gone on to work in other media including the BBC. Recently, for example, one 

of our presenters won a BBC Talent award to get his own programme on 1 Xtra. 

Our training programme is accredited through the Open College Network which 

provides recognised certification for our trainees and a quality assurance system. 


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6.7 (Mandatory social gain objective) How do you propose to build a better 

understanding of your target community and strengthen links within it? 

Sheffield Live! will recruit and train its volunteer producers and presenters from within 

the target communities. This will ensure strong local links and understanding of the 

needs and interests of our audience. We will take positive action to involve and 

support groups and individuals who are under-represented in mainstream services 

and who face disadvantage and exclusion including those for whom English is not 

their first language. In order to ensure we are effective at involving and 

communicating with the different groups in our target community we are supporting 

the training of trainers from within our volunteer base including people who are now 

able to provide bilingual training and understand the different cultures. We have 

found this to be an essential component in effectively involving groups who are 

frequently excluded from other service provision and from the mainstream media. 

Alongside our training activities we will continue to develop an outreach programme 

to people and communities at neighbourhood level including taster sessions and 

placing of trainers within local community organisations. In addition we are committed 

to regular consultation with our constituency and encouragement of feedback through 

participatory broadcast programming and through offer air activities including regular 

meetings for volunteers and twice yearly open meetings for members and the public. 


- 30 -


6.8 (Additional social gain objectives) Please include here details of any other 

ways in which your station intends to deliver social gain. 

Sheffield Live! will provide information about local services and amenities, including 

local authority services, and will facilitate access by the target communities. This will 

include providing information in community languages and providing opportunities for 

listeners to interact with representatives of local service providers. 

Sheffield Live! will contribute to local development by giving people a voice, by 

facilitating local consultation and by carrying information and advice on community 

development and social enterprise. We will encourage people to take an interest in 

local affairs, local democracy and local decision making and to hold local decision 

makers to account including through live interactive programming with studio guests. 

Sheffield Live! will promote training, work experience and employment not only 

through its own training activities and work placement schemes but by carrying 

information on jobs and careers and by promoting training and work experience 

opportunities with other agencies. Through our own training programme we have 

excellent connections with local employment advisors, referral agencies, schools and 

colleges and local employers and we will build on these partnership to encourage 

their involvement in programmes on issues concerning training and employment. 

Sheffield Live! has a core commitment to social inclusion and particularly the support 

of disadvantaged groups including black and ethnic minorities. This is reflected in our 

programming, our approach to training and to community outreach, our membership 

recruitment and membership base and the skills and experience of our staff. 

Sheffield Live! has a strong commitment to cultural diversity throughout its activities, 

on-air and off-air, and actively promotes the inclusion of black and ethnic minorities. 

Our philosophy and approach is, through community broadcasting, to promote the 

respect for different cultures, to challenge discrimination and stereotypes, to promote 

equality of opportunity and to remove barriers of communication and understanding. 

We have a diverse target community and this is reflected in the programme 

schedule, the music policy of the service and the inclusion of community languages. 

Sheffield Live! has a demonstrably successful approach to promoting volunteering in 

its own activities with a membership base now of over 1000 people and around 400 

volunteers actively involved in our RSL broadcasts. Alongside our direct support for 

volunteering on Sheffield Live! we aim to promote volunteering generally by providing 

a platform for local community and voluntary organisations to talk about their work 

and to promote their own volunteering needs and opportunities. 


- 31 -


6.9 (Community Radio characteristic) How do you propose to provide 

members of your community with "opportunities to participate in the operation and 

management of the service"? 

Sheffield Live! is developing formal and informal measures to enable and support 

participation of the community in the operation and management of the service. 

Sheffield Live! will be programmed by producers and presenters and we encourage 

members of the community to participate as production volunteers. On the last RSL 

broadcast in July 2004 we had 400 volunteers involved in programme making. 

In January 2004 we opened a membership scheme for Sheffield Live! which has so 

far recruited 1021 members and continues to grow. We plan to organise twice yearly 

open meetings for members and the general public to “have a say” on the 

development of Sheffield Live! and to provide feedback on the service. 

At the Annual General Meeting of the not-for-profit company, Commedia Sheffield, 

that operates Sheffield Live! members will be able to stand for election to the Board 

of Directors and to vote for their preferred candidates. The Board of Directors, which 

currently consists of the founding members and co-optees, will stand down and may 

stand for re-election. The Board is responsible for overall management of Commedia 

Sheffield including Sheffield Live! and The Drum community media centre and meets 

on a quarterly basis or more frequently as necessary. Operational management of 

Commedia Sheffield is delegated to the Manager and her staff team. 

On a day to day basis several of the regular production volunteers also hold 

management responsibilities, for example, we supervise the centre and broadcast 

output through a system of volunteer Duty Managers, and each programme has a 

designated volunteer Producer who is editorially responsible for their scheduled 

output within the general guidelines of Sheffield Live! Additional training is provided 

for Duty Managers and Producers to ensure understanding of their responsibilities. 

In addition we plan to organise regular (monthly) meetings of volunteer producers 

and presenters to discuss programme scheduling and related matters. These 

meetings will provide an advisory mechanism to support the management of the 

service and to encourage feedback and participation of the volunteers. We will also 

encourage the formation of sub-groups to develop particular areas of programme 

output such as music and spoken word and off-air activites such as the website. 

As part of our preparation for this licence application we have convened a public 

meeting, publicised in the local newspaper, Sheffield Star and attended by around 

100 people, 90 per cent of whom had listened to or been involved in Sheffield Live! 

We have also undertaken consultation with key local stakeholders such as the city 

council, community and voluntary organisations and other agencies. 


- 32 -


6.10 (Community Radio characteristic) How do you propose to ensure that the 

intended community radio service "is accountable to the community it is intended to 

serve"? 

Sheffield Live! will have the following mechanisms for local accountability: 

• A membership scheme open to anyone who lives or works in Sheffield 

• Monthly meetings of volunteer presenters, producers and duty managers 

• Twice yearly open meetings for members and the general public 

• An Annual General Meeting to elect the Board of Directors 

• Publication of an Annual Report of activities and community benefit 

• Open days when members of the public are invited to drop in 

• Outreach presentations and taster sessions for community organisations 

• A presence at community festivals and other public events 

• Encouragement of on-air feedback and listener participation 

• Encouragement of feedback through letters, emails and the website 

6.11 (Statutory selection criterion) What provision do you intend to make to 

allow for access by members of the target community to the facilities to be used for 

the provision of the service, and for their training in the use of such facilities? 

Sheffield Live! operates an open membership scheme. All members, of which there 

are now 1021, have access to our facilities including an Internet access space. Due 

to demand we are obliged to operate a booking system and to limit the time per 

individual. We encourage members to become involved as a programme volunteers 

through a simple programme proposal form and access to production facilities to 

produce a demonstration tape. Programme proposals are assessed on merit and on 

the basis of our programming objectives to serve the target communities. Programme 

proposals which are accepted are then supported to develop the idea for broadcast. 

We provide a comprehensive training programme from taster and induction sessions 

through to accredited training in radio production including studio operations, 

interviewing, editing, presenting, programme production and duty management. In 

addition to offering training at our main centre we have a mobile facility which 

enables us to undertake outreach to the community and to run training courses in 

other community venues. We provide support, including travel, subsistence and 

childcare for unemployed trainees. We work to remove any barriers to access to 

training including access to a crèche where childcare is needed and support for 

training in community languages. Our training environment is extensively adapted to 

enable access for people with disabilities including specialist software applications, 

Braille signage and printing, and adjustable workstations. We run training courses at 

different times of day including evenings and weekends to suit different needs. 


- 33 -


6.12 Other (Broadcast) Community Radio Objectives 

Sheffield Live! will support other community radio initiatives in Sheffield and South 

Yorkshire by providing training and technical assistance for RSL broadcasts and by 

providing regular programme slots to showcase particular neighbourhoods and 

communities. Groups that we anticipate continuing to support include Burngreave 

Community Radio, Parson’s Cross Community Radio and Red Road Radio. 

Sheffield Live! will be outward looking and will promote international exchanges and 

links up with community radio stations in other parts of the world. For example, our 

Spanish and Portuguese programmes have made live link-ups with counterparts in 

Spain and Brazil. We have carried a live link to a new radio initiative in Baghdad 

Sheffield Live! will carry special days of social action broadcasting, for example we 

are currently planning Internet broadcasts for A World Without Violence Against 

Women Day (25 November) and World AIDS Day (1 December) and we expect to 

mark events such as International Women’s Day (8 March) and International Day 

Against Racism (21 March) and International Refugee Day (16 June). 

Sheffield Live! will support the active involvement of people with disabilities. We 

currently have four programmes presented by people with disabilities. 

Sheffield Live! is committed to showcasing local talent at all levels and will support 

and encourage live performance on air by musicians, writers and actors. 


- 34 -


6.13 Other (Non-Broadcast) Community Activities 

Sheffield Live! will organise local events to showcase our DJs, writers and musicians 

and has done so successfully in the past. We will aim to have at least Sheffield Live! 

showcase every two months. In addition we will continue to work closely with major 

locally organised festivals such as the International Off The Shelf Festival of Writing 

to promote local talent and to give a showcase for writers from Sheffield Live! 

Sheffield Live! will hold open days every two months. Trainees from The Drum along 

side local celebrities showcase their work and are available to meet with others. The 

Open Days are a great opportunity to showcase already successful talent alongside 

up and coming ones to a live audience and over the airwaves. Open Days are an 

opportunity for local people to come along and have a look around, take part in some 

taster sessions, met some local celebrates and also see up and coming local talent. 

Sheffield Live! will continue to support the Write Directions Group, a local writers 

group who formed through their involvement in Sheffield Live! and are now writing 

and producing work for Sheffield Live! Some of the writers have published while 

others are beginners. The groups has developed radio plays, poems, short stories 

and monologues which are produced and performed on Sheffield Live! We will offer a 

monthly “open studio” where any writer can come and have their work recorded. 

Sheffield Live! is similarly supporting the Radio Actors Group, a group of amateur 

and professional actors who have performed plays on Sheffield Live! and are 

developing new creative programme material including comedy and improvisation. 

Sheffield Live! will further develop its web presence as a community web site and a 

platform for showcasing the best of Sheffield Live! as well as providing an outlet for 

programming which we are unable to include in the full-time community radio service. 

The Sheffield Live! website will encourage feedback and interactivity including a live 

chat space and it will also continue to provide a live feed from our broadcasts. 

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6.14 Other Information 

Sheffield Live! is more than ready to be among the first of the new community radio 

services. With five years RSL and Internet broadcasting experience, extensive studio 

and production facilities in place, a large volunteer team and experienced staff we 

are ready to take to the air within three months of being awarded a licence. 

For Sheffield Live! the acquisition of a community radio licence is now our principal 

objective in order that we can continue to develop our current services, to further 

enhance the community benefit and to effectively reach our target communities. 

Sheffield Live! is Sheffield’s leading community media project but we are committed 

to supporting other community media development in the region and we will assist 

other groups who are not yet in the same state of readiness to develop their ideas 

and to gain practical experience through involvement with Sheffield Live! 

In particular we consider that the terrain and population size of Sheffield is such that 

it should be able to support a number of community broadcasting services. 

Sheffield Live! is already operating four days per week on the Internet however we 

consider that a full-time FM licence will still require a step change in our operations. 

If awarded a community radio licence we will engage in detailed programme review 

and additional training to ensure the best possible service for our target audience and 

to ensure the sustainable extension of our programme hours to a full-time service. 

Please continue to Section Seven on next page. 

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SECTION SEVEN – Programming. 



7.1 Programme Service 

Sheffield Live! programming will reflect the interests and tastes of the many people of 

inner city Sheffield who are not currently well catered for by other media, particularly 

black and ethnic minorities and disadvantaged communities. It will do so through 

community information and participatory programming covering local issues and 

concerns, coverage of local arts and culture including new writing, poetry and drama, 

local bands and musicians and an eclectic music mix. The music will cater for the 

diversity of tastes and interests that reflects the make-up of the Sheffield Live! 

community. On Sheffield Live! you may hear rock n roll, but you will also hear reggae 

and roots, bhangra and bollywood, juju and highlife, salsa and meringue, and 

sometimes all of these and others besides. The sound of Sheffield Live! will be 

distinctly outside the mainstream but it will also aim to bring “the outside” in. 

Sheffield has a long history of providing a welcome for people and communities who 

have relocated to the city for work, for study or for refuge and most “incomers” have 

settled in the inner city neighbourhoods. The older immigrant communities – Irish, 

Caribbean, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese – have been joined by more recent arrivals 

from Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Sheffield Live! will broadcast 

programmes in community languages providing access to community information 

and news from different regions of the world, but it will also aim to bring people 

together, to challenge stereotypes and to encourage integration and engagement. 

The spoken word will be a key part of Sheffield Live! output. We already carry 

programme slots on social issues such as disability rights and health. We involve 

Sheffield Live! volunteers in social action broadcast campaigns such as those we are 

currently preparing for A World Without Violence Against Women (25 November) and 

International AIDS Day (1 December) and we encourage the involvement of creative 

writers and actors through fostering production groups such as “Write Directions”. 


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7.2 How will your proposed community radio service be different and distinct from 

existing (non-BBC) local radio services in the area concerned, and how will it 

broaden the range of programming offered in the locality? In addition, please explain 

how your proposed service will be of a nature or have a content distinct from that of 

any other local service with which it overlaps by fifty per cent or more in terms of 

population. 

There is no similar service to Sheffield Live! in the coverage area. We aim to be the 

first community radio station for the city of Sheffield but we also wish to encourage 

other community radio projects to get underway. In comparison with existing (non- 

BBC) services Sheffield Live! will be the only service carrying a diversity of nonenglish 

languages. It will be the only station with a substantial commitment to local 

community news, information and participation. It will be the only station in which 

people can bring their own creative programme ideas, be it speech or music, and 

expect to develop them for production and broadcast. It will be the only station with 

substantial coverage of locally produced music, local writing and local festivals. 

The existing services are all regional (Yorkshire) or sub-regional (South Yorkshire) 

The regional services offer very little local content whilst the South Yorkshire services 

balance their output between Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster. The 

two South Yorkshire services, Hallam FM and Magic AM are predominantly pop 

music based, Hallam FM having a high proportion of chart music, while Magic AM is 

more oriented towards easy listening. The regional services consist of a music 

service (Galaxy FM) which is predominantly dance/RnB and a music and talk service 

(Real Radio) which has little appeal to our target audiences in inner city Sheffield. 

7.3 Music and Speech Output 

The music:speech radio on Sheffield Live! will be approximately 75:25. 

Music will be diverse but distinctly outside the mainstream. There will be very little 

music played from the popular music charts. At peak listening times we will carry a 

mixture of good music from different genres and cultures whilst at other times we will 

provide specialist music programming for a wide variety of tastes with an emphasis 

on music that reflects the particular tastes and interests of our communities. 

Speech programming will include a daily community magazine programme with 

news, information, interviews and discussion about community issues and affairs. We 

will carry magazine format programmes in community languages addressing local 

community issues and news from other parts of the world. We will carry a range of 

arts programmes with speech content including new writing, poetry and drama and 

we will carry programmes addressing social issues such as disability and health. 


- 38 -


7.4 Type(s) of music output included 

The balance of music on Sheffield Live! will vary from time to time as new 

programme ideas start and others take a break but 70 per cent will be music outside 

the mainstream and less than 10 per cent will be currently in the top forty charts. 

Sheffield Live! will encourage and promote local musicians, DJs, singers, songwriters 

and composers and music programming will include interviews with musicians and 

others from the local music scene as well as live studio performances. 

Sheffield Live DJs include people with excellent music knowledge but who are new to 

radio and DJing and others who are established local club DJs with regular nights. 

Most of our DJs play music that is not usually heard on the radio either because it is 

from a genre that is not played in mainstream radio or because it is from a more 

familiar genre (eg RnB, dance) but has not yet broken out of the club scene. 

We will carry many genres, the following list is approximate and not exclusive: 

Club and dance, RnB 20% 

Reggae, ragga, jungle 15% 

Hip-hop, rap 5% 

Asian pop (bollywood, bhangra, indi pop) 10% 

Asian traditional (ghazals, geets, sufi) 5% 

Latin (salsa, meringue, rumba, chachacha etc) 5% 

African (afrobeat, juju, highlife etc etc) 5% 

Chart and Indie 15% 

Other (various) 

20% 


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7.5 Type(s) of speech output included 

Sheffield Live! will carry community news, information, advice and discussion at peak 

listening hours (breakfast and late afternoon) with programming in a magazine format 

of music and speech including live interviews and studio guests. 

Our flagship community affairs programme “Communities Live!” will be carried daily 

at midday and will be mainly speech based including topical community issues, 

studio guests, features, round table discussions and listener participation. 

We will carry magazine format programmes in several community languages 

addressing local community issues and news from other parts of the world. 

We will carry a range of arts programmes with substantial speech content including 

new writing, poetry and drama produced by the Write Directions Group. 

We will carry a range of specialist programmes addressing social issues such as 

disability, health and the environment in a participatory magazine based format. 

We will encourage music-based programmes to include relevant speech content 

such as interview with musicians and people from the local music industry. 

We will aim to develop a local news service in partnership with a local university 

journalism department based on a tested model from a previous RSL. 

The following list is an approximate breakdown of programming types: 

Communities Live! speech programme 10% 

General music/speech magazine programming 20% 

Magazine programmes in community languages 10% 

Music programming with speech content 20% 

New writing and other creative speech 5% 

News broadcasts 5% 

Music only with presenter links 30% 


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7.6 Details of Third party Programming Sources 

We have no plans for a sustaining service or other third party programming 

7.7 Broadcast Hours 

We currently broadcast on the Internet four days per week, Friday to Monday, a total 

of 72 hours. In time for the launch of the community radio service we will review the 

programming and increase the hours to a minimum of 17 hours per day and more at 

weekends. The normal broadcast hours for live programming will be as follows: 

Monday – Thursday 7.00am to midnight 

Friday – Sunday 7.00 am to 2.00am 

7.8 Automated Output 

Initially we anticipate automated output during the following hours: 

Monday-Friday – midnight to 7.00 am 

Saturday-Sunday – 2.00 am – 7.00 am 

We expect reduction on these times as we build up additional night-time volunteer 

production teams and we expect also to replace some of the automated 

programming with live programming during festivals and other events. 

Automated output will have a music mix that reflects the diversity of Sheffield Live! 

7.9 Broadcast Languages(s) 

A majority of our programming would be in English but we will aim to carry regular 

programming in Hindi/Urdu, Punjabi, Somali, Yemini, Spanish, French, Portuguese 

and Cantonese. We also expect to have some programming in Kurdish, Hungarian, 

Persian, Russian, German, Japanese, Ethiopian, Thai, Italian, Polish and others. 

Some of our programming uses a mixture of languages, for example there is 

Congolese programme produced mainly in French with some local Congolese 

languages also being spoken along with English. We encourage this multi lingual 

approach to increase cross-cultural understanding of people’s history and culture. 

7.10 Commencement Date 

Our proposed commencement date is 1 July 2005 to coincide with the time of year 

when we would normally run an RSL. Upon award of a licence we would be ready to 

begin the community radio service within three months or earlier. 

We are currently broadcasting four days per week on the Internet. On confirmation of 

the licence we would commence a one month review of the existing schedule and 

programming followed by preparation, induction and training for the full-time service. 

Our technical facilities and volunteer base are already in place. 

Please continue to Section Eight on next page. 

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SECTION EIGHT - Finance 

(For more information about the individual questions below, please refer to sections 8.1 to 8.5 of the accompanying notes). 

8.1 Capital, Set-Up Funding and Financial Support: 

Provider of funds 

(name and address, status 

of provider e.g. charitable 

foundation, company etc.) 

Home Office 

50 Queen Anne’s Gate 

London SW1H 9AT 

Arts Council 

21 Bond Street, Dewsbury 

Yorkshire WF13 1AX 

The Big Lottery 

1 Plough Place 

London EC4A 1DE 

Yorkshire Forward 

Victoria House 

Leeds LS11 5AE 

South Yorkshire Objective 1 

Government Office 

Silkstone House 

Rotherham S63 7JZ 

Commedia Sheffield Ltd 


Sheffield S1 2QQ 

Is funding 

in cash or 

in kind? 


Is this funding secured? Impact if 

funding is not secured / 

contingency arrangements. 

Cash Secured, part of 48,000 grant over 

12 months 

Cash Secured, part of 60,000 grant over 

two years 

Cash Secured, part of 180,000 grant for 

the period 2002 – 2005. 

Cash Applied for awaiting final approval. 

If not secured project will proceed 

at lower level of funding 

Cash Applied for awaiting final approval. 

If not secured project will proceed 

at lower level of funding 

In kind Secure, existing building and 

equipment assets of the project 

- 42 - 

Terms and conditions placed on 

funding (if any). 

Standard grant terms 





None, own resources 

Total Capital, Set-Up Funding and 

Financial Support: 

% of 

Funding 

Amount of 

Funding (£s). 

24,000 

15,000 

10,000 

30,000 

65,000 

600,000 

100% 744,000


SECTION EIGHT – FINANCE (continued) 

8.2 Capital and Set-Up Expenditure: 

Item Details £s 

Premises (including Building works for studios, production area, training rooms and offices 

refurbishment and fitting out 

costs). 

295,000 

Transmission Equipment: 

Studio Equipment: 

Pre-Launch Publicity and 

Marketing (if any): 

Other one off costs (please 

specify) 

Capital equipment already 

owned by group (at current 

replacement value) 

Working Capital 

(Contingency Reserves) 

Pre-launch operating costs as per section 8.3 

(Please continue on an additional sheet if necessary). 


2 x broadcast studios, 1 x training/production studio, 12 x production workstations, 1 x OB 

vehicle, 1 x mobile studio, 12 x training room PCs, 20 x reporter kits, 6 x portable PCs, 2 x FM 

transmitters, central technical area, leased line installation, software and ancilliaries 

- 43 - 

136,247 

305,000 

7,753 

Total set up costs 744,000



8.3 Operating Costs 

OUTGOINGS Pre Launch Budget Year 1 Budget 

Items: 

Pre-launch 

6 to 3 

months (£s) 

Pre-launch 

Quarter (£s) 

On-Air 

Quarter 1 

(£s) 

- 44 - 

On-Air 

Quarter 2 

(£s) 

On Air 

Quarter 3 

(£s) 

On-Air 

Quarter 4 

(£s) 

Year 1 

Totals (£s) 

Hp/Leasing 

General and Administration 

- Staff 33,312 39,835 50,623 50,623 50,623 50,623 202,492 

- Premises 7,500 7,500 7,500 7,500 7,500 7,500 30,000 

- Legal and Professional 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 6,000 

- Establishment/overheads 7,750 7,750 10,250 10,250 10,250 10,250 41,000 

Engineering 

- Transmitter site rental 2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500 10,000 

- Transmitter maintenance 250 250 250 250 1,000 

- Small items of equipment 2,500 2,500 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 4,000 

Programming 

- Copyright fees 788 788 788 788 3,152 

- Music library 2,500 2,500 

- Acquired programming 

- News service 

- Consumables 500 500 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 4,000 

Sales cost/commissions (where 

appropriate) 

Marketing and promotion 

(where appropriate) 

2,000 3,000 2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500 10,000 

Audience research (where 

appropriate) 

5,000 5,000 

Broadcast Act and WTA fees 600 277 277 277 278 1,109 

Trainee expenses and materials 6,500 6,500 6,500 6,500 6,500 6,500 26,000 

Total Outgoings 64,662 71,585 84,688 84,688 84,688 84,689 338,753 




8.4 Annual Income and Revenue Funding (Year 1) 

Provider of funds 

(name and address, 

status of provider e.g. 

charitable foundation) 

Home Office 

50 Queen Anne’s 

Gate 

London SW1H 9AT 

Arts Council 

21 Bond Street, 

Dewsbury 

Yorkshire WF13 1AX 

Yorkshire Forward 

Victoria House 

Leeds LS11 5AE 

South Yorkshire 

Objective 1 

Government Office 

Silkstone House 

Rotherham S63 7JZ 

Is this 

funding in 

cash or in 

kind? 

Is this funding secured, 

impact if funding is not 

secured / contingency 

arrangements? 

Cash Secured, part of 48,000 

grant over 12 months 

Cash Secured, part of 60,000 

grant over two years 

Cash Applied for, awaiting final 

approval. If not secured 

project will proceed at 

lower level of funding 

Cash Applied for, awaiting final 

approval. If not secured 

project will proceed at 

lower level of funding 

Terms and conditions 

placed on funding (if 

any): 

- 45 - 

Anticipated % of 

Funding 

Amount of 

Funding (£s) 

(Year 1). 

Standard grant terms 7% 24,000 




Total Grant Income: 72% 244,000 



Commercial and other sources. 

Type of Income and Revenue Funding. 

On-air spot advertising 

Programme sponsorship 

Other commercial revenues (off-air sponsorship, merchandising etc.). Please specify. 

Other non-commercial revenues (fund-raising, subscriptions, donations etc.). Please 

specify. 

Total Income and Revenue Funding: 


- 46 - 

Anticipated % of 

Funding 

Amount of 

Funding £s. 

14 48,000 

5 15,000 

4 12,000 

5 20,000 

100% 

339,000



8.5 On-Air Commercial Activities 

Do you intend to seek commercial revenues? 

Will your proposed station carry on-air spot 

advertising? 

Will your proposed station carry on-air 

programme sponsorship? 

- 47 - 

Yes: (tick) 

 

Yes: (tick) 

 

Yes: (tick) 

 

OR No: (tick) 

? 

OR No: (tick) 

? 

OR No: (tick) 

? 

What contingencies are in place in case commercial revenues for the proposed 

service do not achieve the anticipated levels? 

During the first three years of the licence we do not expect the service to be primarily 

dependent on commercial revenues and if these revenues are short of projected 

targets we will reduce costs accordingly. Our objective is to build up a diversity of 

commercial revenue from different sources and for different types of activity in order 

to assure the long term sustainability of Sheffield Live! 

In the short term the company is largely underpinned by grant funding and this 

assures our ability to adjust to fluctuations in commercial revenue. 

Please continue to Section Nine on next page.


SECTION NINE - Engineering 



9.1 Please provide a description of your proposed transmission site 

The proposed transmission site is a Crown Castle Communications site currently 

used by BBC Radio Sheffield and which has also been used for Restricted Service 

Licences in the past. We have submitted a site-sharing request and are currently 

negotiating terms of access. We anticipate this site will give best coverage of central 

Sheffield but are aware that due to the local topography no single site will give full 

coverage of our target communities. We are also examining alternative locations 

including a city centre site at SK 349872 (40m agl) and SK 365875 (40m agl). 

9.2 Please provide a National Grid Reference for your proposed transmitter site: 

National Grid Reference: SK 325870 

9.3 Please tick this box to confirm you have included a map showing your 

proposed transmitter site location and the expected transmission coverage from it: 

Map supplied: (tick) 

9.4 Please tick this box to confirm you have included a photograph of your 

proposed transmitter site 

Photograph supplied: (tick) 

9.5 Site Availability. Please tick those boxes below which best describe your 

group's situation regarding your proposed transmitter site(s). 

Site Identified 

Agreement in Place: ? 

Under Negotiation 

Group Owns Site ? 

Site not yet identified ? 


- 48 -


9.6 Antenna Details 

(a) FM – Height of Antenna above Ground Level. 

30 metres Metres. 

(b) AM – Height of Transmitting Antenna. 

(c) AM & FM – Assumed height of local ground above sea level. 

9.7 Radiated Power. Please complete the appropriate sections below. 

(a) If you are proposing to operate on AM, please give the Effective Monopole 

Radiated Power (EMRP) level you expect to need in order to cover your proposed 

service area. 

- 49 - 

Metres. 

Metres. 

Watts. 

(b) If you are proposing to operate on FM, please give the Effective Radiated 

Power (ERP) level you expect to need in order to cover your proposed service area. 

(Vertical Polarisation). 

50W Watts. 

(c) If you are proposing to operate on FM, please give the Effective Radiated 

Power (ERP) level you expect to need in order to cover your proposed service area. 

(Horizontal Polarisation) (if used). 


Watts.


(d) Radiation (polar) Pattern. Please tick the appropriate box. If you tick the 

'Directional' box, please enclose horizontal radiation diagram(s), for the vertically 

polarised signal component, and for the horizontally polarised signal component (if 

used). 

Omni – Directional Directional ? . 

Diagram of Vertically 

Polarised signal component 

included 

? 

- 50 - 

Diagram of Horizontally 

Polarised signal component 

included 

9.8 Engineering Compliance. 

Transmission installation and testing for compliance with Ofcom’s engineering code 

will be contracted to Veronica, a radio engineering company based in the region. 

9.9 Principal Transmission Equipment. 

(a) Transmitter (Manufacturer) (model) 

SBS FM50 exciter/transmitter 

(b) Antenna (Manufacturer) (model) 

Jaybeam 

Folded dipole 

(c) Limiter / Processing (manufacturer) (model) 

SBS Maxim 

(d) Please provide a description of how these items of equipment will be 

configured, including details of any additional filtering you consider may be required. 

The SBS exciter contains the deviation peak limiter. At the power level proposed we 

do not anticipate additional filtering will be required. 


?


(e) Please provide details of the gain calculations used to arrive at the estimated 

ERP / EMRP figure required to cover the proposed service area of your station. 

The aerial will provide unity gain. We estimate 3dB losses from cable and connectors 

assuming 40 metres RG213 cable, attenuation 7dB/100 metres at 100 MHz. 

9.10 Radio Data System (RDS). If you are proposing to operate an FM service 

and want to transmit RDS data, please tick the box marked 'Yes', otherwise, tick 

'No'. 

Yes: (tick) 

No: (tick) ? 

9.11 Transmitter Maintenance and Repair. 

Transmitter maintenance and repair will be contracted to Veronica, a company based 

in the region. The company has extensive experience with small scale radio stations 

and has provided transmission services for several of the access radio pilots. 

9.12 Studio Location 

Address: 6 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2QQ 

National grid reference: SK 357867 

Please continue to Section Ten on next page. 

- 51 -


SECTION TEN - Concluding Declaration. 

Do you confirm that, to the best of your knowledge and belief that: 

(1) The applicant is not a disqualified person in relation to the licence by 

virtue of the provisions of section 143 (5) of the Broadcasting Act 1996 

(relating to political objects); 

(2) No director, member or other person involved directly or indirectly in 

the management of the applicant group is the subject of a 

disqualification order as defined by section 145 (1) of the Broadcasting 

Act 1996; 

(3) No person involved in the application has been convicted within the 

past five years of an unauthorised broadcasting offence and that the 

applicant will do all it can to ensure that no person so convicted will be 

concerned in the provision of the service, the making of programmes 

included in it, or the operation of the radio station if the applicant is 

granted a licence; and 

(4) Any matters which might influence Ofcom's judgement as to whether 

the directors or members of the applicant group are fit and proper 

persons to participate in a radio licence have been made to Ofcom. 

Applicants should note that Ofcom reserves the right to revoke a licence if at 

any time any material statement made is found to be false and to have been 

made by the applicant or any member or officer thereof knowing it to be false, 

and that in the circumstances of section 144 of the Broadcasting Act 1996, the 

provision of false information or the withholding of relevant information with 

the intention of misleading Ofcom could incur a criminal conviction and a 

disqualification from the holding of a licence. 

I agree that the applicant conforms with the above 

The ticked boxes below indicate which additional documentation is included as 

part of this application: 

Memorandum & Articles of Association 

Certificate of Incorporation 

Map of proposed transmitter site 

Photograph of proposed transmitter site 

Antenna pattern information ? 

Declaration continues on next page… 

- 52 -


Others Documents (please provide details in box below) 

Membership list (not for public distribution) 

Letters of support 

Confirmations of grant funding 

Application Payment (UK £ 600.00) non-returnable 

I hereby apply to Ofcom for the grant of a licence for the Community Radio 

Licence described above and declare that the information given in this 

application and any additional documentation is, to the best of my knowledge 

and belief, correct. 

Name: Sangita Basudev 

Position: Manager 

Date: 19 November 2004 

Please tick this box to confirm that you have kept a copy of this 

completed application form for your records. 

Please tick this box to confirm that you have completed this form 

as completely as possible and that you have attached / sent any 

required additional documentation, together with the nonreturnable 

application fee of £600.00 

Please return this form and any additional electronic information by e-mail to: 

If there is any paper-based material associated with this application, please send it 

to: 

Community Radio Licensing 

Radio Planning & Licensing Team 3rd Floor 

Ofcom 

Riverside House 

2A Southwark Bridge Road 

London 

SE1 9HA 

Please make sure you keep a copy of this form for your records. 

- 53 -

Tx site: Tapton Hill Road 

SK 325870 30m agl 

Sheffield Live! - Location Map 

- 54 - 

Studio: 6 Paternoster Row 

SK 357867

Proposed Transmission Site 

Crown Castle Communications 

Tapton Hill Road 

- 55 -

Memo commedia 1

COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE AND NOT HAVING A SHARE CAPITAL 

THE COMPANIES ACTS 1985 AND 1989 

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION of COMMEDIA SHEFFIELD 

1. The name of the Association (hereinafter called 'The Company') is Commedia 

Sheffield. 

2. The registered office of the Company will be situated in England. 

3. The Company is established to advance the education of the public and in particular, 

but not exclusively, people facing disadvantage and social exclusion by the provision 

of learning opportunities training courses in media literacy and communication skills. 

4. In furtherance of the said objects, but not further or otherwise, the Company shall have 

power: 

(a) to write, print, broadcast or otherwise reproduce by any means of recorded audio and/or 

visual information whether now or hereafter invented and circulate, gratuitously or 

otherwise, sound and video recordings, periodicals, magazines, books, leaflets or other 

documents; 

(b) to provide training, mentoring, advice and support to individuals and/or organisations; 

(c) to provide access to facilities for media production and distribution; 

(d) to hold exhibitions, meetings, lectures, classes, seminars, workshops, courses or other 

events either alone or with others; 

(e) to promote research, experimental work, scientific investigation and development into 

any aspect of the objects of the Company and its work and to disseminate the useful 

results of any such research for the public benefit; 

(f) to co-operate and enter into arrangements with any authorities, national, local or 

otherwise; 

Memo commedia 2

(g) to accept subscriptions, gifts, donations, devises and bequests of any real or personal 

property maintain and alter any of the same as are necessary for any of the objects of 

the Company and (subject to such consents as may be required by law) sell, lease, 

mortgage or otherwise dispose of any such property; 

(h) to issue appeals, hold public meetings and take such other steps as may be required for 

the purpose of procuring contributions to the funds of the Company in the shape of 

donations, subscriptions or otherwise; 

(i) to issue cheques and other financial instruments, and to operate bank and other accounts 

in the name of the Company; 

(j) subject to such consents as may be required by law, to borrow and raise money for the 

objects of the Company on such terms and conditions and on such security as may be 

thought fit; 

(k) to construct, maintain and alter buildings or erections; 

(l) to carry on trade in so far as either the trade is exercised in the course of the actual 

carrying out of a primary object of the company or such trade is temporary and ancillary 

to the carrying out of the said objects; 

(m) to take and accept any gift of money, property or other assets, whether subject to any 

special trust or not, for any one or more of the objects of the Company; 

(n) to subscribe for either absolutely or conditionally or otherwise acquire and hold shares, 

stocks, debentures, debenture stock or other securities or obligations of any other 

company; 

(o) to invest the monies of the Company not immediately required for its objects in or upon 

such investments, securities or property as may be thought fit; 

(p) to make any charitable donation either in cash or assets for the furtherance of the 

objects of the Company; 

(q) to establish or support any charitable institution and to subscribe or guarantee money 

for charitable purposes calculated to further the objects of the Company; 

(r) to lend money and give credit to, take security for such loans or credit from and to 

guarantee and become or give security for the performance of contracts or obligations 

Memo commedia 3

y any person or company as may be necessary or expedient for the work of the 

Company; 

(s) to purchase indemnity insurance to cover the liability of the Committee which by virtue 

of any rule of law would attach to them in respect of any negligence, default, breach of 

duty or breach of trust of which they may be guilty in relation to the Company provided 

that any such insurance shall not extend to any claim arising from any act or omission 

which the Committee knew to be a breach of trust or breach of duty or which was 

committed by the Committee in reckless disregard of whether it was a breach of duty or 

not and provided also that any such insurance shall not extend to the costs of an 

unsuccessful defence to a criminal prosecution brought against the Committee in their 

capacity as Directors of the Company; 

(t) to employ and pay such staff (who shall not be members of the Committee ) to 

supervise, organise, carry on the work of and advise the Company; 

(u) to purchase insurance to cover the officers, staff, voluntary workers and those of its 

members from and against all such risks incurred in the course of the performance of 

their duties, as may be thought fit; 

(v) to pay reasonable annual sums or premiums for or towards the provision of pensions for 

staff for the time being of the Company and their dependants; 

(w) to purchase insurance to cover any buildings or other property to their full value; 

(x) to amalgamate with any companies, institutions, societies or associations which are 

charitable at law and have objects altogether or mainly similar to those of the Company 

and which prohibit the payment of any dividend or profit to and the distribution of any 

of their assets amongst their members at least to the same extent as such payments or 

distributions are prohibited in the case of members of the Company by this 

Memorandum of Association; 

(y) to pay out of the funds of the Company the costs, charges and expenses of and 

incidental to the formation and registration of the Company; 

(z) to establish where necessary local branches (whether autonomous or not); 

(aa) to do all such other lawful things as shall further the above objects or any of them. 

Memo commedia 4

5. The income and property of the Company shall be applied solely towards the 

promotion of its objects as set forth in this Memorandum of Association and no 

portion thereof shall be paid or transferred, directly or indirectly, by way of dividend, 

bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit, to members of the Company and no 

member of its Committee shall be appointed to any office of the Company paid by 

salary or fees or receive any remuneration or other benefit in money or money's worth 

from the Company provided that nothing herein shall prevent any payment in good 

faith by the Company: 

(a) of reasonable and proper remuneration to any member, officer, employee or consultant 

of the Company not being a member of its Committee for any services rendered to the 

Company; 

(b) of a reasonable rate of interest on money lent by any member of the Company or of its 

Committee 

(c) of reasonable and proper rent for premises demised or let by any member of the 

Company or of its Committee; 

(d) of fees, remuneration or other benefit in money or money's worth to a company of 

which a member of the Committee may also be a member holding not more than 

1/100th part of the capital of that company; 

(e) of out-of-pocket expenses to any member of its Committee; and 

(f) of any premium paid for insurance to cover the liability of the Committee as provided 

for in Clause 4(s) of this Memorandum. 

6. The liability of the members is limited. 

7. Every member of the Company undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Company, 

in the event of the same being wound up whilst being a member, or within one year 

after ceasing to be a member, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the Company 

contracted before ceasing to be a member, and of the costs, charges and expenses of 

winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among 

themselves, such amount as may be required not exceeding one pound. 

Memo commedia 5

8. If upon the winding-up or dissolution of the Company there remains, after the 

satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not 

be paid to or distributed among the members of the Company, but shall be given or 

transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to 

the objects of the Company, and which prohibit the distribution of its or their income 

and property to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the Company under or by 

virtue of Clause 5 hereof, such institution or institutions to be determined by the 

members of the Company at or before the time of dissolution, and in so far as effect 

cannot be given to such provision, then to some other charitable object. 

Memo commedia 6

THE COMPANIES ACTS 1985 AND 1989 

COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE AND NOT HAVING A SHARE CAPITAL 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF COMMEDIA SHEFFIELD 

INTERPRETATION 

1. In these Articles: 

'the Act' means the Companies Act 1985 as amended by the Companies Act 1989 or any reenactment 

or statutory modification of those Acts. 

'clear days' in relation to the period of a notice means the period excluding the day when the 

notice is given or deemed to be given, and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take 

effect. 

'the Committee' means the Management Committee of the Company who shall also be the 

directors of the Company. 

'the Company' means the above named Company. 

'the Office' means the registered office o f the Company. 

'the seal' means the common seal of the Company. 

'secretary' means any person appointed to perform the duties of the secretary of the Company. 

'the United Kingdom' means Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 

Expressions referring to writing shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as 

including references to printing, lithography, photography, and other modes of representing or 

reproducing words in a visible form. 

Unless the context otherwise requires, words or expressions contained in these Articles shall 

bear the same meaning as in the Act or any statutory modification thereof in force at the date at 

which these Articles become binding on the Company. 

Words importing persons shall include corporations and natural persons. 

OBJECTS

2. The Company is established for the objects expressed in the Memorandum of 

Association. 

MEMBERS 

3. The subscribers to the Memorandum of Association and such other persons as the 

Committee shall admit to membership shall be members of the Company. 

4. Every person admitted to membership of the Company shall either sign a written 

consent to become a member or sign the register of members. 

5. An application for membership may be approved or rejected by the Committee. The 

Committee shall have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate the membership of 

any member provided that the member concerned shall have a right to be heard before a final 

decision is made. 

6. Unless the members of the Committee or the Company in General Meeting shall make 

other provision pursuant to the powers contained in Article 62 the Committee members may in 

their absolute discretion permit any member of the company to retire provided that after such 

retirement the number of members is not less than three. Membership shall not be transferable. 

GENERAL MEETINGS 

7. The Company shall each year hold a General Meeting as its Annual General Meeting in 

addition to any other meetings in that year, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices 

calling it; and not more than fifteen months shall elapse between the date of one Annual 

General Meeting of the Company and that of the next. Provided that so long as the Company 

holds its first Annual General Meeting within eighteen months of its incorporation, it need not 

hold it in the year of its incorporation or in the following year. The Annual General Meeting 

shall be held at such time and place as the Committee shall appoint. All General Meetings other 

than Annual General Meetings shall be called Extraordinary General Meetings. 

8. The Committee may whenever they think fit convene an Extraordinary General 

Meeting, and Extraordinary General Meetings shall also be convened on such requisition, or, in 

default, may be convened by such requisitionists, as provided by the Act. 

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS 

9. An Annual General Meeting and a meeting called for the passing of a special resolution 

shall be called by at least twenty-one clear days' notice in writing. Other meetings shall be 

called by at least fourteen clear days' notice in writing. The notice shall specify the place, the 

day and the hour of meeting and, in case of special business, the general nature of that business, 

and shall be given, in manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner, if any, as may be 

prescribed by the Company in General Meeting, to such persons as are, under the Articles of the 

Company, entitled to receive such notices from the Company: provided that a meeting of the

Company shall, notwithstanding that it is called by shorter notice than specified in this Article, 

be deemed to have been duly called if it is so agreed: 

(a) in the case of the Annual General Meeting, by all the members entitled to attend 

and vote at it; and 

(b) in the case of any other meeting, by a majority of the me mbers having a right to 

attend and vote at the meeting, being a majority together representing not less 

than ninety-five per cent of the total voting rights at that meeting of all the 

members. 

10. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a 

meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that 

meeting. 

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS 

11. The business to be transacted at an Annual General Meeting shall include the 

consideration of the accounts, balance sheets, and the reports of the Committee and auditors, the 

election of members of the Committee in the place of those retiring and the appointment of, and 

the fixing of the remuneration of, the auditors. 

12. No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum of members is 

present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business; three voting members present in 

person shall be a quorum. If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a 

quorum is not present the meeting shall be adjourned to such other day and at such other time 

and place as the Committee may determine. If at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present 

within half an hour after the appointed starting time, the members present will be a quorum. 

13. The Chair, if any, of the Committee shall chair every General Meeting of the Company, 

or if there is no such Chair, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time 

appointed for the holding of the meeting or is unwilling to act, the members of the Committee 

present shall elect one of their number to chair the meeting. 

14. If at any meeting no Committee member is willing to act as Chair or if no Committee 

member is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the 

voting members present shall choose one of their number to chair the meeting. 

15. A Committee member shall, notwithstanding that he or she is not a member of the 

Company, be entitled to attend and speak at any General Meeting. 

16. The Chair may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall 

if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, 

but no other business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left

unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting is adjourned 

for fourteen days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an 

original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of 

the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting. 

17. At any General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a 

show of hands unless, before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands, a poll is 

demanded: 

(a) by the Chair; or 

(b) by at least two members present and having the right to vote at the meeting. 

Unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the Chair that a resolution has on a show of 

hands been carried or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost and an entry to 

that effect in the minutes of proceedings of the Company shall be conclusive evidence of the 

fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such 

resolution. 

The demand for a poll may be withdrawn before the poll is taken, but only with the consent of 

the Chair. The withdrawal of the demand for a poll shall not invalidate the result of a show of 

hands declared before the demand for the poll was made. 

18. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the Chair of 

the meeting shall be entitled to a second or casting vote in addition to any other vote he may 

have. 

19. A poll demanded on the election of a Chair, or on a question of adjournment, shall be 

taken immediately. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time and in 

such manner as the Chair of the meeting directs, not being more than thirty days after the poll is 

demanded, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded may proceed 

pending the taking of the poll. The result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the 

meeting at which the poll was demanded. 

20. Subject to the provisions of the Act, a resolution in writing signed by all the members 

entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at General Meetings (or organisations by 

their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if it had been passed at a 

general meeting of the Company duly convened and held. Any such resolution in writing may 

consist of two or more documents in like form each signed by one or more members. 

21. No notice need be given of a poll not taken immediately if the time and the place at 

which it is to be taken are announced at the meeting at which it is demanded. In other cases at 

least seven clear days' notice shall be given specifying the time and place at which the poll is to 

be taken. 

VOTES OF MEMBERS

22. Subject to Article 18, every member shall have one vote. No proxy votes are allowed. 

The Committee may make arrangements for postal voting on such terms and conditions as it 

thinks fit. 

23. No member shall be entitled to vote at any General Meeting unless all monies presently 

payable by him or her to the Company have been paid. 

24. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting or 

adjourned meeting at which the vote objected to is tendered, and every vote not disallowed at 

the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the Chair whose 

decision shall be final and conclusive. 

25. A vote given or poll demanded by the duly authorised representative of a member 

organisation shall be valid notwithstanding the previous determination of the authority of the 

person voting or demanding a poll unless notice of the determination was received by the 

Company at the registered office before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned 

meeting at which the vote is given or the poll demanded or (in the case of a poll taken otherwise 

than on the same day as the meeting or adjourned meeting) the time appointed for taking the 

poll. 

ORGANISATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS 

26. Any organisation which is a member of the Company may by resolution of its 

Committee or other governing body authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its 

representative at any meeting of the Company, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to 

exercise the same powers on behalf of the organisation which he represents as that organisation 

could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company. 

COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT 

27. The maximum number of Committee members shall be determined by the Company in 

General Meeting, but unless and until so fixed there shall be no maximum number. The 

minimum number of Committee Members shall be three. 

28. The first Committee members shall be those persons named in the statement delivered 

pursuant to Section 10(2) of the Act, who shall be deemed to have been appointed under these 

Articles. Future Committee members shall be appointed as provided subsequently in these 

Articles. 

29. The Committee members may be paid all reasonable out of pocket, hotel and other 

expenses properly incurred by them in attending and returning from Committee meetings or 

General Meetings of the Company or in connection with the business of the Company. 

BORROWING POWERS

30. The Committee may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money, and to 

mortgage or charge its undertaking and property, or any part thereof, and to issue debentures, 

debenture stock and other securities, whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or 

obligation of the Company or of any charitable body where such action will directly further the 

objects of the Company. 

POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE 

31. The business of the Company shall be managed by the Committee who may pay all 

expenses incurred in the formation of the Company, and may exercise all such powers of the 

Company as are not required to be exercised by the Company in General Meeting. Any such 

requirement may be imposed either by the Act or by these Articles or by any regulation made 

by the Company in General Meeting; but no such regulation shall invalidate any prior act of the 

Committee which would have been valid if that regulation had not been made. 

32. All cheques and other negotiable instruments, and all receipts for moneys paid to the 

Company, shall be signed or otherwise executed, as the case may be, in such manner as the 

Committee shall from time to time determine provided that all cheques shall be signed by not 

less than two authorised signatories. 

33. The Committee shall arrange for minutes to be made: 

(a) of all appointments of officers made by the Committee; 

(b)of the names of the Committee members present at each Committee meeting; and 

(c) of all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the 

Committee. 

34. A Committee member shall not vote in respect of any contract in which he or she is 

interested or any matter arising therefrom, and if he does so vote his vote shall not be counted. 

35. Subject to Article 27 the Company may from time to time by ordinary resolution 

increase or reduce the number of Committee members. 

36. The Committee shall have power at any time to appoint any person to be a Committee 

member, either to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing members but so that the 

total number of Committee members shall not at any time exceed any maximum number fixed 

in accordance with these Articles. Any Committee member so appointed shall hold office only 

until the next following Annual General Meeting, and shall then be eligible for re-election. 

37. No person may be appointed as a Committee member: 

(a) unless he or she has attained the age of 18 years;

(b)in circumstances that, had he already been a Committee member, he or she would 

have been disqualified from acting under the provisions of Article 42. 

ELECTION AND RETIREMENT OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 

38. At the first and every subsequent Annual General Meeting of the Company all the 

Committee members shall retire from office. 

39. A retiring Committee member shall be eligible for re-election. 

40. The Company at the meeting at which a Committee member retires in manner aforesaid 

may fill the vacated office by electing a person thereto, and in default the retiring Committee 

member shall, if offering himself or herself for re-election, be deemed to have been re-elected, 

unless at such meeting it is expressly resolved not to fill such vacated office or unless a 

resolution for the re-election of such member shall have been put to the meeting and lost. 

41. No person other than a Committee member retiring at the meeting shall unless 

recommended by the Committee be eligible for election to the Committee at any General 

Meeting unless, not less than three nor more than twenty-one days before the date set for the 

meeting, there shall have been left at the registered office of the Company notice in writing 

signed by a member qualified to attend and vote at the meeting for which such notice is given, 

of his intention to propose such person for election, and also notice in writing signed by that 

person of his or her willingness to be elected. The notice shall give the particulars of that person 

which would, if he were so appointed, be required to be included in the register of committee 

members. 

DISQUALIFICATION AND REMOVAL OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 

42. A Committee member shall cease to hold office if the member: 

(a) ceases to be a Committee member by virtue of any provision in the Act or 

is disqualified from acting as a Committee member by virtue of Section 72 of the Charities Act 

1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision); 

(b) becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of 

managing and administering his or her own property and affairs; 

(c) subject to Article 6 resigns his or her office by written notice to the Company; 

(d) ceases to be a member of the Company;

(e) is absent without the agreement of the Committee members from all their 

meetings held within a period of six months and the Committee members resolve that his or her 

office be vacated; 

(f) is removed from office by a three-quarters majority vote of the rest of the 

members of the Committee at a special meeting called for that purpose, when in the opinion of 

the Committee, it appears that the member in question is acting in a manner detrimental or 

prejudicial to the well being of the Company 

PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE 

43. The Committee may meet together for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise 

regulate their meetings, as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a 

majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes the Chair shall have a second or casting 

vote. Any two Committee members may, and the secretary shall, on the request of any two 

Committee members summon a Committee meeting at any time. 

44. The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Committee may be fixed 

by the Committee and unless so fixed shall be one-third of the membership of the Committee, 

subject to a minimum of two. 

45. The Committee may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but, if and as long 

as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to the Articles of the 

Company as the necessary quorum of members, the Committee may act for the purpose of 

increasing the number of members to that number, or of summoning a General Meeting of the 

Company, but for no other purpose. 

46. The Committee may elect a Chair of their meetings and determine the period for which 

he or she is to hold office; but, if no such Chair is elected, or if at any meeting the Chair is not 

present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the Committee 

members present may choose one of their number to chair the meeting. 

47. The Committee may delegate any of their powers to sub-committees consisting of such 

Committee members as they think fit; any sub-committee so formed shall conform to any 

regulations that may be imposed on it by the Committee and shall report all acts and 

proceedings to the Committee fully and promptly. 

48. A sub-committee may elect a Chair of its meetings; if no such Chair is elected, or if at 

any meeting the Chair is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the 

same, the members present may choose one of their number to chair the meeting.

49. A sub-committee may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Questions arising at any 

meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present, and in the case of 

an equality of votes the Chair shall have a second or casting vote. 

50. All acts done by any meeting of the Committee or of a sub-committee, or by any person 

acting as a Committee member, shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that 

there was some defect in the appointment of any such member or person acting as aforesaid, or 

that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly 

appointed and was qualified to be a Committee member. 

51. A resolution in writing, signed by all the Committee members entitled to receive notice 

of a Committee meeting, shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a Committee 

meeting duly convened and held, and may consist of several documents in like form each 

signed by one Committee member or more. 

SECRETARY 

52. The Committee shall appoint (and may remove) any person to act as Company Secretary 

in accordance with the Act provided that if a Committee member is appointed he or she shall 

not be paid. 

THE SEAL 

53. The Committee shall provide for the safe custody of a seal, if any, which shall only be 

used by the authority of the Committee and every instrument to which the seal shall be affixed 

shall be signed by a Committee member and shall be countersigned by the secretary or by a 

second Committee member or by some other person appointed by the Committee for the 

purpose. 

ACCOUNTS 

54. Accounts shall be prepared in accordance with the provisions of Part VII of the Act. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ANNUAL RETURN 

55. The Committee members shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 

1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation 

of an annual report and/or an annual return and its transmission to the Commissioners. 

NOTICES 

56. Any notice to be given to or by any person pursuant to the Articles shall be in writing 

except that a notice calling a meeting of the Committee need not be in writing. 

57. The Company may give any notice to a member either personally or by sending it by 

post to him or to his registered address or by leaving it at that address. A member whose

egistered address is not within the United Kingdom and who gives the Company an address 

within the United Kingdom at which notices may be given to him shall be entitled to have 

notices given to him at that address, but otherwise no such member shall be entitled to receive 

any notice from the Company. 

58. Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner hereinbefore authorised 

to: 

(a) every member except those members who (having no registered address within 

the United Kingdom) have not supplied to the Company an address within the 

United Kingdom for giving of notices to them; 

(b) the auditor for the time being of the Company; and 

(c) each Committee member. 

No other person shall be entitled to receive notices of General Meetings. 

59. A member present in person at any meeting of the Company shall be deemed to have 

received notice of the meeting and, where necessary, of the purposes for which it was called. 

INDEMNITY 

60. Subject to the provisions of the Act every Committee member or other officer or auditor 

of the Company shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability 

incurred by him in that capacity in defending any proceedings, whether civil or criminal, in 

which judgement is given in his favour or in which he is acquitted or in connection with any 

application in which relief is granted to him by the court from liability for negligence, default, 

breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the affairs of the Company. 

DISSOLUTION 

61. Clause 8 of the Memorandum of Associatio n relating to the winding up and dissolution 

of the Company shall have effect as if the provisions thereof were repeated in these Articles. 

RULES OR BYE LAWS 

62. The Committee may from time to time make such Rules or Bye Laws as it may deem 

necessary or convenient for the proper conduct and management of the Company provided that 

no Rule or Bye Law shall be inconsistent with, or shall affect or repeal anything contained in, 

the Memorandum or Articles of Association of the Company.

Sheffield Live - Ofcom Licensing

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