A “news item” on the station website, and announcements
on-air, say the Chairman of the Sunrise group Avtar Lit is asking listeners to
financially support the radio stations:
“There has been an increasing trend among Asian broadcasters
to be supported by their listeners and viewers. Many Asian TV channels are paid
for by subscribers or viewers. With advertising rates failing to increase in 15 years and
other costs escalating, there is no other way except a combination of
advertising and listener contribution. Listeners can make a contribution by
sending a cheque, or by credit card.”
It is not clear what, if anything, donors will receive in
return for their contributions.
Along with many commercial radio companies the Sunrise group
is thought to be cash-strapped having been badly hit by the downturn in
advertising revenue. Recently, Sunrise Radio, Kismat Radio and Punjabi Radio
ceased broadcasting on digital television to save costs, and Sunrise did not
renew its contract on digital radio in the West Midlands. However this may be
the first time an established UK commercial radio station has tried the
listener subscription route.
The item does not elaborate on the scheme but Ofcom rules do
permit appeals for funds for programming or services subject to certain
conditions, including:
- Broadcasters should keep accurate and detailed records of donations and how they are spent. Records should demonstrate how donations received are used to fund the service.
-
Ofcom strongly recommends that donations are kept in a separate, specific account so that information relating to donations and how they are spent is clear and easy to access. It is also recommended that audits of such accounts are conducted.
-
Broadcasters should avoid creating unrealistic expectations about what donations can achieve and appeals should not improperly exploit any susceptibilities of the audience.
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Broadcasters should take care to ensure that the acceptance of donations does not prevent them from meeting the Code‟s requirements relating to due impartiality, no undue prominence of views and opinions, and editorial independence.
Listener appeals have been used widely elsewhere – for example the Public Service Broadcasters Telethons in the USA and by community radio operators worldwide. Many stations offer membership of some kind of “listeners club” in return for a minimum donation. However these are not run by profit-distributing commercial concerns like the Sunrise Group.
In the UK we are used to getting a wide range of radio free,
at the time of listening, from the BBC and other stations so it will be
interesting to see if this model can work here.
