Let down by Ofcom

I agree with your editorial of December 7, but do not expect too much from Ofcom. After all, it is Ofcom that has allowed local commercial radio stations to change their formats to become national stations with hardly any local content.

Radio 210, the first local radio station serving this area, has become Heart and Reading 107 is now Greatest Hits Radio. Indeed any non-national content on Heart is for a region rather than a locality.

This though was not as serious when there was a good local radio service provided by a public service broadcaster.

Regulation of radio was introduced because wavelengths were limited and therefore there needed to be safeguards to ensure that a monopoly (or after the creation of Independent Radio and Television semi-monopoly) is not abused. I believe that Ofcom is not regulating properly because it is not safeguarding local content on scarce wavelengths.

A reason given for the cuts to BBC local radio is to release funds for digital activity. The BBC was created as a monopoly broadcaster. It has always made available in print form broadcast content whether through books or in the weekly magazine “The Listener” from 1929 to 1991.

However, you correctly point out it is also becoming a digital publisher of content which has not been broadcast. This appears to be beyond the original remit of the BBC. With the recent announcement on the future funding of the BBC it seems to me that consideration should be given as to whether the BBC should publish license-fee funded on-line content that has not been broadcast.

As you suggest this is for others than the BBC to provide. You correctly observe there are challenges for these other providers such as yourselves and Berkshire Live.

What is needed is for the BBC to provide an adequately funded service of local radio that both entertains and informs.

Jim Dunning, via email