PR7: Structure, Organisation and Ownership

Commercial radio:

Commercial Radio is a radio station that generates revenue through advertising, selling radio commercials. This advertising income is how the station pays it business expenses and makes money. Unlike non-commercial radio, revenue from other avenues does not play a central role in the station operating budget. Commercial stations attract funding by charging advertisers for the estimated number of listeners. The larger the audience, the higher the stations' rate card can be for commercial advertising. Commercial stations program the format of the station to gain as large a slice of the demographic audience as possible. An example of commercial radio is classical FM; they broadcast nationally playing classical music in the UK. They are owned by global radio who own other big radio stations in the UK such as Heart, smooth, radio x and etc.

Public service radio:

BBC operations work by their own services which provide national radio stations the broadcast all regions in the UK covering most music genres and local radio stations that cover local news in the area that radio station is broadcasting to. BBC own and operate several radio stations like BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music and more. Each radio station covering something different for their target audience, for example BBC Radio 2 is targeted towards young adults with most of their music being popular song today rather than great classic hits. The BBC or Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. The charter is an accompanying Agreement recognises its editorial independence and sets out its public obligations in detail. Each Charter has run for ten years. A television licence is an official record of payment required for the reception of television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or in part by the licence fee paid. The BBC license fee is £12.13 a month between April 1st 2013 and 31st march 2014.The BBC use this income from the license fee to pay off Radio, TV, online services and other costs that they need to pay. The BBC Trust is the governing body of the BBC, to serve the public, and its mission is to inform, educate and entertain. Their job role is to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers by setting out strategic objectives for the BBC. These objectives include creative and distinctive output; serve all audiences and more. When getting a show commissioned by the BBC it must first be checked by the relevant genre and also collaboration between the channels and genre. The idea will be pitched to the BBC and it will be taken to the channel controller if they think tis ready to go into production. The BBC will give their thoughts and opinions on the matter and give you feedback on a secure meeting.

Not-for-profit radio:

Community radio stations broadcast content that is popular and also relevant to the location. For example news updates will let you know about the weather informing you the current news in a certain area in the UK talking about incidents that have happen like traffic. They can tell you what accidents have happed on the road tell you a better rout to get around the accident. As they are non-profit they will have people talking about things happening their community. Hospital radio stations are broadcasted for patients and found to be helpful. Also student radio stations are operated in

PR7: Structure, Organisation and Ownership

colleges like Salford City Radio FM and in universities. And it aired by the students themselves to get experience and they broadcast to the entire school at certain times depending on their music and target audience. Community radio stations can be offered a license to registered companies like Ofcom as an example; they can provide a radio license.

Independent radio programme production companies:

An independent production organization is a company that produces, films, plays, television or radio programmes. They provide the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video. The production company may be directly responsible for fundraising for the production or may accomplish this through a parent company, partner, or private investor. It handles budgeting, scheduling, scripting and such. The BBC television commissioned over 20,000 hours of programmes last year and invested an estimated £1.2 billion in the UKs creative industries. On Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra, the majority of programmes, the Core Output, are long-running strands which are produced either by in-house producers or by independent companies chosen through competitive tender when required. Both stations also commission regular documentaries from in-house producers and independent companies. BBC Pitch is the tool by which UK based television production companies and BBC in-house production teams can submit content proposals for BBC network television. The pitch works register an account with BBC and once successfully registered with an account on BBC Pitch users can submit content proposals to BBC Commissioners via the Pitch dashboard.