Issue no. 7, dated 20 November 1992, of 'Radio News' weekly newsletter for the UK radio broadcasting industry, written and published by Grant Goddard in November 1992.

1. RRRRRRRRR MIIAAMM DDDDDD III OOOOOOOOO NHN NW EEEEEEEEE WWW WWW WWW SSSSSSSSS
RRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAA DDDDDDD III OOOOOOOOO NNN NW EEEEEEEEE WWW WWW WWW SSSSSSSSS
RRR RRR AAA AAA DDD DDD III 000 000 NNNN NW EEE WWW WWW WWW sss No. 7
RRRRRRRRR AAA AAA DDD DDD III 000 000 NNNNN NW EEE WWW WWW WWW SSS
RRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAA DDD ODD III 000 000 NNIOOINNNN EEEEEEEEE WWW WWW WWW SSSSSSSSS
RRRRR AAAAAAAAA DDD ODD III 000 000 NNNNNNNNN EEEEEEEEE WWW WWW WWW SSSSSSSSS
RRRRRR AAA AAA ODD DDD III 000 000 NW HNNNN EEE WWW WWW WWW sss 20 NOV 92
RRR RRR AAA AAA DDD ODD III 000 000 NNN NNNN EEE WWW WWW WWW SSS
RRR RRR AAA AAA DDDDDD III OOOOOOOOO NW NW EEEEEEEEE ~ SSSSSSSSS
RRR RRR AAA AAA DDDDD III OOOOOOOOO NW NW EEEEEEEEE ~ SSSSSSSSS
THE WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE ilK R..A.DIO INDUSTRY
FOUR BIDS FOR HIGH WYCO~E
Four applicants, including one backed
by the GWR Group, have submitted bids
to the Radio Authority for the new
High Wycombe licence to serve South
Buckinghamshire on 1170 AM.
Beech Radio was formed in 1989,
following amalgamation with rival
bidder Bucks AM. The GWR Group, whose
210/Reading AM/FM stations fringe the
High Wycombe area, holds 20% of the
company's £250,000 capital, the
remainder raised through the Business
Expansion Scheme and from the bid's
directors. Eight full-time staff,
with three DJs, produce 13 hours/day
of live prograrrrning with a classic
hits format, including a nightly
one-hour magazine show, supplemented
by an overnight relay of 210. MD Mark
Flanagan, ex-PD of Southern
Sound/Brigbton, is breakfast DJ, and
local resident Barbara Windsor
presents a Sunday morning request
show. Chairman John Stepbenson is
experienced in satellite
coomunicatioos, Deputy Chairman Roger
Marshall has worked in the cable TV
industry, and the station's Advisory
BBC
The BBC captured the major radio
awards at the third annual Broadcast
Promotion & Marketing Executives
conference, winning seven Golds, five
Silvers and two Bronzes. Radio One
led the field with five Golds for its
Madonna and Michael Jackson posters,
the 31 Days In May competition, the
Race Through The 90s social action
campaign, and its Pop Art Show. Radio
4 won Golds for its Hearing Is
Board includes the Deputy Lord
Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.
South Buckinghamshire Radio targets
25-55 year olds with easy listening
music, local news and discussion
prograomes. The group combines some
shareholders involved in earlier
unsuccessful bids by Ruby Radio and
Magic FM for the nearby Windsor
licence, awarded earlier this year.
The group's £~m share capital is
subscribed by Buckinghamshire
Broadcasting (30), Ruby Radio (30%),
3i (27%), Chairman Sir Hugh
Cunningham, and other local investors
including Jan Leeming, John Craven,
Laurie Holloway, Mary Parkinson and
Marion Montgomery. The station1 s 15
staff will include Simon Yates and
Paul Davis, DJs with
Sunrise/Hounslow, and joint Executive
Directors Brian Cullingford and
Gurmit Hunjan.
'lhe Radio Wye bid dates from March
1990 when local Christians decided
they were "concerned about some
aspects of the existing media",
according to group spokesperson Jeff
Curtis . He says the station "will be
owned by Christians and run as a full
community service with the interests
of the community as its first
priority". The station's twelve paid
staff produce a format that combines
easy listening music with significant
local speech content, including a
half-hour evening news programme.
£230,000 start-up capital is raised
from gifts and interest-free loans
provided by local individuals,
businesses, charities and churches.
MD Mark Austin sold his local
business interests to devote his time
to community work and is presently
Sales & Marketing Manager of Whickham
Wanderers FC. Any profits made will
be distributed to local charities.
The fourth bid, South Bucks
Broadcasting, is headed by Aylesbury
resident Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher,
though no details were available at
press time. The Radio Authority will
announce its decision within two
rocmths.
PROMOTION WINNERS
Believing TV advert and the trail for
its On The Hour series.
In the commercial sector, Capital
FM/London achieved the most, winning
a Gold for the Chris Tarrant show's
Bang Game, two Silvers and two
Bronzes. Two further Golds were won
by Piccadilly Key 103/Manchester for
its Name 1 Em & Claim'Em promotion
and BRMB FM/Birmingham for Ten Years
Of Walkathon.
The judges failed to find Gold
winners in four of the fourteen radio
categories, following a switch to
award by merit rather than the first
past the post system of previous
years. The two-day London conference
attracted 400 delegates.
RADIO CONTACTS
BEECH RADIO Hedgerows, Hyde Heath, Amersham, Bucks HP6 5RH. tel: 0494-775523 John Stephenson, 0273-49425:> Mark Flanagan
(applicant for High Wycombe licence)
SO(ft'H BOCKIriGHAIISHlR RADIO CO Taplow House, Taplow, South Bucks. tel: 062tl-73337 Brian CUllingford, 0895-254247 Gurmit
Hunjan [applicant for High Wycombe licence]
.SOOTH BUCIS BROADCASTING Town Hill Farm, Chilton, Aylesbury, Bucks HP18 9LR. tel: 0844-208196 Sir Henry Aybrey-Fletcher
[applicant for High Wycombe licence]
RADIO WYE 5 East Drive, Totteridge, High Wycombe, Bucks HP13 6JN. tel: 0494-472100 Mark Austin, 0494-524857 Jeff Curtis
[applicant for High Wycombe licence)
RADIO NEWS PO BOX 514 HARROW MIDDLESEX llA1 4SP tel 081 427 6062 fax 081 861 2694
f radio news 1992
'I

2. ~ "r"" .;.•;~ Z"..
EBENEZER. NOT SO GOODE?
A complaint against Radio 1FM over
drug references in The Shamen's
chart-topping single Ebenezer Goode
has been upheld by The Broadcasting
Standards Council. The BBC's defence
that the song contains warnings
against drug abuse was rejected by
the Council, who concluded "the words
of the song are sufficiently clear to
a large number of the audience",
though it has no legal powers to
impose an airplay ban.
Iflf listener Hr Whiffen of Devon bad
complained that the record promoted
the use of the drug Ecstasy, but the
BBC argued that a decision to ban the
song would only attract additional
publicity. In announcing its verdict,
the Council cited its Code of
Practice which says programmes must
not encourage "tolerance towards the
taking of drugs in Britain or the
view that taking them was socially
acceptab.hl" .
Another recent complaint against IFM
submitted to the COlHlcil by three PVC
manufacturers about a traIl for News
'91 that had camtented "fear is
fashion gear made of PVC" vas
partially upheld. And a complaint
against a Moray Firth Radio/Inverness
phone-in host's camtents about the
Duchess of York was upheld, having
already been considered and upheld by
the Radio Authority.
But the Council dismissed a complaint
about a sex scene in an afternoon
radio play, on the grounds that "the
portrayal of sexual activity was
unlikely to have caused widespread
offence iIIlX>IlgSt the Radio 4
audience".
, .,~ :
as CHRISTMAS CRACKERS
The OK's largest chain of temporary
stations, launched by Radio Cracker
to raise funds for Third World
charities, takes to the air Sat 28
Nov for one month. Eighty-five
individual licensees, all
broadcasting to very local areas
between frJ and 101 FM, will use the
slogan ''Tune In, Pay Out" to heat the
£!m raised in the first marathon
broadcast last Christmas.
A launch cere!OClny, to be held two
days earlier at the top of London's
BT Tower, will he attended by Radio
Authority Chairman Lord Chalfont and
IFM DJ Steve Weight who will report
on the event live in Simon Bates'
show. The Tower provides Cracker with
a BT uplink to the Astra satellite
from its Harrow studio, where news
bulletins and an overnight sustaining
service are produced for the rest of
the network.
"Cracker is a tremendous challenge to
young people," explains Christmas
Cracker Trust National Director Rev.
Steve Chalke. ''They not only raise
money but learn about the business of
broadcasting, and they are heing led
in the initiative by a network of
local church groups".
The local stations would he very
pleased to receive donations of music
product to he played on-air and
auctioned or raffled to raise funds
for charities. Advertising is also
available to local music shops and
venues. Contact the National Office
on 021-633-0873 for details of your
nearest station.
CAPITAL RESULTS
Capital Radio preliminary results for
1991/92 show a fall in group pre-tax
profit to £8.Bm from the previous
year's £9.8m, and advertising revenue
down in real terms. But the plc has
healthy cash balances of £19.5m,
including £1. 5m net profit made from
the sale earlier this year of
London's Duke Of York Theatre.
''This has been a difficult year,"
admits Chairman ran Irvine. ''The
results reflect the continuing
depressed state of the economy and,
in particular, a very short term
advertising market".
Despite increased competition in the
London radio market, Capital FM has
maintained its lead position and
increased its listening share to 18%,
foor points ahead of its nearest
rival. Capital Gold ranks fifth with
9%, a position it is seeking to
R.ADIO DIARY
improve with a huge TVI press and
bus-side campaign in the current
RAJAR survey period.
The stations' improved listenership
has not prevented stagnation of their
advertising and sponsorship income,
whose 3% increase in money terms
Irvine credits to national sales that
account for two thirds of the total.
23 JOy THE TELEPHONE IN BROADCASTING conference at Sedgwick Centre, Aldgate, London. £40 registration. IDfo: The Radio
Academy, PO Box 4SZ, London WlA 4SZ tel: 071-32}-3837
28 BOy RADIO CRACKER 85 local stations start one month of FM broadcasting to raise funds for Third World charities. Info:
Oasis (West Midlands), Cornerstone House,S Ethel Street, Birmingham B2 4BG Tel: 021-633-0873
7 DEC INDEPENDENT RADIO ADVERTISING AWARDS at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London tel:071-799-1565
8 DEC WOOLWICH YOUNG RADIO PLAYWRIGHTS COMPETITION (LBC/IRDP) Presentation of Finalists at The Purcell Room, South Bank,
London. Info: Woolwich Building Society, Watling Street, Bexleyheath, Kent DA6 7RR tel: 081-298-5488
12 la Rt2!tyeegMV..loth. Anniver5aI"1..~atron LllJl~,h.A1~SA'{9.1,J~on. Ipgivj4uahp1a£i' £AI tahle,ior te!;l £423. Jnfo:
o ""F, ;ux'lst"/tOndon ' -W1A -~Ztel:071-m-3837 ". . . ..... . ... _.' '..
14 DEC RADIO CEREDIGION new Aberystwyth commercial station starts broadcasting on 96.6/103.3 FM. Info: Unit GE, Science
Park, Cefnllan, Aberystwyth tel: 0970-626626
16/17/18 DEC VIVE LA RADIO conference in Paris of Association Rationale des Radio
1 JAR RADIO AUTHORITY new tariff rates for licences come into force. Info: Radio Authority
5 JAR SEVERN ESTUARY closing date for licence applications for first regional FM station serving 1.6 million adults in
Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Bath, Somerset &West Wiltshire. Into: Radio Authority.
12 JAR ABERDEEN closing date for re-applications for AM & FM licences serving 230,000 adults, starting 29 Jul 1994. Info:
Radio Authority
24/25/26/27/28 JAR MIDEM RADIO at Palais Des Festivals, Cannes, France. Info: International Exhibition Organisation,
Metropolis House, 22 Perey Street, London WlP 9FF tel:071-528-0086
25 JAR RAJAR first audience research figures from joint BBC/lLR system released publicly
RADIO NEWS PO BOX 514 HARROW MIDDLESEX HA1 4SP tel 081 427 6062 fax 081 861 2694
~ radio news 1992 page 2
', '.,
'('

3. BBC Radio Leicester marked its 25th
anniversary with a live rendition of
Happy Birthday by a 25-piece choir
assembled around the city's
clocktower, each person representing
one aspect of Leicester's
multicultural community. The station
was the first in the UK to use
phone-in shows ***** Radio 5's
Afropop Worldwide celebrates its
fifth anniversary as a weekly
syndicated show produced by America's
National Public Radio and broadcast
by 200 stations. Rykodisc release
five CDs of live performances
recorded for the show, starting with
Kanda Bongo Man ***** Pirate
interference to temporarily licensed
Raiders FM/London has been
successfully purged by the DTI *****
Sad to report the death of BBC
Hereford & Worcester Manager John
Pickles, after a short illness, on
the same day as BBC local radio's
25th birthday ***** Radio
Netherlands is providing foreign
radio stations with three
c~ilations of new Dutch pop and
classical acts ***** Last week's
Genesis concert in aid of the
Prince's Trust was relayed to local
stations using SMS satellite and
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network) phone lines for the first
time ***** Fri 27 Nov is Mayday on 30
local stations running individually
recorded interviews with Brian May
and- competitions organised by
ERI/parlophone Regional Promotions
***** Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show
offers a prize trip to Graceland to a
winning listener sending in their
favourite Elvis tune ***** The
o-i=ioo for Racial F.qaality is
inviting radio entries for its Race
In The Media Awards (071-S32-5272)
***** Radio Authority Chief
Executive Peter Baldwin's tenure is
extended from 1993 to the end of 1995
***** A coach load of car
manufacturers were given a
demonstration of DAB technology on
the move, listening to tests fran
BBC transmitters in Surrey on Band
111 VHF ***** Italian dance station
Power RV1/Turin broadcasts a
Saturday night show House To House
RADIO WAVES
And Back To Black fran London
production company CMC ***** A survey
of marketing staff in 44 commercial
stations finds more than half think
Radio 1 should go commercial. Are
they hoping for jobs? ***** The
impending Green Paper on the BBC's
future does not apparently suggest
closing Radios 2 and 5 *****
Unique Broadcasting is running
promotional packages 00 14 stations
to promote new Warner Brothers films,
including The Body Guard, to 16-24
year olds ***** Spot the difference?
The BBC's School, Children &Youth
Progranmes Radio Dept. is renamed
Children, Youth & Daily Sequences,
Radio 5 ***** Dutch satellite
station Power ~ seems to have
dropped its DJs in favour of non-stop
music ***** New research finds 11-12
year olds spend only an hour a day
listening to the radio, but 19-20
year olds listen daily for four hours
***** BBC Radio Derby Progranme
Organiser Alex Trelinski takes over
as Manager next month when Bryan
Harris retires ***** South London
community station first Love is
broadcasting on 101.8 FM with a
temporary licence until the end of
the month ***** BBC Local Radio
boss Ronald Meil says his 39 stations
have a target of 100% speech and no
music at peak listening times *****
Pioneering 60s Scandinavian offshore
pirate Radio Syd, now based OD land
in The Gambia, has a new namesake in
Spain, backed by a Swedish publisher
targeting Swedes living in Marbella
***** How does Cboice ~'s evening
presenter feel about the station's
local news bulletin recommending
listeners watch a BBC TV progranme
that night? ***** Radio 2 and the
Office Of Fair Trading publish a
one-off free magazine Fair Play
filled with consumer advice *****
Classic ~ is to hold Creatives '
Day workshops to help advertising
agencies produce better radio
commercials ***** BBC Radio
Berkshire needs a breakfast show
Presenter/Producer (081-749-7000)
***** Capital Radio seeks a PR
Trainee (071-379-0333) *****
Sainsbury is selling gingerbread
-.., -- ,,., +
Pudsey bears in aid of the BBC
Children In Need appeal (and very
tasty they are too!) ****** Radio
4's In Business programme wins the
Radio Industrial Journalism of the
Year prize ***** l~'s Help! (Sat
21 2-3pm) casts a sceptical eye over
the charity fundraising gig
phenomenon ***** Robert Palmer
performs songs fran Ridin' High with
the BBC Big Band In Concert on Radio
2 (Sat 21 7.30-9pm) ***** Radio
5's Afropop Worldwide looks at
jazzjAfrican fusions (Sat 21 9-1Opm)
***** l~'s Rockline (Sun 22
2.30-4pm) Ruts Take That! in the
hotseat for listeners' questions
***** Radio 2's The Singer & The
Song (Wed 25 9.45-1Opm) talks to 60s
hitmaker Emile Ford of What Do You
Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For?
fame ***** l~'s In Concert (Thu 26
9-1Opm) features Buffy St Harie at
the Hammersmith Odean ***** Shirley
Caesar joins Gloria Gaynor's Gospel
Train (Thu 26 9.45-10.3Opm) on Radio
2 ***** l~'s Andy Kershaw
appraises the CD reissue boom (Sat 28
2-3pm) ***** In Radio 2's new
series Behind The Hits (Sat 28
7-7.3Opm) Ben E King reveals he
recorded Spanish Harlem only because
other audition candidates were stuck
in a snowstorm ***** Gilbert
O'Sullivan is in concert on Radio
2's Night Ride (Sat night 28 2-3am)
***** Richard MarK is 1PM's
Rockline (Sun 29 2.30-4pm) guest
***** A Daily Telegraph survey of
12,000 readers found 88% listen to
Radio 4 on longwave, 94% do not
want the proposed all-news service,
and 85% want it allocated to FM. But
won't most of the ageing Telegraph
readership be dead anyway by the time
the new station arrives in 1994?
***** A new radio travel information
service needs presenters. Tape & CV
to: Jill Todd, 11th Floor, Alembic
House, 93 Albert Embankment, London
SE1 7TY ***** WKBQjSt Louis PD Mark
Todd was fired after his morning
presenters put a couple on-air having
sex next to their mobile phone. Todd
was on holiday at the time ***** 300
staff at JBC/Jamaica are on strike
over thirty proposed job cuts *****
• t"t_'
MORE RADIO WAVES
Feminist
presents
Angeles,
outrages
attorney Gloria Allred
a weekly rant on [!BC/Los
naming perpetrators of
against women, called Read
My Lipstick ***** Tempted to clone
Selector? Software owner RCS was
awarded $100,000 damages after the
owner of KWOD/Sacramento was found
guilty of bootlegging another
station's system *****
RADIO NEWS PO BOX 514 HARROW MIDDLESEX HA1 4SP tel 081 427 6062 fax 081 861 2694
~ radio news 1992 page 3
[I

4. Aberdeen AM
Aberdeen FM
Leeds AM
Leeds FM
Southend/Chlmsfd AM
Southend/Chlmsfd FM
High Wycombe AJII
Pembrokeshire FM
Weymouth FM
230,000
230,000
1,230,()()()
770,000
1,530,000
770,000
?
85,000
80,000
North Wales AM/FM 130,000
Carlisle FM 150,000
Glenrathes FM 260,000
Colchester FM 120,000
Alton FM 25,000
Slough/Windsor FM 390,000
Harlow FM 100,000
Morecambe Bay FM 180,000
Montgomeryshire AM ?
Cheltenham AM ?
Ceredigion FM 45,000
ADVERTISED CLOSED BIDS FREQUENCY
RE-ADVERTISED LOCAL LICEJlllCES
8 Oct 92
8 Oct 92
4 Nov 92
4 Nav 92
6 Nav 92
6 Nov 92
1 Aug 92
1 Jul 92
8 Jun 92
12 May 92
27 Apr 92
7 Apr 92
7 Feh 92
22 Jan 92
12 Jan 93
12 Jan 93
9 Feh 93
9 Feb 93
9 Feh 93
9 Feb 93
29 Jul 94 1035 AM
29 Jul 94 96.9 FM
1 Sep 94 828 AM
1 Sep 94 96.3 FM
12 Sep 94 1431/1359AM
12 Sep 94 96.3/102.6FM
.NEW LOCAL LICENCES
17 Nay 92 4 llm AJII
20 Oct 92 1
8 Sep 92 5 6 Nay 92 Regent Radio/Orchard Radio
25 Aug 92 3 1 Oct 92 Marcher Coast FM/Marcher Sound
28 Jul 92 4 7 Sep 92 CRFM
21 Jul 92 3 7 Sep 92 [no award]
19 May 92 6 2 Jul 92 Colchester FM/SGR-FM
28 Apr 92- 1 4 Jun 92 Wey Valley Radio
31 Mar 92 9 2 Jul 92 Tristar Bdcstng
24 Mar 92 1 7 Sep 92 Harlow Radio/Essex Radio
10 Mar 92 2 14 May 92 Bay Radio
18 Feb 92 1 4 Jun 92 RADIO IIAIDmI community spring 93 756 AM
14 Jan 92 5 6 Mar 92 (l) 603 AC Mar 93 603 AM
10 Dec 91 2 7 f'eh 92 RADIO CEREDIGI(JI community 14 Dec 92 96.6/103.3FM
AIRMAIL PRINTED PAPER
~ *'.?:'fzy--,- -
-,~,_ .....",~;_.,,...,•..,......,,,...,,,,",,_ _ _=c-~<==.,,,~.·-.,,,,
514 HARROW MIDDLESEX HA1 4SP tel 081 427 5052 fax 081 851 2594
RADIO NEWS PO BOX
~ radio news 1992
page 4--