Tulip Radio to cease Tuesday 13th Dec midday
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Another victim of Ofcom being an out of touch regulator putting unworkable conditions of community radio 'because they can'
This isn't Ofcom's fault. The station couldn't find the people it needed. As for providing programming during the day, that is a reasonable expectation of a full-time radio station.
Originally Posted by underground_88:
“Another victim of Ofcom being an out of touch regulator putting unworkable conditions of community radio 'because they can'”
“Another victim of Ofcom being an out of touch regulator putting unworkable conditions of community radio 'because they can'”
Quit blaming Ofcom - it's easy and it's lazy - and i'm fed up of hearing it. I didn't read Tulip blaming Ofcom. Amongst the many reasons given this resonated “People have a massive misconception about Tulip Radio and assume that as it’s a community radio station it’s funded privately or by the council and thus we don’t have to charge for our services. I've heard it time and time again.
If you apply for a community radio licence then you know the regulatory framework you are entering into. Tulip had an MCA of 6,411. Given that, I would say they had a surprisingly good run for the last 7 years! I would question, what the hell was Ofcom doing licensing a station that small in the first place.
Some community radio practitioners need to stop pointing the finger and looking for someone else to blame. If it's not Ofcom then it's commercial radio, or suits, or PRS, or PPL, etc. Please, resist playing the blame game and take responsibility for your own actions.
Realise that you're in charge of how you deal with things; that things will turn out better or worse because of you and nobody else. Only when you start to do that that will you be a happier and healthier person. (And here end'th the lesson).
Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.
Originally Posted by Tee Hee:
“Quit blaming Ofcom - it's easy and it's lazy - and i'm fed up of hearing it. I didn't read Tulip blaming Ofcom. Amongst the many reasons given this resonated “People have a massive misconception about Tulip Radio and assume that as it’s a community radio station it’s funded privately or by the council and thus we don’t have to charge for our services. I've heard it time and time again.
If you apply for a community radio licence then you know the regulatory framework you are entering into. Tulip had an MCA of 6,411. Given that, I would say they had a surprisingly good run for the last 7 years! I would question, what the hell was Ofcom doing licensing a station that small in the first place.
Some community radio practitioners need to stop pointing the finger and looking for someone else to blame. If it's not Ofcom then it's commercial radio, or suits, or PRS, or PPL, etc. Please, resist playing the blame game and take responsibility for your own actions.
Realise that you're in charge of how you deal with things; that things will turn out better or worse because of you and nobody else. Only when you start to do that that will you be a happier and healthier person. (And here end'th the lesson).”
“Quit blaming Ofcom - it's easy and it's lazy - and i'm fed up of hearing it. I didn't read Tulip blaming Ofcom. Amongst the many reasons given this resonated “People have a massive misconception about Tulip Radio and assume that as it’s a community radio station it’s funded privately or by the council and thus we don’t have to charge for our services. I've heard it time and time again.
If you apply for a community radio licence then you know the regulatory framework you are entering into. Tulip had an MCA of 6,411. Given that, I would say they had a surprisingly good run for the last 7 years! I would question, what the hell was Ofcom doing licensing a station that small in the first place.
Some community radio practitioners need to stop pointing the finger and looking for someone else to blame. If it's not Ofcom then it's commercial radio, or suits, or PRS, or PPL, etc. Please, resist playing the blame game and take responsibility for your own actions.
Realise that you're in charge of how you deal with things; that things will turn out better or worse because of you and nobody else. Only when you start to do that that will you be a happier and healthier person. (And here end'th the lesson).”
Nope, it's correct to blame the various requirements and costs that are burdinsome along with whatever else may effect stations on an individual basis.
ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio is burdinsome. PRS/PPL costs probably could be reduced, along with many other costs that are unreasonably high. After those are done, then you might have a point.
Originally Posted by wns_195:
“Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.”
“Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.”
Exactly. Quality over quantity
Also its in a small town in a rural area with limited chance of income.
Pulse in Cheddar Somerset is also closing.
Ofcom are reviewing the rules on key commitments but sadly this will not help these stations
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultatio...ey-commitments
Pulse in Cheddar Somerset is also closing.
Ofcom are reviewing the rules on key commitments but sadly this will not help these stations
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultatio...ey-commitments
What a shame. The OH and I used to tune in to Tulip on the way up the road to visit her mother in Boston, as no doubt we would have done this Christmas eve too. It was a lively wee station and got out quite well due to the pancake flat surroundings.
Hear, hear. Add to this Ofcom's dogged determination that no community station shall ever have an owner, disincentivising investment and creating a situation where CRs have to be born fully-formed and not just walking but running to survive.
Originally Posted by AEC2600:
“Nope, it's correct to blame the various requirements and costs that are burdinsome along with whatever else may effect stations on an individual basis. Ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio is burdinsome. PRS/PPL costs probably could be reduced, along with many other costs that are unreasonably high. After those are done, then you might have a point.”
“Nope, it's correct to blame the various requirements and costs that are burdinsome along with whatever else may effect stations on an individual basis. Ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio is burdinsome. PRS/PPL costs probably could be reduced, along with many other costs that are unreasonably high. After those are done, then you might have a point.”
Hear, hear. Add to this Ofcom's dogged determination that no community station shall ever have an owner, disincentivising investment and creating a situation where CRs have to be born fully-formed and not just walking but running to survive.
Looks like they were offered help by an engineer, yet never replied - on more than one occasion...
In the comments section>
http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736
A Broadcast Engineer 7:19 PM on 12/12/2016
A lack of technical staff & presenters? Really now. I'm a broadcast engineer of many years standing, and I work on some of the biggest TV shows in the world (over 1 billion viewers for one of them, 13% of the global population!) and maintain community & commercial radio stations UK wide. Tulip was offered my services on a number of occasions, and I live less than 15 minutes from their door. Guess what? Not a single attempt at contact. I know why, it is because they know me from years ago when they were offered help and declined it. As for presenters, given my line of work, I could have brought them as many presenters as they needed, but they do not think of this. It would seem that Spalding is the place to have your offers of help ignored, as another organisation in the area (Live Promotions, I'm looking at you) who would use the services of a broadcast engineer has also been offered my services and instead have ignored my approaches. Perhaps the wrong people were running the radio station, given that the very difficulties they cite for closure could be resolved with a single phone call to a very willing person on the other end waiting to help them...
In the comments section>
http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736
A Broadcast Engineer 7:19 PM on 12/12/2016
A lack of technical staff & presenters? Really now. I'm a broadcast engineer of many years standing, and I work on some of the biggest TV shows in the world (over 1 billion viewers for one of them, 13% of the global population!) and maintain community & commercial radio stations UK wide. Tulip was offered my services on a number of occasions, and I live less than 15 minutes from their door. Guess what? Not a single attempt at contact. I know why, it is because they know me from years ago when they were offered help and declined it. As for presenters, given my line of work, I could have brought them as many presenters as they needed, but they do not think of this. It would seem that Spalding is the place to have your offers of help ignored, as another organisation in the area (Live Promotions, I'm looking at you) who would use the services of a broadcast engineer has also been offered my services and instead have ignored my approaches. Perhaps the wrong people were running the radio station, given that the very difficulties they cite for closure could be resolved with a single phone call to a very willing person on the other end waiting to help them...
Originally Posted by wns_195:
“Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.”
“Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.”
Fine, as long as they actually close down the rest of the time and don't just become an automated jukebox.
Yet again we have the issue with these businesses not being run like businesses.
I am sorry but to be closing a radio station due to not being able to fill daytime slots is ludicrous to me. A community radio station doesn't HAVE to have presenters at all if it doesn't want to (Jack fm anybody1?) in fact not having presenters may actually add to your brand by enabling it to be more local by using lots of inserts, pre-recorded interviews and repeating some content throughout the day.
How about this as an idea. Breakfast 6-9am, 9am-5pm the Non-Stop 9 to 5 and 5 to 8pm Drive and some local evening programming too. Doing this will cut down the level of management that comes with providing programmes all day long (and of quality) then enable station management to reach out and work with businesses and organisations who can help market the station to listeners AND actually bring some money in to sustain it.
I am sick to effing death of reading these sob stories about community stations "not working". It comes down to running a business and sorry to say this leftie lovies but community radio IS A BUSINESS the only difference being that profits do not go to an owner (shareholder).
I am sorry but to be closing a radio station due to not being able to fill daytime slots is ludicrous to me. A community radio station doesn't HAVE to have presenters at all if it doesn't want to (Jack fm anybody1?) in fact not having presenters may actually add to your brand by enabling it to be more local by using lots of inserts, pre-recorded interviews and repeating some content throughout the day.
How about this as an idea. Breakfast 6-9am, 9am-5pm the Non-Stop 9 to 5 and 5 to 8pm Drive and some local evening programming too. Doing this will cut down the level of management that comes with providing programmes all day long (and of quality) then enable station management to reach out and work with businesses and organisations who can help market the station to listeners AND actually bring some money in to sustain it.
I am sick to effing death of reading these sob stories about community stations "not working". It comes down to running a business and sorry to say this leftie lovies but community radio IS A BUSINESS the only difference being that profits do not go to an owner (shareholder).
Originally Posted by swb1964:
“Fine, as long as they actually close down the rest of the time and don't just become an automated jukebox.”
“Fine, as long as they actually close down the rest of the time and don't just become an automated jukebox.”
That's what tcrfm has become a automated jukebox all day in the week it is horrible.
Not suprised stations are closeing down .
What is the point of being on air as a community radio station just to be a automated jukebox all day?
Community radio need people.
They need support from the local environment.
They need an income to cover their substantial running costs.
They need insurance.
They need funding from local businesses and community schemes.
They need some sort of training scheme so they can train people for the future.
They need safeguarded premises.
They NEED people listening.
They fail for one or several reasons, but if theyve tried, theyve tried.
They need support from the local environment.
They need an income to cover their substantial running costs.
They need insurance.
They need funding from local businesses and community schemes.
They need some sort of training scheme so they can train people for the future.
They need safeguarded premises.
They NEED people listening.
They fail for one or several reasons, but if theyve tried, theyve tried.
Originally Posted by William128:
“Looks like they were offered help by an engineer, yet never replied - on more than one occasion...
In the comments section>
http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736
A Broadcast Engineer 7:19 PM on 12/12/2016
A lack of technical staff & presenters? Really now. I'm a broadcast engineer of many years standing, and I work on some of the biggest TV shows in the world (over 1 billion viewers for one of them, 13% of the global population!) and maintain community & commercial radio stations UK wide. Tulip was offered my services on a number of occasions, and I live less than 15 minutes from their door. Guess what? Not a single attempt at contact. I know why, it is because they know me from years ago when they were offered help and declined it. As for presenters, given my line of work, I could have brought them as many presenters as they needed, but they do not think of this. It would seem that Spalding is the place to have your offers of help ignored, as another organisation in the area (Live Promotions, I'm looking at you) who would use the services of a broadcast engineer has also been offered my services and instead have ignored my approaches. Perhaps the wrong people were running the radio station, given that the very difficulties they cite for closure could be resolved with a single phone call to a very willing person on the other end waiting to help them...”
“Looks like they were offered help by an engineer, yet never replied - on more than one occasion...
In the comments section>
http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736
A Broadcast Engineer 7:19 PM on 12/12/2016
A lack of technical staff & presenters? Really now. I'm a broadcast engineer of many years standing, and I work on some of the biggest TV shows in the world (over 1 billion viewers for one of them, 13% of the global population!) and maintain community & commercial radio stations UK wide. Tulip was offered my services on a number of occasions, and I live less than 15 minutes from their door. Guess what? Not a single attempt at contact. I know why, it is because they know me from years ago when they were offered help and declined it. As for presenters, given my line of work, I could have brought them as many presenters as they needed, but they do not think of this. It would seem that Spalding is the place to have your offers of help ignored, as another organisation in the area (Live Promotions, I'm looking at you) who would use the services of a broadcast engineer has also been offered my services and instead have ignored my approaches. Perhaps the wrong people were running the radio station, given that the very difficulties they cite for closure could be resolved with a single phone call to a very willing person on the other end waiting to help them...”
To be fair he sounds like the kind of person you'd want as far away as possible. What a self-obsorbed know it all delusional person he must be.
Originally Posted by HistoricDealer:
“To be fair he sounds like the kind of person you'd want as far away as possible. What a self-obsorbed know it all delusional person he must be.”
“To be fair he sounds like the kind of person you'd want as far away as possible. What a self-obsorbed know it all delusional person he must be.”
He doesn't come across that way, the operative quote being that he offered help and it wasn't accepted. Probably the manner of said offer and refusal led to both sides taking the hump in the intervening years.
vcs in the post above has it sort-of right, except the focus should not be on running a CR as a business - they're nearly all charities of some form or other anyway - but on the folk staffing and running a CR acting in a business-like manner.
This is a throwaway phrase that is oft misunderstood; to be 'business-like' means to be able to work with people you don't like, to achieve a common goal. I would suspect many CRs founder because the contributors and staffers expect it to be a 'mates club' and when that turns out not to be the case, or there are difficult individuals who you know will take a long time to get onside, they walk away.
Here the fault is probably spread equally between the blokie posting in Spalding Today and the staffers who snubbed him at the time, but the net effect is that much-needed help wasn't given, and doors weren't opened.
Originally Posted by HistoricDealer:
“To be fair he sounds like the kind of person you'd want as far away as possible. What a self-obsorbed know it all delusional person he must be.”
“To be fair he sounds like the kind of person you'd want as far away as possible. What a self-obsorbed know it all delusional person he must be.”
To be fair he sounds like a person who has made a success of his life and has contacts he could call on to help out .
In no way would I call him ,in your words, a "self-obsorbed know it all delusional person " ,
Regards
Quote:
“ our presenters are all volunteers
distribute any surplus funds to local good causes
We have organised many local events from the Flower Queen competitions, Christmas Light Switch-on, Veterans events, the Pride of South Holland Awards and the School Choir Competition”
“ our presenters are all volunteers
distribute any surplus funds to local good causes
We have organised many local events from the Flower Queen competitions, Christmas Light Switch-on, Veterans events, the Pride of South Holland Awards and the School Choir Competition”
IMHO the business model of the station is all wrong. They are not prepared to pay for their costs (presenters) so they have maximum surplus to fund local good causes. Paying for the events listed above are surely the responsibilty of the local council and the station seems to be a top-up for council budget cuts.
Originally Posted by wns_195:
“Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.”
“Ofcom could make things easi8er by allowing radio stations to broadcast part-time, such as for 6 hours in the evening. That might actually improve the quality of the output on some stations.”
They do. Our local station broadcasts live 5 hours a day in the evening and repeats programmes during the day. All with OFCOM approval. It's a very sparsely populated rural area and it seems OFCOM have taken the difficulty of recruiting volunteers (it's a 60 mile round trip for some) into account.
The biggest issue seems to be CR stations over-promising on their key commitments. They shouldn't have a single owner, and they have to have greater regulation otherwise they simply become a way of getting a local commercial station on FM.
If you want to run a commercial station, there's almost certainly slots available on DAB where you will have few rules to contend with.
Originally Posted by AEC2600:
“... ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio is burdinsome. PRS/PPL costs probably could be reduced, along with many other costs that are unreasonably high. After those are done, then you might have a point.”
“... ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio is burdinsome. PRS/PPL costs probably could be reduced, along with many other costs that are unreasonably high. After those are done, then you might have a point.”
Absolute nonsense. In what way is 'Ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio burdensome'?
I blame Ofcom for all the 200+ community stations that are on-air.
They simplified the application form over three rounds to make it so easy that anyone who has ever wanted to run their own radio station can apply - even those who have no idea or experience of how to run a businesses, with no hope of sustainability, can have a go!
They relaxed Key Commitments to make them so vague that you can do almost anything under your licence.
They introduced a £15,000 threshold before the '50% rule' kicks in to ease the financial burden on stations that find it difficult to attract sufficient off-air income.
They abolished the other 50% rule that now allows you to take more that half your income from a single source - which helps stations where the bulk of income is from a single large sponsor.
They're reviewing the technical policy to improve coverage within existing licensed areas, and considering requests for extending licensed areas into adjoining areas.
I'm just fed up of all the whinging and whining that goes in CR. Toughen up. Own it. Do something practical about it.
Originally Posted by Tee Hee:
“Absolute nonsense. In what way is 'Ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio burdensome'?
I blame Ofcom for all the 200+ community stations that are on-air.
They simplified the application form over three rounds to make it so easy that anyone who has ever wanted to run their own radio station can apply - even those who have no idea or experience of how to run a businesses, with no hope of sustainability, can have a go!
They relaxed Key Commitments to make them so vague that you can do almost anything under your licence.
They introduced a £15,000 threshold before the '50% rule' kicks in to ease the financial burden on stations that find it difficult to attract sufficient off-air income.
They abolished the other 50% rule that now allows you to take more that half your income from a single source - which helps stations where the bulk of income is from a single large sponsor.
They're reviewing the technical policy to improve coverage within existing licensed areas, and considering requests for extending licensed areas into adjoining areas.
I'm just fed up of all the whinging and whining that goes in CR. Toughen up. Own it. Do something practical about it.”
“Absolute nonsense. In what way is 'Ofcom's regulatory framework for community radio burdensome'?
I blame Ofcom for all the 200+ community stations that are on-air.
They simplified the application form over three rounds to make it so easy that anyone who has ever wanted to run their own radio station can apply - even those who have no idea or experience of how to run a businesses, with no hope of sustainability, can have a go!
They relaxed Key Commitments to make them so vague that you can do almost anything under your licence.
They introduced a £15,000 threshold before the '50% rule' kicks in to ease the financial burden on stations that find it difficult to attract sufficient off-air income.
They abolished the other 50% rule that now allows you to take more that half your income from a single source - which helps stations where the bulk of income is from a single large sponsor.
They're reviewing the technical policy to improve coverage within existing licensed areas, and considering requests for extending licensed areas into adjoining areas.
I'm just fed up of all the whinging and whining that goes in CR. Toughen up. Own it. Do something practical about it.”
Wrong, not toughen up and own it at all. They're is no whinjing and whining in CR.
Originally Posted by William128:
“Looks like they were offered help by an engineer, yet never replied - on more than one occasion...
In the comments section>
http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736”
“Looks like they were offered help by an engineer, yet never replied - on more than one occasion...
In the comments section>
http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736”
From reading this
Quote:
““This part of the operation will continue with Jan continuing this work. Indeed, next year’s Pinchbeck Carnival on June 10, together with our ubiquitous and powerful PA system, is already on the calendar and others are rapidly joining it. “As a non profit making organisation with no shareholders, we are required to distribute any surplus funds to local good causes and this will be done in due course, once we have disposed of all the broadcast equipment.
Read more at: http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736”
““This part of the operation will continue with Jan continuing this work. Indeed, next year’s Pinchbeck Carnival on June 10, together with our ubiquitous and powerful PA system, is already on the calendar and others are rapidly joining it. “As a non profit making organisation with no shareholders, we are required to distribute any surplus funds to local good causes and this will be done in due course, once we have disposed of all the broadcast equipment.
Read more at: http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/...ting-1-7729736”
I presume they started with event RSLs, but looks like they have lost enthusiasm for the hastles of full time community broadcasting to a limited rural area, to just going back to organising events.
Tulip were a visible presence for many years in the town centre, where their studios were well marked and prominent. Their choice of TX site was strange though, plonked in the middle of some greenhouses on the eastern fringe of the town.
They would have been a much bigger presence on the dial if they'd gone for the obvious transmitting location, the water tower right in the town centre. For the few hundred a year the water company would have charged them, they would have had a massive boost in audibility and therefore volunteer reach.
Looking at the realpolitik, the community in that region has also changed radically. Maybe they would have made it if they had had some programming in Czech or Polish, which I heard in the Spalding Wetherspoons as often as I did English.
They would have been a much bigger presence on the dial if they'd gone for the obvious transmitting location, the water tower right in the town centre. For the few hundred a year the water company would have charged them, they would have had a massive boost in audibility and therefore volunteer reach.
Looking at the realpolitik, the community in that region has also changed radically. Maybe they would have made it if they had had some programming in Czech or Polish, which I heard in the Spalding Wetherspoons as often as I did English.
Excellent news. Their website is currently opening to the following splash:
Quote:
“Those of our listeners who read local press and listened to what was to be our last broadcast on Tuesday December 13th might wonder why we are still broadcasting live on 107.5fm.
We were approached during this ‘final’ programme by way of a hand delivered letter from a local media group who strongly expressed their wish to continue as Tulip Radio Limited.
As a result, we have continued broadcasting whilst we are in constant discussions with them; currently we might well be able to advise listeners as to the outcome of these discussions early this week (18.12.16)
We apologise for any confusion caused during this process and will let you know once any agreement has been reached.”
“Those of our listeners who read local press and listened to what was to be our last broadcast on Tuesday December 13th might wonder why we are still broadcasting live on 107.5fm.
We were approached during this ‘final’ programme by way of a hand delivered letter from a local media group who strongly expressed their wish to continue as Tulip Radio Limited.
As a result, we have continued broadcasting whilst we are in constant discussions with them; currently we might well be able to advise listeners as to the outcome of these discussions early this week (18.12.16)
We apologise for any confusion caused during this process and will let you know once any agreement has been reached.”
They make it sound a lot like this other group have 'taken over' the station, which isn't something you can do with a community station as easily you might a commercial one.
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