An Ofcom content sampling report, which surveyed Passion 107.9 over a number of days through February and March 2006, found the station to be operating within its designated remit.
The regulator recorded the station’s output on 14th February as well as the 4th, 5th and 8th March 2006, noting that format obligations state that not more than 20% of daytime music output should be mainstream chart music and that local news should be broadcast hourly, with an extented 15 minute bulletin some time during the day.
The general findings found that “weekday daytime programming was clearly youth orientated with entertainment and showbiz news featuring across the day”.
The station’s news provisions were also noted: “The news service is good. Locally mixed bulletins were aired every hour, with half hourly updates at breakfast and drive. The station is obliged to provide a 15 minute extended bulletin during daytime each weekday. However, this requirement is exceeded, with two extended bulletins being broadcast each weekday, at 13.00 (15 minutes) and 18.00 (12 minutes).”
To conclude, Ofcom reported that the 30 hours specialist music shows aired per week on the station reflect its “unique direction” and that the news broadcast reflects the city’s strong youth population from both the universities and the local community.
The full report is available on the Ofcom website here.