The Breeze will continue to broadcast in Torbay after Ofcom awarded the FM licence to the incumbent licensee, Celador.
Ofcom received two applications for the licence, from Celador Radio Limited (The Breeze) and Exe Broadcasting Limited (Devon Sound). The regulator says the ability of the applicant to maintain the service of such as small licence area (181,000 adults) was an important part of the award decision, along with the particular focus of the service on softer, less contemporary music would be more likely to cater for the tastes of listeners aged 45+, of whom there are an above average number in the Torbay area.
They said The Breeze would provide a clearly ‘older’ alternative to Heart, the only other local analogue commercial radio service available in Torbay, which has a Format requirement to target listeners aged under 44.
A Celador spokesperson told RadioToday: “We are delighted that we have been re-awarded the license, and are proud and honoured to continue to serve Torbay’s amazing community, broadcasting a mix of quality local programming, national and local news and information, entertainment and the best relaxing, feel good music.
“We wish Radio Exe the very best as they continue to serve their audience.”
In response, Paul Nero, Managing Director of Radio Exe/Devon Sound, told RadioToday: “We’re disappointed, but not surprised. Ofcom has never booted out one company and chosen a challenger, no matter how much audience they lose or how little local news they provide. This is a missed opportunity, which does nothing for local audiences, advertisers or jobs.
“It’s hard to see what you have to do to lose your licence and it almost certainly signals a slow end for local radio from Torbay. Nonetheless we congratulate Celador on retaining its only Devon licence. For our part, we’ll continue to serve the South Devon audience on digital radio.”
The Breeze will provide “A full local service dedicated to listeners in Torbay combining a wide variety of classic and contemporary music together with a high-quality, distinctive range of speech and information features focused on matters of local interest and relevance.”
Cool
It’s sad news that Celedor have regained the licence for Torbay. OFCOM appear to have no teeth as they have form in never not renewing a licence no matter how much audience they lose or how little local news is provided.
The Breeze will provide “A full local service”. Well we will see? How much of their programming is syndicated and how much local news do they really broadcast. I wouldn’t invest in local radio anymore as OFCOM appear to support the big boys these days. OFCOM had the perfect opportunity to bring local radio back to the area and missed it. We now know where OFCOM’s loyalties lie!
You have to agree with the Radio Exe bosses summing up – “An opportunity missed”.
I read both applications. The Breeze was pretty much “we are going to do nothing different from what we’re doing now”. Radio Exe’s application (as Devon Sound) was pretty much that they would only share around 50% of the programming and like the former Devon Air, some of the networked programming could be broadcast from either area.
Yet despite this, OFCON (and that’s not a misspelling) award the licence to the company providing a crap service rather than having a backbone and taking a risk with the rival bidder.
What a waste of time and money.
Living between Exeter and Torbay, i listen to both stations.
The Breeze sounds like another network station – with torbay advertising. Radio Exe sounds like a proper local station: good news bulletins, local presenters, and gets involved in local events.
If ofcom thinks the breeze is better than Radio Exe, they are clearly not fit for purpose. Under ofcom’s watch we have seem advertising increase, more sponsorship.. including advertising getting into programming. We have seen stations like Heart networking more programmes from London. Where is ofcom’s responsibility to its local audience? Here, a group that are trying to broadcast good local material are refused a licence, which is handed to the big boys.
Real Local radio is dead and has been for a long time what got in national brands pretending they local when they any but
Gutted. Typical Ofcom stance of “don’t upset the big bully boys” A regulator with guts is required to replace Ofcom but sadly that ship has sailed in this country where generally the bad, nasty and downright greedy will always win over the good guys. Hope as in another headline on this site today that eventually the streaming and internet radio services do take away all of the FM/DAB audience from these legend in their own mind companies who don’t actually give a toss about radio except how much their top floor can pay themselves. Want some decent radio? On the internet try Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM with a host of music loving broadcasters Colleen Murphy being just one. 92.5 The River out of Boston also worth a listen. Interestingly Worldwide FM uses MIxcloud for it’s listen again service where if you search Roger Scott you will hear the best DJ this country ever had. He passed away in 1989 but his style of broadcasting and passion for radio always shines through. Thanks to Ofcom this type of DJ will never ever be heard on your standard Radios again. Pity we can’t have the Roger Scott school of broadcasting as opposed the current three or four takeover merchants we are left with now!