Ofcom is consulting on proposals for analogue local commercial radio stations to provide news content gathered locally, unless they have a very low turnover.
The plans are part of the Media Act and aim to protect access to trusted local journalism and support democratic accountability across the UK.
Under the new framework, all local analogue commercial radio stations will be expected to air local news at least once an hour during daytime on weekdays, and during peak times at weekends, except those with a turnover below £50,000 per year.
Some of that content must be gathered locally, meaning journalists will need to be physically present in the area they serve. However, the regulator is not setting exact amounts or frequency for locally-gathered content, leaving flexibility in how stations meet the requirement.
Ofcom says: “We are not proposing to prescribe in the licence condition how frequently locally gathered news should be broadcast, the volume of local news that should be locally gathered, or how locally-based journalistic resources should be organised. We consider that the news they broadcast that is ‘locally-gathered’ should be an editorial decision for licensees, dependent on the news agenda and any other relevant factors.”
Any service providing hourly bulletins will be considered to be providing what Ofcom is now calling a “Full Service” instead of the previous term, “Enhanced”.
Ofcom expects the majority of stations to be at this level and says it will not specify how long each bulletin must be, or how many stories they should contain, saying this is a decision for each station to take.
Stations with very low turnover will only need to provide local news during peak times and will not be expected to include locally-gathered stories.
All local commercial stations, regardless of size, must also broadcast local information regularly throughout the day during both weekdays and weekends.
The term local means mirroring a local radio multiplex, or if there isn’t one, the area or locality for which the local sound broadcasting service is provided.
The proposals follow industry-wide changes that have reduced local programming in favour of national content and the consultation closes on 22 September 2025, with a final decision expected before the end of the year.
From Ofcom:
• All local analogue commercial radio stations apart from those with a very low turnover must provide local news at least hourly during daytime weekdays (06.00-19.00) and at least three times during peak time weekends (07.00-12.00).
• The local news must consist of or include some which has been locally-gathered, which will require journalists to be physically present in the relevant areas. However, we do not propose to specify how much local news must be locally-gathered or how frequently it should be broadcast.
• Stations with a very low turnover will only be required to broadcast local news three times during each of the following time periods: peak time weekday mornings (06.00-10.00), peak-time weekday afternoons (16.00-19.00) and peak time weekends (07.00-12.00). They will not need to include news which has been locally-gathered.
• All stations must broadcast local information regularly throughout daytime weekdays and weekends (06.00-19.00).
• Licensees will be required to be transparent about how they are meeting their licence conditions through continued use of the Public File.
Matt Payton, CEO of Radiocentre tells RadioToday: “Commercial radio stations continue to provide highly trusted news output to millions of people each week, including regular local news.
“Ofcom’s latest proposals appear to do little to ensure the quality and relevance of this news content for the future. Instead they place unnecessary new requirements on broadcasters as well as expensive new obligations on some of the smallest commercial radio operators.
“We look forward to engaging with Ofcom on the detail, but on the face of it it’s difficult to see how this approach is consistent with the government’s mission to reduce regulatory burdens and support economic growth.
“There is also an irony that these changes are being proposed at a time when the BBC’s publicly funded radio services are being granted permission to reduce news content or exclude it entirely.