Community Radio Annual Report 2012
Section 1
1 Key commitments Annual Report Form
1.1 Community Radio Annual Report Form: Year Ending 31 December 2012
Station details
Licence Number
CR152Station Name
Vixen 101Launch Date
10/01/09Web address where you will publish this report. [Please say if the report has already been published, and if not, when it will be]
www.vixen101.co.uk Published in April 20131.2 The year in numbers
Please specify the station’s achievements in the year under review in numbers as follows: (some of this may be a repetition of the information supplied in the financial report)
Average number of live hours per week(live material is created at the same time as it is broadcast) / 41.5
Average number of original programming hours per week
(original material includes pre-recorded and live material but does not include repeats or automated or voice tracked). / 53
The percentage of your daytime output that is speech / 30%
Total number of people trained during the year / 6
Total number of volunteers involved during the year / 28
Total volunteer hours per week / 149
If appropriate, a list of languages you have broadcast in / English
(There may be some repetition of this information in other sections such as programming.)
Please indicate whether your station key commitments have been delivered during the reporting period: 1 January to 31 December 2012
1.3 Key commitments: programming
Key commitment delivery / YES / NO· Live output will typically comprise 70% music and 30% speech (‘speech’ excludes advertising, programme/promotional trails and sponsor credits). / P
· Music output will include chart music from the 1950s to the present, with an emphasis on the 1960s and 1970s, specialist shows may include Classic Rock, Blues, Classical, Country & Western, Jazz, Soul, Rock & Roll, 1940’s/1950’s nostalgia and Punk. Vixen 101 will provide broadcast opportunities for local bands and musicians. / P
· Speech output will include news, what’s on information, local sport, local ‘noticeboard’ announcements and information, documentaries and comedy. / P
· The service will typically be live for at least 15 hours per day over the weekend, with weekday live programming featuring in the run-up to, and coverage of, local special events. (Live programming may include pre-recorded inserts, if applicable.) The majority of the output will be locally produced. / P
Explanatory notes re non-delivery (if applicable):
N/A
1.4 Key commitments: Social gain objectives
Key commitment delivery / YES / NO(a) The provision of sound broadcasting services to individuals who are otherwise underserved
· Vixen 101’s programming will be aimed at the people of Market Weighton, Pocklington, Holme Upon Spalding Moor and the surrounding area. / P
(b) The facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion
· Vixen 101 will read out listeners’ messages on air, and it will allow local groups to express their opinion and promote their work, if they so wish. All sectors of the community, from school pupils through to working people and the retired will be encouraged to contribute to the output. / P
· Guests will be invited to the studios to take part in interviews and on-air discussions / P
(c) The provision (whether by means of programmes included in the service or otherwise) of education or training to individuals not employed by the person providing the service
· Vixen 101 anticipates providing on-air training for approximately 5 to 10 new volunteers per year, subject to community interest. / P
· Vixen 101 will invite local schools in the target broadcast area to contribute to its programmes to further their coursework. / P
(d) The better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of the links within it
· Vixen 101 will have a presence at local festivals, galas, fairs and Christmas shopping events and will serve its community as a bonding and information facility. The organisation Vixen Friends will promote awareness of the service at local community events. / P
Additional Social Gain objectives (if any are specified in your licence).
· Vixen 101 will broadcast on air promotion campaigns to increase the use of local facilities, services and businesses and aims to publicise local job opportunities. / P
Explanatory notes re non-delivery (if applicable):
N/A
1.5 Key commitments: Access and participation
Key commitment delivery / YES / NO· Vixen 101 expects to have around 30 volunteers. Training will be provided in office and off-air skills as well as for broadcast activities. / P
· Vixen 101 will allow local groups to publicise their work / meetings / recruitment. Vixen 101 aims to support in excess of 10 such groups per year, subject to local interest and participation. / P
· Vixen 101 will seek to recognise any management skills that it volunteers may have, and will look to incorporate their ideas into management opportunities. / P
Explanatory notes re non-delivery (if applicable):
N/A
1.6 Key commitments: Accountability to the target community
Key commitment delivery / YES / NO· The advisory committee reports to Board meetings with their findings and ideas, as and when requested to attend. Any member who wants to offer more to the company than simply being a general member, can offer to join the committee and bring additional skills and ideas to the management. / P
· Vixen 101 will have a published complaints procedure and an online feedback facility, it will offer an open door policy to visit the station and make comments in its visitors’ book / suggestion scheme. / P
· Vixen 101 will have an A.G.M. of the Board and will publish an annual report. / P
Explanatory notes re non-delivery (if applicable):
N/A
1.7 Volunteer inputs (see guidance notes)
A number of the volunteers form a core team, which carries out regular weekly tasks to keep the station operating. Other members can only commit to a small number of hours per week, and some members are on standby only, to be brought in for certain specialist needs. E.G. Engineering, or for fundraising events.The input per volunteer per week for 2012 was approximately 6 hours.
Often, members are working on station issues at home, or are at meetings, or outside fundraising events. Some weeks this can double the volunteers time.
All volunteers are required to sign in and out in a members register, logging date and time in/out details when attending the main premises.
We have no paid employees. We buy in the services of an administration officer for 3 hours per week, for book keeping and dealing with financial matters.
1.8 Significant achievements
· “The Fox’s Den” is Vixen 101’s 3 hour weekly live / unsigned bands programme on a Friday night. The 3 hour weekly programme music from unsigned bands/ singers, who have not got a record deal and rely on pubs and clubs for exposure. The music is forwarded to the station on CD and MP3 downloads. In addition, each week we have a band playing live in the studio.We carrie dout phone interviews with the following notable peoplein 2012:
Blaze Bayley - Wofsbane and Iron Maiden lead singer
Graham Clarke - former Wet Wet Wet bassist
Peter Knight - Steeleye Span & Gigspanner violinist
We had Henry Priestman, former keyboard player and main songwriter in The Christians and It's Immaterial playing live in the studio.
We held our 2nd annual Fox's Den Fest where we had around 20 acts playing at the Fulford Arms, York.
During the 12 months, we had 65 musicians playing live in the studio - 8 of whom played twice during the year, meaning 57 unique acts on the show, with an average 3-month waiting list to appear on the show.
The show's facebook page has around 850 followers and most posts we make on the page get an average 250 viewings. The podcast page averages 2,300 interactions per month - mixture of people listening online and downloading.
· Despite staffing difficulties, our two weekly sports programmes continue to inform local about local and national sports activities and results. We broadcast a 3 hour live sports programme on a Saturday afternoon, with a preview hour of sport chat before the main programme. Our other sports show is the Thursday evening, “Weekend Sports Preview”.
· During the year we have carried out many outside broadcasts using Skype technology to deliver high quality audio from remote locations. We have been out live on location most Saturday mornings throughout the year. Most of the live material is recorded for repeat in Sunday’s live programmes. These have included: The Market Weighton new Scout hut sod cutting ceremony, Pocklington Walkers Are Welcome Festival, Pocklington Arts Centre Christmas Coffee Morning, featuring live music and short stories from the Arts Centre, Eastrington village show, Newbald village gala. Market Weighton’s Giant Bradley Festival. Market Weighton Remembrance Day parade and service, Melbourne village Heritage Open Days, Holme-on-Spalding Moor village Table Top sale. P & O Ferries Open Day presented live from on-board the ship Pride Of York at King George Dock Hull, Pocklington, Flying Man Festival, Londesborough Park cricket club fundraising cricket match, Featherstone Rovers final at Warrington, Rugby World Cup from Wembley, with our own reporters commentating live from the ground.
· We continue to cover local and regional theatre in our weekly theatre hour, with guests either live in the studio, or remotely via telephone or Skype. Some of the guests have performed short passages from theatre productions, or played live in the studio.
· For Christmas 2012, we produced a specially locally commissioned play,”A Christmas Carol”, by Charles Dickens. The play was locally adapted and performed by the local theatre group, “Market Weighton Community Players”. Editing, mix-down and SFX were carried out in our production studio.
1.9 Significant difficulties
Do you wish this section to be kept confidential? Delete as appropriate Yes/ No
· Due to the economic climate, this year has proved extremely difficult for finding sources of income to operate the station. Advertising and sponsorship sales are very poor.. Grant funding is now virtually impossible to obtain. We were once again turned down once again for a Community Radio grant after applying many times. When the Community Radio Order was set-up in 2004, nobody could have seen the financial difficulties that have arisen in the last few years. In-line with concessions afforded to commercial radio operators, in recent years Community Radio desperately needs some relaxation in rules, especially with regard to finance, if the sector is to survive.· Transmission coverage continues to be a major hindrance to the financial success of the station. The station’s original proposals, were that to make it financially viable, it needed to cover the 2 adjacent towns of Market Weighton and Pocklington, (6 miles apart), to attract donations, grant funding, parish council funding, sponsorship and advertising from both towns, and also to offer a larger pool of potential volunteers. It has proved to be impossible to cover both towns from a single transmitter radiating 25 watts, even though the transmitter employs a high quality directional antenna, from a high site. Either a secondary relay transmitter, or a higher power output is still neeed.
· This year saw burn out of more long standing volunteers. After working continuously for 4 years, in their spare time some of them had decided leave. Some core members now have changed circumstances, meaning they have moved away for personal reasons, or are now working erratic shifts which meands regular availability is difficult. Although a few new members have come forward, much of the volunteer’s time once again this year has been concentrated on trying to find finance for the station, putting a strain on the members available. The main reason given for members leaving is the high cost of fuel to travel to the station. This is making attracting new members difficult
· In 2011 we suffered a number of unscheduled power cuts at our transmitter site. In 2012 matters improved, with just one short power failure which we resolved fairly quickly by transferring to our back-up generator, kindly donated by a member of the public moving out of the area and disposing of surplus items.
1.10 Audience research
Please provide a summary of any audience research/ data you have collected during the year.
We traditionally carry out a public survey at Market Weighton’s annual main local public event, the “Giant Bradley Festival”.Last years poll asked the public which of the following stations they regularly listened to during the course of a week.
Vixen 101
Radio 1
Radio 2
Radio 4
Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio Humberside
Capital FM
Classic FM
Talksport
96.9 Viking FM
Magic 1161
Real Radio (out of area station)
Of the 172 people polled in 2012’s event the results were
Vixen 101 60%
Radio 2 51%
96.9 Viking FM 47%
BBC Radio Humberside 37%
Radio 1 17%
Capital FM 14%
Radio 4 12%
Radio 5 Live 7%
Classic FM 3%
Talksport 2%
Magic 1161 2%
Real Radio 1%
Section 2
2 Declaration
I hereby declare that the information given in this annual report is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true and correct.