Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that local radio stations continue to provide news to local communities (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 oubreak.

The government recognises the vitally important provision of local news and current affairs by local radio stations, particularly during these unprecedented and challenging times.

The BBC and commercial radio broadcasters are operationally and editorially independent of government. However, the BBC has introduced a package of measures that it hopes will keep the nation informed, educated, and entertained through these unprecedented times, including increasing local news output between 6am and midday on all BBC local radio stations.

Commercial radio has increased its support to listeners and their communities through the provision of additional Covid-19 related content. The wider economic support available to UK businesses and from the package brokered by Government with Arqiva, the UK’s transmission network operator, which will provide six months free transmission for Arqiva’s small station customers, provides crucial support to maintaining news services across commercial radio.

As regards commercial stations, the local programming and content requirements for holders of local analogue commercial radio licenses are set by Ofcom under the relevant legislative framework – primarily the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Communications Act 2003. These are matters for Ofcom.