Response to Ofcom’s Local Media Review
The following is the full text of the response Better Media submitted to Part 1 of Ofcom’s ‘Review of Local Media in the UK’. Credit to our member Rob Watson for doing the majority of the work preparing this response. It was submitted on September 2nd, 2024.
This is Better Media’s response to Ofcom’s Local Media Interim Report, focusing on the state of
local media in the UK. Better Media outlines comments on the challenges, sustainability, and
the role of local media, especially considering recent social unrest and the rise of
misinformation. The primary concerns raised include the decline in local news services, the
reduction in local media diversity, and the negative impact of commercial and regulatory
frameworks on community-oriented media. Our analysis notes that Ofcom’s report under-
represents the voices of small independent and community media providers and calls for more
radical and urgent reforms to safeguard the integrity and public purpose of local media. It also
highlights how current economic and regulatory policies have contributed to the diminishing
quality and relevance of local media content for communities.
Key themes discussed include:
- The critical role of local media in supporting democracy and community cohesion.
- The economic challenges faced by local media due to consolidation and reductions in
service. - Concerns about the concentration of media power in large corporations and the
exclusion of smaller, community-focused media outlets. - The need for public subsidies and reforms that better support innovative and diverse
local media services. - The potential role of the BBC and other public institutions in supporting local journalism
and media diversity. - Broader civic roles of local media beyond just providing news, including fostering social
connections and resilience.
Better Media urges Ofcom and other relevant bodies, to take swift, comprehensive actions to
address these issues and better support local media’s role in public service. The following
outlines our analysis and recommendations based on the key themes identified in response to
Ofcom’s Local Media Interim Report. Better Media firmly believes that local media should be
reformed based on an agreed, specified, and accountable set of public purposes, ensuring that
it serves the diverse needs of all communities, particularly the most marginalised. Below are
our comments on each key theme:
1. The Role of Local Media in Supporting Democracy and Community Cohesion
Comment: Local media is vital in upholding democratic principles, fostering community
cohesion, and ensuring that all voices within a community are heard and represented. However,
the current framework has led to a significant erosion of these values.
Recommendations:
Establish Clear Public Purposes: Local media should be mandated to operate under a clearly
defined set of public purposes that include promoting democracy, fostering community
cohesion, and representing diverse voices. These purposes should be enshrined in legislation
and regularly reviewed.
Community Accountability: Local media outlets should be required to demonstrate how they
are meeting these public purposes through regular public reporting and community feedback
mechanisms.
Support for Public Interest Journalism: Introduce specific funding streams and subsidies for
local media that produce content aimed at supporting democratic engagement and community
cohesion, ensuring that such content is protected from commercial pressures.
2. Economic Challenges and the Decline of Local Media Services
Comment: The consolidation of local media services and the reduction in local news provision
have severely impacted the ability of communities to access relevant, locally produced and
trusted content. This trend has been driven by economic pressures and regulatory frameworks
that favour large corporations over smaller, community-oriented media outlets.
Recommendations:
Reform Funding Mechanisms: Redirect public subsidies and government advertising to
support smaller, independent, and community media outlets rather than consolidating funds
with larger, profit-driven corporations. Funding should be tied to the fulfilment of public
purposes.
Tax Incentives and Grants: Offer tax incentives and grants for local media outlets that produce
public interest content, particularly in underserved and marginalised communities.
Support for Innovation: Establish a fund to support innovative business models in local media,
including civic and cooperative ownership structures, to ensure economic sustainability
without compromising public purposes.
3. Diversity and Representation in Local Media
Comment: Current local media structures fail to adequately represent the diverse interests
and identities of local communities. Too often, the perspectives of smaller and marginalised
groups are overlooked, leading to a homogenised media landscape.
Recommendations:
Mandate Diversity and Inclusion: Require local media outlets to adopt diversity and inclusion
policies that reflect the demographics of the communities they serve. This should include
content, staffing, and engagement strategies.
Community Media Hubs: Establish community media hubs supported by public funding,
where residents can create and distribute content that represents their unique perspectives.
These hubs should be seen as integral to the local public and civic services landscape.
Public Service Content Requirements: Introduce content requirements that ensure local
media provides programming and coverage that is relevant to all community members,
particularly those from underrepresented groups.
4. The Role of Technology and Social Media
Comment: While technology and social media have transformed the local media landscape,
they have also contributed to the spread of misinformation and reduced transparency. Local
media must adapt to these changes while maintaining its public purposes.
Recommendations:
Digital Transformation Support: Provide financial and technical support for local media
outlets to transition to digital platforms, ensuring they can compete in the digital marketplace
without compromising on their public purposes.
Combatting Misinformation: Develop and enforce stricter guidelines for local media outlets to
ensure that their digital content is accurate, reliable, and adheres to public purpose principles.
Promote Media Literacy: Local media should be required to run media literacy programmes in
collaboration with schools and community organisations, helping the public navigate digital
media landscapes critically.
5. The Role of the BBC and Public Institutions
Comment: The BBC and other public institutions play a crucial role in supporting local media.
However, their impact must be carefully managed to ensure they do not stifle smaller,
independent media outlets.
Recommendations:
Strengthen Local Democracy Reporting: Expand the Local Democracy Reporting Service
(LDRS) to include a wider range of media outlets, including community radio and independent
local websites. This service should be more transparent and accountable, with clear metrics for
how it supports public purposes.
Collaboration with Local Media: Encourage the BBC to collaborate more effectively with small
and diverse local media providers by sharing content, resources, and expertise. The BBC should
also be held accountable for its impact on the local media ecosystem.
Public Interest Obligations: Public institutions using significant communication resources
should have an obligation to support and collaborate with local media that aligns with public
purposes, ensuring that these institutions contribute positively to the local media landscape.
6. Sustainability and Innovation in Local Media
Comment: The sustainability of local media is crucial for its continued contribution to
democracy and community cohesion. Innovation must be encouraged, but it should not come
at the expense of the core public purposes of local media.
Recommendations:
Public Purpose-Driven Innovation Fund: Establish an innovation fund specifically for local
media outlets that are committed to public purposes. This fund should prioritise projects that
enhance public engagement, diversity, and local relevance.
Long-Term Sustainability Plans: Require local media outlets to develop and publish long-term
sustainability plans that outline how they will continue to fulfil their public purposes in a
changing media landscape.
Incentivise Local Partnerships: Encourage partnerships between local media, public
institutions, and community organisations to share resources and expertise, promoting
sustainability while fulfilling public purposes.
7. Civic and Social Roles of Local Media
Comment: Local media should be recognised not just as providers of news, but as vital civic
institutions that contribute to social cohesion, resilience, and civic engagement.
Recommendations:
Civic Media Charter: Develop a Civic Media Charter that outlines the civic and social roles of
local media, ensuring that all media outlets are committed to serving the public good. This
charter should be endorsed by regulatory bodies, public institutions, and media organisations
alike.
Expand Civic Content: Encourage the production of civic content that goes beyond news
reporting to include community storytelling, public forums, and cultural programming that
enhances social bonds and civic life.
Community Engagement Metrics: Implement metrics to measure local media’s engagement
with their communities, ensuring that they are not just broadcasting to but also involving their
audiences in meaningful ways.
8. Conclusion
Better Media believes that the future of local media in the UK depends on a fundamental
commitment to public purposes that prioritise democracy, community cohesion, diversity, and
civic engagement. Through these reforms, local media can regain its relevance, trust, and
sustainability, serving as a cornerstone of vibrant and resilient communities across the country.
Ofcom and the DCMS must move beyond subsidy models for legacy commercial operators and
stop the hand wringing when other operators seek to enter the market who would otherwise
provide viable socially driven and locally based services. The term ‘local’ itself needs to be
defined in law and regulation in a way that protects operators and potential operators at the
lowest level. This term should be clearly defined, and any attempts to pass off simulated or
consolidated content as ‘local’ must be outlawed.
Better Media, along with several organisations we collaborate with, that represent under-
represented groups in the media policy process, would like to state that we wished to
participate in this consultation process. However, the engagement process was neither open
nor transparent, which leaves the resulting report deficient and ineffective. It does not
adequately represent a wide range of views. Better Media urges Ofcom to halt the current consultation process and restart it after consulting DCMS to ensure a more inclusive and
comprehensive approach.
Yours sincerely,
Better Media