AudioUK has published an open letter, calling on the government to continue to provide public funding for the Audio Content Fund.
The 3 year pilot distributed around £1m a year to support public service radio projects for commercial and community radio.
However, it was funded by money left over from the TV Licence Fee and in January’s negotiations, it was revealed that no further cash would be made available.
“Since the news that there was no immediate new public funding for the ACF, we’ve been approached by a lot for people asking how they can support the case for its continuation,” said Chloe Straw, Managing Director of AudioUK, which along with Radiocentre is co-ordinating the letter.
“This letter is designed to show how strong the support for the ACF is and why the Government should look to find further public funding so the ACF can continue its great work.”
The letter points to some of the successes of the fund and how it provided “cost-effective high-quality PSB content for audiences across a wide range of genres.”
In total it has supported 145 projects from 83 different suppliers broadcast on 340 radio stations. 65% of the project which received funding have been based outside of the M25.
“The ACF has undoubtedly been a success story over the past three years, providing valuable support for a diverse range of original public service radio output. We hope that this success and the goodwill towards the scheme from the radio industry and beyond will be taken into account by the Government when evaluating its impact and potential funding options,” ADDED Ian Moss, CEO of Radiocentre.
The ACF is currently due to conclude its final round of the current pilot period, after which DCMS will conduct a formal evaluation.
