Former GMG Radio chief slams Ofcom

Former GMG Radio chief executive John Myers has accused Ofcom of being out of touch with the needs of commercial radio.

Speaking at Nottingham's Radio Festival yesterday, Myers said that Ofcom's radio consultations have consistently failed to address the major issues in the industry.

He claimed that the regulator is now "behind the game" and has created "significant" tensions with radio stations.

"They are frustrated by so many reviews in so many successive years, they are annoyed by petty regulation which they feel is holding the industry back but, importantly, the regulator is losing the trust of those they regulate," Myers explained.

"A common viewpoint is that the radio side of the regulator is just not up to the job. One executive told me that, during some 20 years in radio, he had never witnessed such a profound level of disrespect for the regulator, and they suspect the feeling is mutual."

Myers pointed to what he perceives as an excess of stations being licensed over the past two decades that have proved to be "gold diggers who were in it for a quick buck".

He encouraged Ofcom to eschew its "baby steps" regulation approach and instead "think bolder and bigger" with a comprehensive five or ten-year plan.

However, he added that part of the problem remains that the industry has moved on but the same individuals are still in control at the regulator.

"At Ofcom, there is very little change for anyone to see. The same people with the same ideas are still there. This is not to say there are no good people at the regulator, because there are many. But how come the whole world has changed so much around them and they have not?" he said.

"The feeling in the industry is that, right now, the radio side of Ofcom needs to change and be seen to be changing. My own view is that we just need a regulator who is ready to outline the vision for the future and be ready to really work with the industry to get it right."