Ofcom relaxes local radio demands

Ofcom is planning to relax commercial radio stations' quotas for locally produced content.

Currently broadcasters have individual licence agreements but most demand more than ten hours of local shows each day.

In its The Future of Radio report published on Thursday the regulator said this should be changed to an across-the-board ten hour minimum on weekdays. At the weekend it recommends at least four hours.

It is a response to industry demands for less regulation to help stations make money.

Ofcom has also recommended small stations could share "a large proportion" of their local content with nearby stations.

And it said network programming, shared nationally, could now be used for a maximum of three hours a day during weekdays.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "We are confident that our revised proposals strike the right balance between easing financial pressures faced by industry and safeguarding the interests of listeners."

The RadioCentre, the industry body which called for local programme demands to be cut, said it "broadly welcomed" the proposals.

They are now out to consultation again until December 21.