Image: Roch Valley Radio interviewing Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham in Bury alongside LBC. Credit: David Murphy
Ofcom has confirmed new rules requiring local commercial radio stations to produce locally gathered news. The changes form part of the implementation of the Media Act 2024.
Under the new licence conditions, all local analogue commercial radio stations will be required to broadcast a set amount of local news on weekdays. Stations currently exempt from providing bulletins will need to begin doing so by October 2028.
The regulator states that most stations must carry local news at least hourly between 6am and 7pm on weekdays. At weekends and on bank holidays, stations will need to air at least three bulletins between 7am and 12pm.
A key requirement is that news must be locally gathered. Ofcom says this means content must include reporting collected within the relevant licensed area by journalists working as part of their employment or business. The guidance indicates journalists are expected to be physically present in the area for news to qualify as locally gathered.
The regulator has not set a fixed proportion for how much of each bulletin must be locally sourced. However, it states that news must remain up to date. Pre recorded bulletins are permitted but should be produced close to transmission to reflect any breaking developments.
Stations with a turnover below £50,000 will face reduced requirements. These services must broadcast at least three bulletins between 6am and 10am and three between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays. They will not be required to provide locally gathered news and will not need to broadcast bulletins at weekends or on bank holidays.
For most stations, the new rules are expected to take effect from 1 October 2027. Services not previously required to carry local news will have until 1 October 2028 to comply. Existing licence conditions will remain in place until the changes come into force.
Ofcom estimates the additional ongoing cost at around £340,000 per year across affected stations, with the impact concentrated on a small number of services.
The regulator adjusted its approach following consultation feedback, including scaling back weekend requirements, removing weekend obligations for very low turnover stations, and extending implementation timelines for some licensees.
