A reformatação na GB
Ao contrário dos EUA, onde em 24 horas uma estação pode mudar de formato, na Grã-Bretanha, aquilo que lá também chamam de “estilo” de cada rádio está regulamentado e depende de uma autorização da autoridade estatal Ofcom para poder haver alteração.
Como dá conta o relatório “The Communications Market 2005” (pág. 39), em 2004 apenas uma estação de rádio o fez em todo o país!
“Under section 106(1) of the Broadcasting Act 1990, Ofcom is required to include conditions in each analogue local commercial radio licence that ensure that the character of the service, as proposed in the station’s application, is maintained during the licence period.
Ofcom meets this requirement by means of a Format, which includes a description of the character of the service (the output and the audience at which it is targeted) and supporting detail on how much of the service will be produced and presented locally (i.e. from a studio in the licence area), and the specific type(s) of music and speech output to be provided.
Formats help Ofcom to meet its general statutory duty to secure “the availability of a wide range of television and radio services which (taken as a whole) are both of high quality and calculated to appeal to a variety of tastes and interests” (section 3(2)(c) of the Communications Act 2003).
Format changes either happen as an outcome of a section 355 review (following a change of control) or following a request from a licensee. 33 licensees were permitted changes to their formats during 2004. Most of these involved schedule changes, although one involved a complete change to the station Format. In December 2004, Sunrise Radio was given permission to change the Format of one of its AM London stations from a country music station “Easy 1035” to an Asian talk station “Kismat Asian Talk Radio”.”
(fonte: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/cm/cm05/radio.pdf)
