Counterpoint: Belfast Community Radio

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Counterpoint: Belfast Community Radio

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Details

Location

Belfast, Falls Road, Lisburn Road, Russell Court Complex, wicklow

Year

1990

Date

Transmission 10/04/1990

Length

25min 12sec

Audio

sound

Format

Betacam

colour

Source

Digitised as part of the UTV Archive Partnership Project (ITV, Northern Ireland Screen and PRONI)

Courtesy

Department for Communities, ITV, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Rights Holder

ITV

It is illegal to download, copy, print or otherwise utilise in any other form this material, without written consent from the copyright holder.

Description

Brian Black reports on the struggles of the Belfast Community Radio (BCR) station.

Rescued from the financial precipice "at the 11th hour" and subject to significant structural changes, this episode of Counterpoint looks at the history and role of Belfast Community Radio and the tension between its community roots and increasing commercial pressures.

The collision between its community focused ideals and the financial reality the station found itself confronting, is noted by Chris Nixon (BCR Chief Executive). He states, "if we hadn't had the shareholders come behind us... with the extra equity, we would have closed down on Monday". He believes that the station was not run as it should have been, "they (former staff) were having fun at the cost of shareholders and I feel, the listeners".

So, now, the big question; is it a commercial or community radio station? David Lyle (advertising executive), Bob McLaughlin (BCR Chairman), Adrian Keened (Horizon Community Radio) and Jack Bryne (Irish Community Broadcasting Assoc.) share their thoughts. 

In conclusion, the suggestion is that BCR now represents something of a compromise - community centred in terms of content but, necessarily, financed through commerical means.

Notes

Belfast Community Radio or BCR, was a radio station that broadcast to Belfast between 1990 and 1996. The station broadcast from the basement of Russell Court Complex on Belfast's Lisburn Road. It was replaced by Belfast CityBeat.

Credits

A UTV production

Director: Lynne Davidson

Editor: Jamie Delargy

Also Featured: Ronan Kelly (Radio DJ),  Stevie Johnston (Falls Community Council), Liz Kennedy (Presenter) Don Anderson (Independent Broadcasting Authority) and BCR volunteers. 

Links

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