The local nature of independent radio must be maintained, but format controls will be lightened. We propose to maintain the requirement for independent national radio to have one predominantly speech station and one non-pop music station, but no other format controls nationally. Local radio is subject to some limited positive obligations, notably the requirement in current legislation effectively to secure the local character of a service, which we shall retain.
Licensees already have some flexibility to adapt local radio programme formats.
But we accept the case for some further relaxation to make it easier to respond to local audience expectations and demand, and will seek to allow this in the forthcoming legislation. Ensuring diversity is important and will remain so, and we will ensure that any amendments to these restrictions would only be possible following an affirmative Parliamentary order. Development of digital radio As well as the BBC's national multiplex and the national commercial multiplex operated by Digital One, there are nineteen local multiplexes so far licensed, nine of which are already on air. Capacity has been reserved on the multiplexes to accommodate BBC local radio. The Radio Authority continues to advertise new local multiplexes at the rate of one per month.