The Radio Independents Group, or RIG, is the trade body that represents the interests of the independent radio producers of the
United Kingdom. Established in June 2004, RIG is mandated to
negotiate terms with broadcasters and audio consumers such as digital publishers, that are to the benefit of its members. The organisation is a non-profit making body, solely financed through membership fees and donations.
Current Executive Committee (as of June 2015)
*Chair: Phil Critchlow
BI Media
*Vice-chair: Mike Hally
quare Dog Radio
*Secretary: Trevor Dann
revor Dann's Company
*Treasurer: Jack Wynne-Williams
cme
;Directors:
*Ashley Byrne
ade in Manchester
*Andy Cartwright
oundscape
*Sue Clark
ue Clark Productions
*Simon Cole
digital
*Janet Graves
ennine Productions
*Rob Jones
SP
*Susan Marling
ust Radio
*Jez Nelson
omethin' Else
*David Prest
histledown
*Dan Vo
eavy Entertainment
Membership
Membership of RIG is open to any UK-based independent radio producer or production company. RIG membership represents some 95% of total industry turnover. The trade body represents all sizes of business from sole-traders and
partnerships
A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, business entity, businesses, interest-based organizations, schoo ...
, to
limited companies and
public companies
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (list ...
.
Independent Radio Producers
An independent radio producer is defined as a supplier of
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
programmes who is not affiliated in any manner with the commissioning broadcaster or company. They can be individuals working in a sole-traders and partnerships, as well as limited companies and in some instances public companies. There are some indies in radio who are also independent television producers. Many radio indies supply additional audio, training, teaching and various other services due to the low budgets inherent in the industry.
The Sector
For the majority of radio indies the
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...
national radio networks are the main, or only, commissioner of their programs.
all actively commission independently produced programming. Unlike the television sector, which has a legally guaranteed 25% share of the BBC's output (with an additional 25% open to competitive bidding), the radio sector has no such guarantee. The BBC chooses to voluntarily offer approximately 10% of its 'eligible' hours to independent production. This figure has not changed in over 13 years and both the BBC and the British Government refuse to alter the status quo. This has led to an unstable and uncertain sector with large numbers of companies pitching for small amounts of air-time. The Radio Independents Group is tasked with getting the voluntary 'quota' increased.
Radio indies also produce many hours of programming for the
companies, such as chart shows, traffic & travel bulletins and entertainment news. However, unlike the BBC, the majority of this material is paid for by third party sponsors rather than by the radio stations. There is very little commissioned programming on UK commercial radio due to the cost of making such material and the low programming budgets of commercial radio stations.
Up until Dec 2004, when commissioning programs from independent producers, the BBC would purchase an 'all rights' deal. This meant that the independent producer retained no ownership or control over their product. Following negotiations between RIG and the BBC in 2004, the new Terms of Trade now in place have had a considerable positive effect for independent producers:
* Indies now own their productions entirely
* The BBC purchases a 10-year UK-only broadcast license consisting of 2 transmissions and audio-on-demand rights
* Indies can now commercially exploit their productions both in the UK and internationally
* Indies gain improved repeat rates and improved rates for repeats on BBC World Service and BFBS
The BBC has a requirement written into the BBC Agreement
to commission a 'suitable proportion' of radio programming from independent producers, which it has set at 10% of 'eligible' hours (i.e. excluding news).
In 2010 the BBC Trust published a report