Talk:YO1 Radio

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Status of YO1 Radio[edit]

I've noticed a large amount of unconstructive edit warring and generally poor quality conduct by editors on this article in recent weeks. The disagreement seems to largely be over whether YO1 Radio is a "community radio station" or a "local radio station". The page has been semi-protected to stop this nonsense, and it is time to discuss on the talk page as per Wikipedia policy. I am neutral in this dispute, but I do primarily edit UK radio station articles.

As far as I can tell, it has both statuses:

  • 102.8 and 90.0 FM: community radio licence [1]
  • DAB on MuxCo North Yorkshire: DSP radio licence, which has no particular status (neither community nor commercial) but is an administrative licence allowing carriage of any kind of station on DAB

The purpose of this discussion is to constructively debate how the radio station should be described on its Wikipedia page, given this dual status. It is not appropriate to continually edit it back and forth, nor is it appropriate to use edit summaries to argue (or, in one case, to threaten to call the police?!). Please use this space to have this discussion, rather than editing the page itself. Flip Format (talk) 11:10, 3 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

YO1 Radio started as a community station for York. However, since the ending of Minster FM, two years after YO1 Radio first went on air, YO1 Radio seems to have moved towards providing a service similar to what Minster FM had broadcast, but with additional news and community features. It is doing this by broadcasting on FM in Selby as well as York and also further afield via DAB. Therefore, my 'vote' would be as per the current version of the article, with the wording of "YO1 Radio is a radio station based in York." Rillington (talk) 00:08, 4 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I think, after doing some research, I'd argue in favour of the station being described as "community radio", even if that's not what some people involved would like. Unless it was to be handed back, the YO1 Radio output on FM has to abide by the terms of a community radio licence, including the Key Commitments [2]. The DAB service is just a straight simulcast of the community FM service (it used to be branded "Xtra" and have some splits, but no longer appears to) so the DAB programming is also community radio, even though it is being simulcast on a DSP.
Additionally, YO1 Radio intend to launch an SSDAB multiplex in York and run their service as a C-DSP [3], with the C standing for Community. Page 18 of the application, written by YO1 Radio themselves, clearly states that YO1 Radio is "the well established analogue community station for York". It should also be noted that YO1 Radio received £19,776 from the Community Radio Fund in 2019/20 [4].
The evidence shows that this is clearly a community radio station under the licensing regime, and attempts to remove this distinction make the article less accurate in the name of station branding. We aren't a place for stations to advertise, we are a place for accurate information.
It should also be noted that similar shenanigans are going on over at the article for Jorvik Radio, with the station description being changed from "community" to "local" and back to "community". I presume that nonsense is related to this nonsense - two radio stations in a relatively small city having a little tiff. Flip Format (talk) 11:50, 4 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
As you rightly say, YO1 Radio broadcasts on FM because it has been licensed as a community station. However, the station initially broadcast online and only became a 'community' station when it was given an FM licence by Ofcom. Also the station has chosen to take on a wider remit in terms of broadcast area than community stations are generally licensed for so I would still argue for the initial sentence not to include the word 'community' but the word could be added in the later sentences within the opening description which mention the FM frequencies or even better when the history section covers its award of FM licenses. Rillington (talk) 12:42, 4 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I personally think that a source from the station itself calling itself a community radio station (the SSDAB application) and sources from Ofcom saying it's a community radio station (and it has been funded as a community radio station) outweigh your argument, which with respect isn't really based on any evidence and appears to be based on a feeling.
One of the sources cited in the article, this piece from Radio Today [5] says that the station always intended to be a community radio service, and launched online in preparation for this while awaiting its licence decision. Flip Format (talk) 08:44, 5 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I'd certainly prefer to describe YO1 Radio officially as a community station if Ofcom licenses said station as a community station. It's just that YO1 Radio now broadcasts to a much wider area than community stations tend to cover and this shaped my view which, as you fairly point out, is partly based on a feeling. Personally, I would still not to use the word 'community' in the opening sentence but I have no overall objection to the word being used here. Rillington (talk) 01:17, 7 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Community matches the citations given: "Ofcom | Community Radio Stations", if an editor wants to add that it is a "local radio" too, then this can be done with an appropriate citation, but unless there is a citation that clearly states that it does not have a community licence and that "community" is therefore incorrect, then there appears to be no reason to remove this. EdwardUK (talk) 13:42, 11 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Dubious[edit]

The article says that "the first song played was The Superlicks by Party Band" but I can't find any reference to a band by this name. There is a party band called The Superlicks based in York [6] and I think this is what is being referred to. Does anyone know what the actual first song played on YO1 Radio was? Flip Format (talk) 11:24, 5 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There are a few articles in the local newspaper (The Press) which mention the launch event and The Superlicks as a band, not a song: YO1 radio celebrates FM launch in York and Coppergate Centre to host music and magic at summer spectacular - but no mention of what the first song was. EdwardUK (talk) 15:13, 5 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for looking those up. I've removed the reference to The Superlicks being the first song played as it is clearly incorrect - if a source can be found for the first song, that can be added to the article. Flip Format (talk) 19:16, 5 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]