This week two commercial radio stations were warned by Media regulator Ofcom for not broadcasting enough local content – both Bath FM and Swindon based Brunel FM (both owned by independent broadcaster South West Radio) were told off for neglecting local content and told to resolve this.

Ofcom monitored the stations, reporting that the vast majority of Bath FM’s output was made up of music on loop and repetitive commercials, and its news bulletins were all national provided by an external supplier leaving out all local stories….it seems the presenters were not even on air between 10am and 2pm! Brunel FM was the same – no presenters between 11am and 2pm or local material and a "general lack of non-music content".

Following the warning from Ofcom and further monitoring, they said of the findings "We considered that the overall editorial quality of local news bulletins we heard on both stations during the [January] monitoring period was poor, particularly in the sense that the local bulletins were all pre-recorded and constantly repeated," the watchdog stated.

Ofcom went on to say "This is inconsistent with Ofcom's published localness guidelines and, on that basis, the requirement in Bath FM's format for the station to have 'a strong commitment to local news' or Brunel FM's format requirement to be a 'friendly, locally involved radio station…focusing on local news.'"

More worryingly, the examination brought to light the stations use of old content and their "..failure to deliver other local material satisfactorily was exacerbated by automation problems, which meant out-of-date material was sometimes broadcast," Ofcom said.

In response to being told off, South West Radio acknowledged this was "not acceptable" and plan to redeem themselves by introducing a local lunch time show on both stations and devoting more air time to local shows and content.

Ofcom continue to monitor stations and support for local content and news, so perhaps a reminder to other stations and brands of course, of the importance of local information.

(Click here for a free map covering all commercial radio stations across the UK or for advice on localising your next campaign).