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Guidelines
for Applying for a Commercial Broadcasting Licence
These guidelines are meant to
assist you in fulfilling the criteria set for a complete and easily
understandable application.
- When you apply for a
commercial broadcast licence, the Broadcasting Commission will
review your application to determine whether you can operate a
viable media enterprise. This is why you are asked to submit:
financial, technical and administrative information.
- You are asked to use the
appropriate form provided, along with supporting documents and
any additional information you may think is relevant to your
application.
N.B. All information will be
treated as confidential.
- Check all your material
against the requirements of the regulations, the application
form, and these guidelines.
- A non-refundable fee of
J$65,000 must accompany the application form. This must be paid
by manager’s cheque.
Applicants are advised to read: The
Broadcasting and Radio Re-Diffusion Act, and The Television and
Sound Broadcasting Regulations, 1996. See ‘Commercial Broadcasting
and Radio Re-Diffusion System’, p.p. 140 –144. Children’s Code for
Programming
Application forms are available
from the Broadcasting Commission, which is located at:
5th Floor Victoria Mutual
Building
53 Knutsford Boulevard Kingston 5
Tel: 929-1998
Toll-free: 1-888-99-22253
Fax: 929-1997
E-mail:
broadcom@cwjamaica.com
WHO CAN APPLY FOR A LICENCE
- The company applying for the
licence may be owned and controlled by Jamaican or CARICOM
nationals, as well as by foreign individuals who can have a
controlling interest in the applying company.
- A commercial service
broadcasts material with the intention of influencing the
consumer behaviour of listeners or viewers. Advertising is the
major source of revenue for this kind of service.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
- Completed application form
- Business plan – the following
documents are required: - trading profit & loss schedule -
projected balance sheet (years 1 & 2) - projected revenue
schedule (establishment, operating and administrative) -
projected cash flow schedule - loan repayment schedule -
investment schedule
- Implementation plan and
timetable
- Technical plan and
documentation - service area map - propagation plan - equipment
listing, including specifications - provisional permit from
Spectrum Management Authority for use of intended STL/TTL
frequencies for period to be determined by the SMA
- Programming Plan
- Permits for programming use -
letters of intent - signed contracts
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Articles of Association
- Memorandum of Association
- Certified copy of list of
directors (Form 12)
RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS
As an applicant, you are
responsible for ensuring that you submit all the necessary
documents. However, the Commission will verify, on receipt, that a
complete package has been presented. If your application is missing
any documents, the Commission will immediately advise you what
material needs to be provided before your application can be
evaluated. Please note that at this point the Commission officers
only verify completeness. This is NOT A GUARANTEE that your
application meets the required standard for the Commission’s
recommendation that the Minister of Information grant you a licence.
PRESENTATION
Make sure that your documents are
in the right order, secured firmly, and properly labelled.
The Commission will not attempt to
guess the meanings of unmarked and/or ambiguous documents, including
maps. The Commission also will not attempt to identify pages that
are out of sequence.
BUSINESS INFORMATION
Ownership and Control
The composition of the major
shareholding interest must be clearly stated. The nationality of the
directors and principal shareholders must be provided, along with
the stake of each individual in the company.
Clearly state who is the head of
the company, as well as the person responsible for the day to day
operations.
If there is no company secretary,
state who will be responsible for managing the company’s official
documentation and shareholding information.
Management The professional
qualifications of the Chief Executive Officer must be provided.
Please attach a résumé and copies of professional and academic
certification.
Provide the same information for
the Chief Technical Officer.
Staff
Explain the departmental structure
of the planned operation, and the proposed reporting relationships
within and between the areas specified including:
- Programming (including news
and current affairs)
- Technical Financial General
Administrative
Provide detailed information on the
professional record and qualifications of the persons who will head
the departments, as well as the expected number and qualifications
of staff.
PROVISION OF SERVICE
Implementation Plan Provide a clear
schedule of activities relating to the establishment of service.
Both actual and expected timeframes should be stated.
For completeness, ensure that
timeframes are given for all of the following:
- Sourcing of funding
- Completion of property
arrangements for an office and transmitter site(s)
- Purchase/lease and delivery of
equipment
- Installation of equipment
- Employment of staff
- Test transmissions, including
arrangements to acquire a frequency
- Negotiations for programming
- Marketing
- Official start of broadcast
Propagation Plan
A number of technical diagrams are
required for this aspect.
On a map, show the proposed area to
be covered, identifying all transmitter sites with respective
frequencies and details of how they will be linked. Studio to
transmitter links (STL) and transmitter to transmitter links (TTL)
are to be shown. (A provisional permit from the Spectrum Management
Authority for use of intended frequencies must be submitted along
with your licence application.)
A diagram must be provided for each
transmitter site, showing the signal levels expected at various
distances from this site. These distances should be represented by
the half power points. Signal levels should be based on actual
conditions present in the proposed area of coverage and must be
quoted in micro volts per meter.
In addition, the following
information must be included on the individual propagation plans:
- Antenna output in dBi
- Half power points in dBm –
(3dB from the antenna and each successive contour as necessary
to cover the service area)
- Minimum power at the boundary
of the area being served in micro volts per meter (µV/m)
SYSTEM INFORMATION
Explain clearly and in detail how
you plan to implement your broadcast system using the equipment
listed in Part 3 of the Application Form. Diagrams and other
illustrations should be included.
Please provide information on the
technology to be used to implement the Children’s Code for
Programming, including audio (and video) delay systems.
State how you plan to maintain your
technical systems, including the capacity to carry out tests, e.g.
field strength tests.
PROGRAMMING
Clearly describe the format of
programmes that will be offered throughout the broadcast day, e.g.
news, magazines, talk shows, request programmes. Please note that
broadcast licensees are required to transmit for a minimum of eight
hours.
Name the sources of your
programming. Will programmes be bought or developed in-house? If so,
make sure that you have stated the facilities and staffing required.
Please explain what provisions have
been made to ensure the rating and scheduling of programmes, as well
as transmitting advisories ― all of which are requirements of the
Children’s Code for programming.
Programming Permissions
If you plan to buy programming, you
must attach letters of intent and/or agreements with the owners to
use their material.
FINANCIAL
- It is important that
information is arranged in an orderly manner to facilitate easy
understanding of your business plan.
- Check all statements and
calculations for accuracy.
- Document all of your
assumptions used to arrive at projected revenue and expenditure.
Assumptions must be realistic.
Financing
With respect to the availability of
funds, state clearly how the company will be financed. This
information should include the amount of money that shareholders
will invest. The business plan should show how any possible
shortfall would be met if the capital were not adequate to operate
the business. If the company is to use debt capital, e.g. loans, to
fund the shortfall, the loan terms must be stated and a commitment
letter provided.
Revenue
When indicating projected revenue
from production, state:
When indicating projected income
from advertising, state:
- the intended market
- proposed rate structure
including costs for prime time and other time slots
Give detailed information on other
expected sources of revenue, such as agency fees from the
subcontracting of staff for production projects, and/or rental of
studios, equipment and other in-house facilities.
Operating Costs
The operating cost must be clearly
outlined and as much documentation as possible should be given to
support assumptions made in arriving at the costs. It is important
that the projected costs are consistent with the level of operation.
If the project is to be financed partly by debt capital, e.g. loans,
the projected profit and loss statement should include the cost of
interest and other charges.
Cash Flow
The cash flow proposed in the
business plan must be consistent with expected revenue and projected
expenses. It must incorporate all loan proceeds and repayments (if
any).
Profit and Loss
It is important to ensure that all
the items included as expenses are genuine expense items. In
particular, the repayment of loan principal cannot be considered as
an expense and therefore should not be included in the expense
items.
Balance Sheet
The figures must be consistent with
all other projections made. For example, if all equipment is not
purchased in the first year of operation, the equipment purchased in
subsequent years should not be included in the first year’s
projected balance sheet.
OTHER INFORMATION
Clearly explain how your media
service will relate to your target broadcast market, providing as
much documentation as possible to support your explanation.
Any other additional information
that you think will be useful in the evaluation of your application
should be provided.
For more information on the
Broadcasting Commission, check other sections of our website or
email us at:
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