NCRM/CIB

Supporters’ Groups

National Commercial Radio Movement/Campaign for Independent Broadcasting

Following the internal disputes and disagreements within the Free Radio Association in early 1968 many committee members decided to leave that organisation. A group of FRA founder members decided to form a new organisation – the National Commercial Radio Movement (NCRM) in July 1968.

The organisation took a pro-active approach to campaigning for the introduction of licensed independent commercial radio in Britain –something that the founding members felt the FRA was not doing sufficiently well. They made contact with broadcasting spokesmen from various political parties and lobbied MPs in support of the organisation’s aims. An early meeting was held with the opposition (Conservative) Shadow Postmaster General, Paul Bryan MP and with the leader of the then Greater London Council, Leslie Freeman to discuss the local radio proposals for London.

The NCRM were also involved in some significant initiatives and events including:-

A ‘coffin’ March to Downing Street in August 1968 to draw public attention to their aims
Assisting with the organisation of a National Rally in Trafalgar Square, London in August 1969
Commissioning a Sound Broadcasting Study (see the Interactive Zone, right)

Merger discussions with the FRA and Free Radio Campaign (FRC) took place in October 1969, but these came to nothing due to fundamental disagreements over policy, and at about the same time it was decided to change the name of NCRM to the Campaign for Independent Broadcasting (CIB). This name change was ormally confirmed at the NCRM Annual General Meeting on 8th February 1970.

The newly re-named CIB published a Statement of Aims:-

“The Campaign for Independent Broadcasting is a listeners' organisation financed by members' subscription. We owe no allegiance to any political party. We believe that it is basically wrong for a monopoly to exist in radio broadcasting. the public must have the right of choice of individual stations. this is an accepted fact in the field of newspapers and television.

We are advocating the introduction of legal land-based independent regional commercial and non-commercial radio to provide choice for listeners at no extra cost and scope for broadcasting staffs at present restricted to a monopoly employer.”

The CIB organised a demonstration in Rochester on 31st May 1970 to protest at the jamming of Radio North Sea International (RNI) broadcasts. (The jamming signal was being transmitted, on the orders of the British Government, from the Beacon Hill Naval radio station, in Rochester Kent).

A Rally and march was organised in Hyde Park, London on 14th June 1970 organised jointly by CIB and Free Radio Campaign (FRC) - known as the ‘Anti-Jamming Rally’. The Rally was heavily publicised on Radio North Sea International (RNI)/ Radio Caroline. Over 10,000 people assembled in Hyde Park for the Rally and march to Downing Street. Speakers at the Rally were the Chairman of the CIB, David Prewitt, Martin Rosen (Press/Public Relations Officer), Radio Caroline’s founder, Ronan O’Rahilly, and former offshore DJs Simon Dee, Roger Day and Mark Wesley, who also joined the march.

The CIB continued to campaign for the introduction of licensed commercial radio in the United Kingdom. When this was achieved - with the first Independent Local Radio (ILR) stations being launched in 1973 the CIB wound down its campaign and by 1974 the organisation had become dormant.