Religious broadcasting: radio
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) operates under royal charter as a public service and is funded largely through licence fees paid by each household with a television. It has traditionally regarded religious broadcasting as an important responsibility. Two of the national radio stations transmit church services each week (and on BBC Radio 4 long wave, every day), and a number of programmes are dedicated to religious and moral issues, religious music, etc.
Many radio stations are now operated by commercial and other groups. Premier Christian Radio has served the London area since obtaining a licence in 1995. Smaller Christian radio stations have recently been established in a few local areas elsewhere.
The privileged access given to religious groups by the broadcast media is governed both by formal rules and by a convention that religious spokesmen should not be contentious and should not proselytise. BBC Radio 4’s prestigious Thought for the Day slot, for example, does not permit speakers to criticise other religions. Preachers for broadcast church services are expected to submit their texts in advance and are warned not to be controversial. Regulatory bodies police the conventions. The Radio Authority, for example, has frequently warned Premier Christian Radio that it may lose its licence because its speakers make offensive comments about other religions, a protection that is extended to Satanism and paganism.