Manx Radio

[Kopek]

Not joking at all.

The Govt place great importance on the PSB aspect of Manx Radio, this costs us a million quid a year plus the transmitter role MR play.

What really is the PSB role? To give air time the politicians? Provide road news, weather reports? A reasonably comprehensive new service? These can all be provided by the other stations or a new BBC station.

Could the Talkng Heads and Sunday Opinion progs be produced within the advertising revenue? Opportunity for Stu P there surely?

[Stu Peters]

I take issue with a number of your assertions Kopek:

1. You seem to care little what the outcome is, as long as it means the destruction of Manx Radio. I can't imagine what the station has ever done to you for you to feel that way.
2. The million pounds saved wouldn't make you, me or the majority of taxpayers a penny better off, it would just disappear into the government's black hole.
3. The only winners would be the other island media organisations. Many of whom were trained by Manx Radio. The other radio stations have complained about not having a 'level playing field'. The field is perfectly level as it was laid and sown by Manx Radio. The others chose to pitch their tents on it, knowing exactly the lay of the land.
4. To suggest MR is only there to provide air time to politicians is disingenuous. The lack of an opposition party means that the only public scrutiny of the machinations of Tynwald is via MR and the newspapers.
5. I can only assume you're not Manx - as I can't imagine any Manx person (even we naturalised Manxies) would gladly give up their own public radio station in favour of a service masterminded from London. 
6. All the expert reports over the years - including the one done fairly recently by Treasury - suggest that MR is very good value for money and does a sterling job. It costs £2m a year to do what MR does, and any 'new service' would either have to provide far less or cost a lot more to achieve the same. You may not listen to Women Today or Countryside - neither do I - but there is a worthwhile audience of people who do.
7. You seem keen to promote 3FM and Energy, neither of which has the listener figures of MR or the broad reach. Does your 'real' first name begin with a R, G or J?
8. Both other stations provide a good service - I often listen to them in the car if all I want is pop music and not talk. But they are completely different organisations and not comparable. MR ceded its young audience (Kik FM at weekends) to the newly-formed Energy in consideration of an increased subvention - how much more would you like to hobble the station before you perform the coup de grace?

This is the short video shown to Tynwald members this week: 

 

[gettafa]

1 hour ago, Kopek said:

Could the Talkng Heads and Sunday Opinion progs be produced within the advertising revenue? Opportunity for Stu P there surely?

They're the best bits. Like when the subject is one of the politicians trying to ban fossil fuels, a clip is played of their sanctimonious clap-trap and straightaway is an advert for Castletown Fuels (ie coal). 

[Twitch]

I would suggest point 3 in particular is clutching at straws. BBC needs to either take over (funded by our licence fee revenue) with a commitment to ensuring a level of current affairs coverage inc Tynwald is kept or they agree to fund Manx Radio in full (unlikely). I despise the fact that Manx Radio distorts the local market for advertising against commercial operators which don’t have the benefit of state handouts.

[gettafa]

12 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

I take issue with a number of your assertions Kopek:

 

Kopek has received more bullet points than he received votes!

(sorry Kopoek, I couldn't resist it)

[WKRP]

Interesting feedback from the Manx Radio presentation to Tynwald members on Thursday who turned up expecting to see a PowerPoint presentation with a Q&A session and a bit of food...but no.

Seems that Manx Radio employed a specialist company to put on a light show, 3 extra flashy lecterns brought along and a propaganda video screened,  which, btw, I don’t think  was not produced by corporate guru Stuart Peters and his production company, but by an outside facility! See above to watch.

The whole thing seems to made the event a massive home goal as it left the audience bemused that the station had the money to spend on the event, I wonder if the public will have a chance to enjoy the show as well.

Also was it a good idea having a station journalist, who should be neutral, providing the doggy commentary? Would it not have been wiser for a DJ/presenter, or Mr Brindley to have done that? In the video it shows them covering a Tynwald session but the pictures look like MTV coverage. They also get in on the act at the end with an interview with Dr Allison. Surly it would have made more sense to have used their own pictures?

Its seems the Manx Radio delegation did themselves no favours especially when director Mr Guard let rip in the Q&A on the MHK’s on not backing them fully. Surely it’s better to try to win them over at this stage.

 

[dilligaf]

13 minutes ago, WKRP said:

Interesting feedback from the Manx Radio presentation to Tynwald members on Thursday who turned up expecting to see a PowerPoint presentation with a Q&A session and a bit of food...but no.

Seems that Manx Radio employed a specialist company to put on a light show, 3 extra flashy lecterns brought along and a propaganda video screened,  which, btw, I don’t think  was not produced by corporate guru Stuart Peters and his production company, but by an outside facility! See above to watch.

The whole thing seems to made the event a massive home goal as it left the audience bemused that the station had the money to spend on the event, I wonder if the public will have a chance to enjoy the show as well.

Also was it a good idea having a station journalist, who should be neutral, providing the doggy commentary? Would it not have been wiser for a DJ/presenter, or Mr Brindley to have done that? In the video it shows them covering a Tynwald session but the pictures look like MTV coverage. They also get in on the act at the end with an interview with Dr Allison. Surly it would have made more sense to have used their own pictures?

Its seems the Manx Radio delegation did themselves no favours especially when director Mr Guard let rip in the Q&A on the MHK’s on not backing them fully. Surely it’s better to try to win them over at this stage.

 

What is that saying  ?

[Ham_N_Eggs]

16 minutes ago, WKRP said:

Interesting feedback from the Manx Radio presentation to Tynwald members on Thursday who turned up expecting to see a PowerPoint presentation with a Q&A session and a bit of food...but no.

Seems that Manx Radio employed a specialist company to put on a light show, 3 extra flashy lecterns brought along and a propaganda video screened,  which, btw, I don’t think  was not produced by corporate guru Stuart Peters and his production company, but by an outside facility! See above to watch.

The whole thing seems to made the event a massive home goal as it left the audience bemused that the station had the money to spend on the event, I wonder if the public will have a chance to enjoy the show as well.

Also was it a good idea having a station journalist, who should be neutral, providing the doggy commentary? Would it not have been wiser for a DJ/presenter, or Mr Brindley to have done that? In the video it shows them covering a Tynwald session but the pictures look like MTV coverage. They also get in on the act at the end with an interview with Dr Allison. Surly it would have made more sense to have used their own pictures?

Its seems the Manx Radio delegation did themselves no favours especially when director Mr Guard let rip in the Q&A on the MHK’s on not backing them fully. Surely it’s better to try to win them over at this stage.

 

The directors seem threatened that there pay may be cut and they may have to produce a better product. 

Stu, it seems to be pretty much a given that the PSB material is the speech content. Which according to RAJAR figures is pretty much the only time you get any decent level of listeners (which as you already know includes your show). It is almost pretty much a given that Manx Radio sell this peak time at the highest rate with the rest of the cheaper advertising spread out throughout the day and night. Agreed?

So, Manx Radio's concern would seem to be more around the fact that if advertising is banned or reduced in peak time then they would be hit massively in terms of sales. BUT what if Manx Radio improved the rest of stations shows and made it better for the listeners? What if they dropped the constant adverts? 15 to 20 minutes of adverts every hour ruins the listener experience. What if they didn't need to advertise? What if the funding for them came from the licence fee payer? I think that is the crucial point most people are missing. If the licence fee payer rather than the tax payer pays then there is no need for the Treasury to get involved in the discussions and editorial independence is maintained. BTW if you read the BBC charter the UK govt have massive influence over the BBC.

I'm not against Manx Radio I just think it is a bit crap and most definitely the stations format could do with a massive revamp to make it listenable again. Keeping something unchanged for nostalgia purposes that costs over £800,000 grand a year is daft. Finally radio will be gone soon enough as the upcoming generations are already streaming all their content. Hopefully it will be gone after you hang up your boots as your show is actually (adverts and buster aside) rather good.

[Stu Peters]

Damned by faint praise.

15-20 minutes of adverts an hour - wow, my watch must be massively wrong! 

Better product - assumedly you think that can be done for less money? I note that you choose to disregard all the industry awards for content. Just so we all know, what colour is the sky in your world?

And interesting that WKRAP reckons to know MUCH more about the Tynwald presentation than anybody at Manx Radio. So tell me, how much did the video and AV hire cost?? Go on...

And Twitch, MR doesn't distort the local market, it created it. I wouldn't have set up a commercial radio station for just 80,000 people knowing the established public broadcaster had a loyal listener base and was funded by a mix of public and commercial income. Or maybe I would, and then tried to lobby suggestible MHK's to close down the public station...

 

[Rushen Spy]

Have you considered selling water filtration systems or Super Manx Vitality pills?

[WTF]

5 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

Damned by faint praise.

15-20 minutes of adverts an hour - wow, my watch must be massively wrong! 

Better product - assumedly you think that can be done for less money? I note that you choose to disregard all the industry awards for content. Just so we all know, what colour is the sky in your world?

And interesting that WKRAP reckons to know MUCH more about the Tynwald presentation than anybody at Manx Radio. So tell me, how much did the video and AV hire cost?? Go on...

And Twitch, MR doesn't distort the local market, it created it. I wouldn't have set up a commercial radio station for just 80,000 people knowing the established public broadcaster had a loyal listener base and was funded by a mix of public and commercial income. Or maybe I would, and then tried to lobby suggestible MHK's to close down the public station...

 

you're barking like a cornered dog.

[Derek Flint]

My only issue with this whole thing is that the BBC should be paying for, if not providing the service, like they do in the CI.

 

[Ham_N_Eggs]

11 minutes ago, Derek Flint said:

My only issue with this whole thing is that the BBC should be paying for, if not providing the service, like they do in the CI.

 

This is exactly the issue and maybe get Manx Radio run with a little bit more financial acumen and not posting a loss every year. Manx Radio should be lobbying for this and quite frankly I don't understand why they aren't. 

[Ham_N_Eggs]

6 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

Damned by faint praise.

15-20 minutes of adverts an hour - wow, my watch must be massively wrong! 

Better product - assumedly you think that can be done for less money? I note that you choose to disregard all the industry awards for content. Just so we all know, what colour is the sky in your world?

And interesting that WKRAP reckons to know MUCH more about the Tynwald presentation than anybody at Manx Radio. So tell me, how much did the video and AV hire cost?? Go on...

And Twitch, MR doesn't distort the local market, it created it. I wouldn't have set up a commercial radio station for just 80,000 people knowing the established public broadcaster had a loyal listener base and was funded by a mix of public and commercial income. Or maybe I would, and then tried to lobby suggestible MHK's to close down the public station...

 

How long are all the adverts on for in your estimation? Do you think it is acceptable for Manx Radio to posting losses each year and still taking a massive handout from the public purse? Two other radios stations operate on a shoe string and seemingly must turn a profit (although Energy does appear on the face of it to be a more virtual radio station nowadays which is probably the only way it survives) with a lesser share of the advertising market. Industry awards are not listener awards. 3FM is also played more in shops and in taxis and indeed by the driver of most buses I have been on recently. I live on the isle of man the sky is grey 90% of the time...

Just because you have always been been funded by public and commercial income doesn't mean it always should be. Your making losses the model isn't working. How would you improve things at Manx Radio to make them more profitable?

[CharlieBrown]

6 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

15-20 minutes of adverts an hour - wow, my watch must be massively wrong! 

You are probably right way more than 20 minutes per hour.