Manx Radio

[P.K.]

9 hours ago, parchedpeas said:

While all of Stu's post might be fair comment in the battle between the three local stations, he decides to ignore the bigger point: there is not point in PSB radio anymore and there hasn't been for a long time.

How do you know that?

[dilligaf]

11 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

Thing is, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. 'Do podcasts' says MF. So the station does podcasts. 'You should have been doing them sooner' says MF.

'Too many staff'. It takes as many people to run a full service radio station with 85,000 potential listeners as it does for 850,000 or 8½ million. The Myers Report was generally highly supportive, and any subsequent decisions taken are well above my fee grade so I can't comment.

Just trying to be objective here (although I'll always be a cheerleader for the station). MR has an ageing audience because it was forced (AFAIK) to cede its youth market (KikFM at weekends) to the new Energy which was licenced purely to serve the youth market. And we all know how that ended up. Did it get any grants or special rents for using Summerland? What about 3FM? Has it really created a 'plurality of broadcasting' as promised, or just diluted the commercial market?  MR's traditional audience aren't early adopters of streaming or podcasts, and I suspect the station wanted to wait and see how it all evolved before jumping in. Remember it was roundly condemned only recently for installing studio cameras to enable efficient VOD.

It is trying to establish what people want - hence the latest audience survey. I suspect most will say they like it as it is, but the programme controlller and new MD are probably working on a station refresh that includes new jingles (at last!). |If people listen to the other stations (and I often do) it's because they prefer the music mix or just want background music with 'this is, that was, here's a timecheck' links. Nothing wrong with that but it's certainly not what a PSB should be doing. There are things that go out that irritate me too, but usually if you dig a bit deeper it's not a lack of care, it's a lack of time or resource.

Yes, it costs a couple of mill a year to run. From memory (I have the figures at work) that is less than half what a comparable BBC LR station costs - and they have the massive resource of the international BBC machine behind them.

I genuinely believe that any impartial expert would spend a day at the station and conclude that if anything the station tries to do too much with too few people rather than being overstaffed, and certainly 90% of the people who work there aren't overpaid, just the opposite.

ETA: Just reading Juan's FB post. Lots of supposition there, and misinformation about anyone being brought in to do anything other than training for a couple of days. Financial disgrace?? Apart from a very marginal overspend a couple of times, it's very tightly controlled financially. A 'private firm' would sack all the PSB and news/current affairs content and become yet another automated jukebox, voice tracked (sounds live but isn't) from a warehouse in Slough or wherever. As to 'disastrous audience' I'd love to compare MR's to his. But then he doesn't have any independent numbers for us to look at...

A lot of people would agree will all you say there 

[gettafa]

55 minutes ago, P.K. said:

How do you know that?

Because Juan said.

[P.K.]

9 minutes ago, gettafa said:

Because Juan said.

How does he know?

[gettafa]

Because he said so.

[P.K.]

33 minutes ago, gettafa said:

Because he said so.

Ahhhh so you don't know either....

[gettafa]

That may as be, but I surely know as much as he.

[piebaps]

An impartial observer may conclude that Energy and 3FM were both ego projects started by MR rejects. WKRP will be setting up his own station next.

[woolley]

On 7/20/2019 at 5:42 PM, Stu Peters said:

 I am now a Ninja Broadcaster so it was worth the fee.

Does this mean you can now complete a demanding obstacle course in 2 minutes, running up a wall and climbing Mount Midoriyama on the way? Or does it just mean that you have attained broadcasting perfection?

[woolley]

12 hours ago, parchedpeas said:

While all of Stu's post might be fair comment in the battle between the three local stations, he decides to ignore the bigger point: there is not point in PSB radio anymore and there hasn't been for a long time.

The money spent should be ringfenced and spent on promoting a plurality of content from local providers delivering content in all formats, and should also fund a news service.

We should not be subsidising Phil Collins through PRS fees out of a stretched public purse. 

I have more sympathy with this view than I used to, but we are certainly not there yet. There are plenty of people who use the radio for news, information and entertainment. Perhaps you think they should do without? Get rid of newspapers while we are at it? I do think that MR could be done for less public money though. I'm not having a go at the broadcasters who mostly work for a modest stipend (some for buttons). I think the management could be pruned back for sure.

[woolley]

16 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

But the question isn't whether Manx Radio needs someone in charge, it's whether there should be so many people in management and whether they are paid too much.  Manx Radio has a small potential listenership of around 85,000 of whom less than half ever listen to it.  It has a total turnover of £2 million (£875k of which is subvention).  But one person earns between £75k and £99k (and it's never been denied it's near the top of that range) and another two between £50k and £75k.  I suspect there are others just below the £50k mark.  

Even in terms of roles it's top-heavy with Directors of what are only very small teams[1] being paid as if they are the heads of large numbers of people. 

Roger, this problem goes right across government, and very much more so than within MR. It's just that MR is arm's length and more visible. The size and complexity of management structures in Departments and in divisions of Departments are ludicrous.

Edited July 22, 2019 by woolley

[snowman]

if you dont like the output, turn it off.

if you dont like their funding model, turn it off.

 

[Roger Mexico]

13 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

Thing is, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. 'Do podcasts' says MF. So the station does podcasts. 'You should have been doing them sooner' says MF.

'Too many staff'. It takes as many people to run a full service radio station with 85,000 potential listeners as it does for 850,000 or 8½ million. The Myers Report was generally highly supportive, and any subsequent decisions taken are well above my fee grade so I can't comment.

[...] Yes, it costs a couple of mill a year to run. From memory (I have the figures at work) that is less than half what a comparable BBC LR station costs - and they have the massive resource of the international BBC machine behind them.

I genuinely believe that any impartial expert would spend a day at the station and conclude that if anything the station tries to do too much with too few people rather than being overstaffed, and certainly 90% of the people who work there aren't overpaid, just the opposite.

But people on Manx Forums have been pointing out how Manx Radio is lagging behind on using and promoting other media channels for as long as I can remember.  Podcasts are hardly a niche activity that only the most tech-savvy, hip young things are indulging in.  Radio 4's In Our Time has been doing one since 1998 and their audience is probably even older on average that MR's.  Even now integration across the channels is poor - more interviews could go up on the Portal/YouTube and linked from website news stories (which themselves continue to be very formulaic).  No one's complaining that moves are finally happening, just that it is so belated and not as well done as it could be.

It's clearly nonsense that the costs of running a radio station is the same irrespective of its audience size.  Radio 4 costs more than hospital radio.  It's is true however that Myers was complementary about many parts of Manx Radio's output, but less so about the managerial superstructure:

Quote

2.13 A truly independent news operation is central to the output of Manx Radio. However, the newsroom is underfunded to deliver its remit and requires further investment in people. I believe it requires at least another two journalists. Reducing management roles, and using the savings to enhance its overall news output would achieve this. The news output is pedestrian at times, and the directors should encourage a more challenging news agenda.

2.14 The management team are professional and competent but the structure is too large and could be reduced by at least one. Any modern radio station, especially after investing in new technology, should be streamlined accordingly. Savings from this area should be transferred into the news and programming department.

2.15 The Engineering department is either overstaffed or the revenue stream attached to their third party work is under-delivering. Charges for third party work must be revised in order for the company to justify such a large staff of four personnel

We do however have an idea of what a BBC Radio Isle of Man would cost because someone from the BBC told Tynwald last year:

Quote

Ms Ellis stated that the cost of a BBC-run radio station in the island would be between £1.3 million and £1.7 million, which she noted was a similar amount to the cost of the Channel Islands’ services.

And Myers also makes the point that there were other hidden subsidies to Manx Radio:

Quote

4. There are a number of touch points where the station receives Government financial support including a programming subsidy of £850,000 and transmission costs of £86,700. In addition, the station is provided with rent-free accommodation on perhaps one of the most sought after locations on the island, although the running costs are included within their P&L. This is clearly a major benefit as even a cursory review of the market suggests this building could be rented out at circa £150,000 per annum. Furthermore, Manx Radio receives an extra £30,000 to broadcast the annual Manx Radio TT and the station is carrying an overdraft of some £130,000. Collectively, therefore the real cost to the taxpayer for Manx Radio amounts to:

* Subvention 850,000
* Rent free accommodation 150,000
* Transmission costs 86,700
* Manx Radio TT 30,000
Total: £1,116,700

We know many of these continue and have increased since 2013, even though the underlying subvention hasn't gone up.  It also ignores the costs of any capital works that have been done for Manx Radio and which would normally come out of the station's budget over a number of years.

Allowing for this and inflation does make you think that the actual cost to the Manx government of Manx Radio isn't much different from what it would cost for the BBC to run the station.  Which makes you wonder where all the commercial revenue goes to.

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, woolley said:

On 7/20/2019 at 5:42 PM, Stu Peters said:

I am now a Ninja Broadcaster so it was worth the fee.

Does this mean you can now complete a demanding obstacle course in 2 minutes, running up a wall and climbing Mount Midoriyama on the way? Or does it just mean that you have attained broadcasting perfection?

Nah - he's just reviving his Black Ops Squad.  Richard Murphy and the rest of us need to be very careful or we'll be found murdered with nunchucks.

[WKRP]

Only North Korea could get so many stories out of their leader from 1 interview!

Friday, July 19th 10:57am CM takes bullying allegations about education minister 'very seriously'

Saturday, July 20th 12:14pm Quayle "disappointed" by external representation motion

Sunday, July 21st 6:22am Chief Minister expects UK general election

Sunday, July 21st 2:06pm CM compares kippergate to 'Yes Minister' storyline

Monday, July 22nd 2:12pm MHKs 'seen to be asking questions' in Tynwald

Any more left for Tuesday?