Manx Radio

[Donald Trumps]

Ironic I suppose that Tynwald gives MR an extra £1m to find a younger audience, where the young are giving up on radio altogether

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/04/children-now-listen-alexa-radio-ofcom-finds/

Edited February 4, 2020 by Donald Trumps

[gettafa]

51 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said:

I suspect the listening figures will be so bad...MR will probably choose not to publish them this time, or keep them quiet.

Think the new guy has grossly misread the Isle of Man audience and is indeed in for a shock.

I can't listen to MR after the news headlines at 7am. It's just awful, annoying and amateur...I for one would be glad to help word a petition against any further taxpayer subvention.

The changes were all ready to go before the new guy arrived. He must just be thinking all the time "wtf?". He needs to get a grip on it, because if it remains in this dismal state I would certainly be whinging at my MHK not to give a single penny of taxpayers money net year or ever. 

In the morning I listen to the news headlines too, and even if there is an item that I might be interested in, I am not going to listen through all that junk music and high jinks just to hear the matter dealt with by the kiddies.

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, Albert Tatlock said:

I suspect the listening figures will be so bad...MR will probably choose not to publish them this time, or keep them quiet.

It's not their choice as to whether they publish or not.  RAJAR will publish them come what may.  The only way to avoid them coming out is to stop subscribing to RAJAR (as Energy did).  That's pretty much an admission of failure and at least some MHKs will be demanding why we should pay for something when they have no proof that anyone is listening.

That said it should be remembered that the quarterly figures are based on a yearly rolling average.  So even if no one listened to a single minute of Manx Radio in the quarterly sample, it would still only drop to 75% of what it was.

[NoTail]

I stopped listening when they did that big change. I suppose I have heard little bits in the car and at the dentist etc. What I have heard has made me cringe, would not go back to listening to it.

[WKRP]

Now Borris is out there asking if the UK government should continue to finance the BBC in the way it always has, with the licence fee, it could have quite an impact on the Manx Governments continuing appetite to push millions of pounds of tax payers money into an organisation that seem to have no idea how to service its audience anymore.

 

You have the fairly new MD who is probably keeping his hands clean from the current revamped schedule and I would not be surprised if some major changes are in the in pipeline, once audience numbers come though.

 

I think Alex Brindley will have to take the hit for the dumbing down of the programmes. Surely speech radio content should have gone up, not down, as this is the public service part of their license.

 

Keep hearing there was always discontent with, effectively an inexperienced DJ, taking on the job. Most staffers can't look to his presentation skills as a blue print to good radio, even the attempt to give him a 'late lunch' sidekick can't stop his 'hilarious' 1980's boyish style, but having friends on the board doesn't do you any harm I guess.

 

Tim Glover being appointed news editor, on the third attempt, saw many worthy and good news hounds question their future career path. Now its really showing in the news coverage, leaving a big gap in age and experience. A news editors position will never be a Monday to Friday 9-5 job. Having the Chief Minister as your headline story day after day can't he helping.

 

Chris Williams clearly can't take to the demoted roll of an overnight warmup act. You can't blame him. You hear that there's never been much love lost between him and Brindley, but the money keeps coming and with little chance to jumping to 3FM or Energy, there is a need to continue with the 'Nicey and Smashy' style show, all be it with less than maybe 30 people tuning in.

 

As previous mentioned the breakfast show clearly needs the most attention. To be fair its not the presenters fault that the highly paid consultant and Brindley give them the brief to do the show this way, but you do get the feeling that they know its not working and are clinging on more and more to the terrible banter thats hardly worthy of a school kids playground. The few stories that do stop the music for have all been on the news, three times and hour without any rewrites, so now there is very little reason to stay with the programme if you're more of a Radio 4 or LBC listener. The gap between Manx Radio and the other two local stations has all but disappeared and now George Ferguson returns!

 

After my original glowing review of the 'Manninline', I have now started to think things are not quite as good as they where. Not sure if continually talking to the school children is seen by the producer as good radio or an easy fix to fill the days up. But credit is due to Mr Wint for filling the time up without the need for music...so far. Look how that format change to Late Lunch moved the dynamics of the output, from searching out people to interview to now moving to a music show with some speech blocks.

 

One must question if the station is hitting its speech content levels required by the Communication Commission. But as long as the station picks the day, once a year, it must just be possible. Surely, like any proper audit, the comms people should be picking the day and just asking Manx Radio for the tapes to check its being reached.

 

It still too early for the latest listener figures, due in March, but looking at the 'Manx Radio Vision' numbers on YouTube you can see that most are getting zero clicks.

 

It must be a worrying time for some of the dedicated broadcasters, I wish them well. They should get the good news this week that they have retained the coverage of the TT, which includes the extra government money. £50,000 last year, £100,000 the year before that, it will be interesting to see if we get to hear how much was bid, but as Manx Radio do not have to publish any Freedom of Information requests we might never know.

 

[Nellie]

1 hour ago, WKRP said:

Now Borris is out there asking if the UK government should continue to finance the BBC in the way it always has, with the licence fee, it could have quite an impact on the Manx Governments continuing appetite to push millions of pounds of tax payers money into an organisation that seem to have no idea how to service its audience anymore.

 

You have the fairly new MD who is probably keeping his hands clean from the current revamped schedule and I would not be surprised if some major changes are in the in pipeline, once audience numbers come though.

 

I think Alex Brindley will have to take the hit for the dumbing down of the programmes. Surely speech radio content should have gone up, not down, as this is the public service part of their license.

 

Keep hearing there was always discontent with, effectively an inexperienced DJ, taking on the job. Most staffers can't look to his presentation skills as a blue print to good radio, even the attempt to give him a 'late lunch' sidekick can't stop his 'hilarious' 1980's boyish style, but having friends on the board doesn't do you any harm I guess.

 

Tim Glover being appointed news editor, on the third attempt, saw many worthy and good news hounds question their future career path. Now its really showing in the news coverage, leaving a big gap in age and experience. A news editors position will never be a Monday to Friday 9-5 job. Having the Chief Minister as your headline story day after day can't he helping.

 

Chris Williams clearly can't take to the demoted roll of an overnight warmup act. You can't blame him. You hear that there's never been much love lost between him and Brindley, but the money keeps coming and with little chance to jumping to 3FM or Energy, there is a need to continue with the 'Nicey and Smashy' style show, all be it with less than maybe 30 people tuning in.

 

As previous mentioned the breakfast show clearly needs the most attention. To be fair its not the presenters fault that the highly paid consultant and Brindley give them the brief to do the show this way, but you do get the feeling that they know its not working and are clinging on more and more to the terrible banter thats hardly worthy of a school kids playground. The few stories that do stop the music for have all been on the news, three times and hour without any rewrites, so now there is very little reason to stay with the programme if you're more of a Radio 4 or LBC listener. The gap between Manx Radio and the other two local stations has all but disappeared and now George Ferguson returns!

 

After my original glowing review of the 'Manninline', I have now started to think things are not quite as good as they where. Not sure if continually talking to the school children is seen by the producer as good radio or an easy fix to fill the days up. But credit is due to Mr Wint for filling the time up without the need for music...so far. Look how that format change to Late Lunch moved the dynamics of the output, from searching out people to interview to now moving to a music show with some speech blocks.

 

One must question if the station is hitting its speech content levels required by the Communication Commission. But as long as the station picks the day, once a year, it must just be possible. Surely, like any proper audit, the comms people should be picking the day and just asking Manx Radio for the tapes to check its being reached.

 

It still too early for the latest listener figures, due in March, but looking at the 'Manx Radio Vision' numbers on YouTube you can see that most are getting zero clicks.

 

It must be a worrying time for some of the dedicated broadcasters, I wish them well. They should get the good news this week that they have retained the coverage of the TT, which includes the extra government money. £50,000 last year, £100,000 the year before that, it will be interesting to see if we get to hear how much was bid, but as Manx Radio do not have to publish any Freedom of Information requests we might never know.

 

Some interesting analysis and opinions there, although I do think your credibility takes a dive, when you can't spell the UK Prime Minister's name correctly! 

[parchedpeas]

The revamp makes a better case than I ever could for funding the news / public service element separately and allowing it to be taken by anyone who wants to take it. Do we really need to be paying for the other stuff?

But - and there's a huge but - that doesn't mean we should reduce the cash available to pay for Manx / Cultural content. If anything, we should be looking to increase the amount available. Production costs for audio have never been lower - it can be done to a good standard in a kids bedroom! - so four kids from the Isle of Man College, each given £25k a year to go and make some Manx stuff, with a producer sitting over them on £35k would produce more speech 'radio' and more cultural content than the current arrangement does. And if a liberated Manx Radio - now operating on the same basis as 3FM - wanted to take that content, then it could use it for free. For £200k you'd have replicated the radio output and you'd have £500k to spend on other stuff.

The problem is - as we see in the railways - people won't kill the sacred cows that really should be killed.

[gettafa]

Good post pp  (not sure about the Railways thing though, you're mixing apples and oranges there.)

WKRP makes some good, well made points. Only some.

[Donald Trumps]

Some interesting contributions here today

Who are the friends of Brindley on the MR board?

Tynwald members must shoulder a good deal of blame for all this as they didn't properly & fully debate the '£1m cash for no questions' deal

Or the public media report presented by MLC Kerry Sharpe

[Declan]

2 hours ago, parchedpeas said:

 Production costs for audio have never been lower - it can be done to a good standard in a kids bedroom! - so four kids from the Isle of Man College, each given £25k a year to go and make some Manx stuff, with a producer sitting over them on £35k would produce more speech 'radio' and more cultural content than the current arrangement does.

Not only would it produce more content, it would be more varied and reach a wider demographic. 

[gettafa]

Bring back James Davis, let him choose his team. 

Broadcast an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Pay Manx Radio the equivalent of 2 hours a day advertising to use their infrastructure. 

Maybe pay for a further hour each evening to maintain the 9-10pm spots for Brass Bands, Folk,  Opera etc

Let Alex and his kiddies do their own thing the rest of the time. That's up to them, they can survive on advertising only. And the TT if they get it (they'll get it)

Win-win all round

 

[WTF]

fuck brass bands, folk and opera  that;s whats wrong the station.

[woolley]

3 hours ago, parchedpeas said:

The revamp makes a better case than I ever could for funding the news / public service element separately and allowing it to be taken by anyone who wants to take it. Do we really need to be paying for the other stuff?

But - and there's a huge but - that doesn't mean we should reduce the cash available to pay for Manx / Cultural content. If anything, we should be looking to increase the amount available. Production costs for audio have never been lower - it can be done to a good standard in a kids bedroom! - so four kids from the Isle of Man College, each given £25k a year to go and make some Manx stuff, with a producer sitting over them on £35k would produce more speech 'radio' and more cultural content than the current arrangement does. And if a liberated Manx Radio - now operating on the same basis as 3FM - wanted to take that content, then it could use it for free. For £200k you'd have replicated the radio output and you'd have £500k to spend on other stuff.

The problem is - as we see in the railways - people won't kill the sacred cows that really should be killed.

Good points except for the railways. I don't think that the changes have helped the station to prove its relevance in the modern world. Taking Mandate off was surely shooting themselves in the foot and playing into the hands of those advocating the course outlined by parchedpeas.

[victorian dad]

Nuff said.  Bring on the TT.

[victorian dad]

& Possibly Alannah Myles.