Manx Radio

[Uhtred]

1 hour ago, dilligaf said:

Must be your daftest post Sid. Manx Radio is great value, community radio, with presenters worth their weight in gold compared to other local stations. I really can’t believe the amount of bitching about a radio station . We have to have a national   station for times such as now. What is so hard to understand about that. Can you really give a decent critique besides all the bullshit you spew about MR.

Take one example. Listen to the afternoon show with. Christie De Haven. What a gem of a person and a fantastic presenter who knows the music scene inside out. That is just one show. The day is filled with things like this and I cannot for the life of me see why all 5his hatred is on here. I will never be persuaded that MR is not worth the money. Keep up the good work.

I’ll give you this Stu...you’re no quitter!

[Stu Peters]

You quoted dilli, but I won't quit defending the station, no.

Not because it's perfect - it's far from that, many criticisms are valid and mistakes drive me mad at times too. But they're honest human mistakes, usually made by people juggling a dozen jobs whilst facing a looming hard deadline. Knowing you have to be in the booth in sixty seconds to read a bulletin means you sometimes don't check an online story for typos as carefully as you should. You could always delay posting it, but then some online smartarse will opine that 'the government's mouthpiece' was lax or lazy.

And not because everybody up there is on a fat salary for 'not rocking the boat'. MR pays people the going rate for the job (usually far less than a BBC Local station), and there are lots of freelance contributors who do the job for the fun of it or because they feel they're fulfilling some specialist niche. I'm sick of saying that MR is NOT in the pocket of Tynwald - far from it, we* hold the executive to account at every opportunity, but there's no point going in guns blazing every time - we have no Opposition Party to revert to if a CoMin members gets the hump. People seem to like confrontational interviewers like Jeremy Kyle and Jeremy Paxman - but neither would last five minutes in the Isle of Man, and I've never been convinced they get more out of an interviewee than a gentler approach, however much they make the interviewer seem 'tough'.

And remember we have a pretty young newsroom these days (surely something to applaud). People might think David Callister, Roger Watterson, Charles Guard and Roy McMillan were better and I'm sure they were. But not at the start of their broadcasting careers.

What constantly bemuses me is the hostility of many MF posters to the station. I don't like swing music, women's interest or farming programmes, but they don't make me hate the station. I know that some MF haters have failed to get jobs at MR (or not been rehired after leaving and then expecting to come back when it suited them), but here is something that any Manx person (as a shareholder) should be proud of - and that's not just me knowing which side my bread is buttered, there are numerous awards and reports that suggest MR punches above its weight.Is it the Manx Crab Syndrome? I just don't get it.

It does more than a BBC Local station with a fraction of the network resources, and costs (a lot) less to run. It tries to provide what people say they want. It is not a station that ANYONE could listen to for 12 hours a day and like everything - I can't think of one that is. The subvention covers less than half the cost of running it because successive governments have wanted to have their cake and eat it. It is not a charity case relying on government handouts - without the subvention most of the staff could be fired and MR could become another jukebox - is that what people really want? And kids in bedrooms - don't make me laugh. They'd do one programme, realise it takes hard work and skill and give up. Some think the transmitters should be turned off and everything done over IP. Maybe one day when everyone with a radio has died and the tech is better (has anyone else noticed how shite VOIP usually is compared to copper wire), but the majority of listeners simply want something on in the background and don't want the hassle of finding a podcast for a favourite bit.

So yes, I'll defend the station. And I got my start in hospital radio so I know the difference. MR might frustrate people, even annoy them at times. I empathise. But look at the bigger picture and be proud of owning something properly local, real, albeit flawed, and unique.

 

*I've used the 'we' for simplicity even though I don't speak for the station and am only a contract player there these days

[the stinking enigma]

How many hours a day do you listen to manx radio when not on it stu?

[parchedpeas]

Quote

And kids in bedrooms - don't make me laugh. They'd do one programme, realise it takes hard work and skill and give up

I do admire your defence of the station, Stu, but this is such a patronising statement and so divorced from reality. There is some tremendous content on youtube and in podcast form that people are serving up basically for free. The idea that we couldn't outsource the creation of great content and save money is for the birds. Look at the way that tonnes of telly is being produced during COVID19 - people are literally broadcasting from their living rooms - Global and Bauer doing the same. The world is changing to accommodate the new reality and I wonder if it even needs to change back afterwards.

You don't need sit sit on Douglas Head to introduce a record by All Saints and reminisce about the 90s. And I'm not sure you need £1 million quid to do it either.

[Stu Peters]

parchedpeas - with respect (and I'm happy to engage with anybody who is reasonable) it's easy to do something for YouTube or podcast once, with mates, in your own time, at your own pace, on something you're interested in. I know as I've done a couple for shits and giggles.

It's entirely different to do something to a defined brief and within a code of practice, to within a couple of seconds of the allotted time, and make interesting content five times a week. Most of the YouTubers I enjoy started it for fun, became successful and now have an albatross of expectation on their backs which they find hard to shift. So they start whoring themselves out for in-place advertisisng ("while I finish strapping this nitrous oxide bottle to my motorcycle, let me talk to you about shaving") or begging for Patreon support. In my experience most hobbies lose their appeal when they become jobs - I have chums who went on to commercial flying after we met during PPL training and a few have bemoaned the fact that they're system administrators rather than pilots now.

OK you say, let the kids do one show a week rather than one a day. That would help, but there's inevitably a limited pool of talent in a small community. I asked a previous programme controller how many applications he got a week/month from aspiring presenters/DJ's? "None, most months"! A radio station in Manchester or Leeds or Brighton would be snowed under. And I suspect that the few who DO audition and fail to get an offer turn into haters on MF.

I agreed to write a weekly local newspaper column for free a few years ago, and whilst it started out as fun, after a year it was a weekly dread and after two years I gave it up as I couldn't think of anything else to say, and was kicking myself for working for nothing - only an idiot would do that. But I also appreciated I was no Hemingway and was probably being paid what I was worth. I suspect most YouTubers and podcasters, whilst initially amusing, informative and entertaining, have the same value long term.

There's the old saying "those who can, DO" and I'm sure the teenagers you think are out there would be most welcomed if they want to pitch the Programme Controller (I can't speak for Alex obviously, but he's always open to new ideas). But I'll not hold my breath. It's not just Manx Radio presenters that introduce those lovely Appleton girls and remember the 90's...so it's clearly popular radio as a genre you dislike rather than just the local version. This thing about 'I could sit in my bathtub and sing live through a Tannoy for a million quid a year' is disingenuous, as is comparing Manx Radio with any other local broadcaster.

[Neil Down]

Does 3FM or Energy get any handouts?

 

[LightBulb]

14 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

parchedpeas - with respect (and I'm happy to engage with anybody who is reasonable) it's easy to do something for YouTube or podcast once, with mates, in your own time, at your own pace, on something you're interested in. I know as I've done a couple for shits and giggles.

It's entirely different to do something to a defined brief and within a code of practice, to within a couple of seconds of the allotted time, and make interesting content five times a week. Most of the YouTubers I enjoy started it for fun, became successful and now have an albatross of expectation on their backs which they find hard to shift. So they start whoring themselves out for in-place advertisisng ("while I finish strapping this nitrous oxide bottle to my motorcycle, let me talk to you about shaving") or begging for Patreon support. In my experience most hobbies lose their appeal when they become jobs - I have chums who went on to commercial flying after we met during PPL training and a few have bemoaned the fact that they're system administrators rather than pilots now.

OK you say, let the kids do one show a week rather than one a day. That would help, but there's inevitably a limited pool of talent in a small community. I asked a previous programme controller how many applications he got a week/month from aspiring presenters/DJ's? "None, most months"! A radio station in Manchester or Leeds or Brighton would be snowed under. And I suspect that the few who DO audition and fail to get an offer turn into haters on MF.

I agreed to write a weekly local newspaper column for free a few years ago, and whilst it started out as fun, after a year it was a weekly dread and after two years I gave it up as I couldn't think of anything else to say, and was kicking myself for working for nothing - only an idiot would do that. But I also appreciated I was no Hemingway and was probably being paid what I was worth. I suspect most YouTubers and podcasters, whilst initially amusing, informative and entertaining, have the same value long term.

There's the old saying "those who can, DO" and I'm sure the teenagers you think are out there would be most welcomed if they want to pitch the Programme Controller (I can't speak for Alex obviously, but he's always open to new ideas). But I'll not hold my breath. It's not just Manx Radio presenters that introduce those lovely Appleton girls and remember the 90's...so it's clearly popular radio as a genre you dislike rather than just the local version. This thing about 'I could sit in my bathtub and sing live through a Tannoy for a million quid a year' is disingenuous, as is comparing Manx Radio with any other local broadcaster.

Can manx radio not do a "non cornavirus" station on am, with no reports of the viuus as it seems the corona virus is just being rammed down our thoughts ?

[Neil Down]

37 minutes ago, LightBulb said:

Can manx radio not do a "non cornavirus" station on am, with no reports of the viuus as it seems the corona virus is just being rammed down our thoughts ?

They possibly would as long as you promise to write a coherent sentence...

[LightBulb]

Just now, Neil Down said:

They possibly would as long as you promise to write a coherent sentence...

Pardddon?

[PaulJ]

23 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

They possibly would as long as you promise to write a coherent sentence...

He could write for Howard with such a talent

[Stu Peters]

12 hours ago, Neil Down said:

Does 3FM or Energy get any handouts?

 

I object to the term 'handouts' as you would expect. But moving on, learning lessons and going forward. Why would they?* They're private businesses with shareholders established primarily to return a profit, whereas Manx Radio is owned by the people it serves, and was established to provide a public service. The cost of providing a public service needs to come from the public purse.

 

* I have no knowledge of any grants, loans or other favourable deals done by government to aid either station, someone else might.

[Stu Peters]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52037461?fbclid=IwAR1tLsy_G-mzXExRM977H2wqiBaFiCCHuUVzVWkbfK079ncrKILRsFo5nXk

 

[WTF]

2 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

I object to the term 'handouts' as you would expect. But moving on, learning lessons and going forward. Why would they?* They're private businesses with shareholders established primarily to return a profit, whereas Manx Radio is owned by the people it serves, and was established to provide a public service. The cost of providing a public service needs to come from the public purse.

 

* I have no knowledge of any grants, loans or other favourable deals done by government to aid either station, someone else might.

many charities provide a public service.

[w_n_f]

2 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

The cost of providing a public service needs to come from the public purse.

Rubbish.

Not even correct in the case of Manx Radio since part of their income comes from adverts.

 

[piebaps]

Read the report Ron/Juan https://mm.aiircdn.com/147/5dd56e79f1418.pdf

The public money supports the element which Government determine to be public service broadcasting