Manx Radio

[asitis]

46 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

HMS Urley was little more than a worthless concrete military installation when Manx Radio was first offered it (presumably by IOMG). Generations of MR engineers have knocked it into some sort of shape where it's now fit for purpose as Broadcasting House, but probably unsuitable for anything much else but knocking down to be replaced by yuppie flats. Would you prefer that? I'd be quite happy to broadcast from a warehouse out of town, but the move would probably cost more than you'd save. And government isn't very good at selling supposedly 'prime' developement sites so it would probably just be left to rot.

If it saved taxpayers money in MR having less debt to service, then yes I would prefer that.

[piebaps]

As things stand £1.175m is around 1 year of subvention (£875k in 2019, £980k budgeted in 2020).

If the building was sold for its estimated value, the sale proceeds cover 1 year. It must then find suitable other premises. Do these come from the £1.175m or are they rented? If rented you're simply increasing the operating costs for not just one year either.

I'm kinda with Stu here. We have nearly 400 pages of what is little more than poison being spat by the same small group of individuals. The expenditure is less than 1% of Government expenditure.

I'm not calling conspiracy here, but its beiginning to sound like an orchestrated campaign. I would say the £6m being spent dredging Peel for annual income of £132k more worthy of 400 pages of poison.

[Albert Tatlock]

I assume many MR staff are currently working from home?

If that model works...and no evidence it isn't, continue and extend that model post-covid19 and you need far smaller premises...and far less people on permanent contracts.

[Neil Down]

14 minutes ago, piebaps said:

As things stand £1.175m is around 1 year of subvention (£875k in 2019, £980k budgeted in 2020).

If the building was sold for its estimated value, the sale proceeds cover 1 year. It must then find suitable other premises. Do these come from the £1.175m or are they rented? If rented you're simply increasing the operating costs for not just one year either.

I'm kinda with Stu here. We have nearly 400 pages of what is little more than poison being spat by the same small group of individuals. The expenditure is less than 1% of Government expenditure.

I'm not calling conspiracy here, but its beiginning to sound like an orchestrated campaign. I would say the £6m being spent dredging Peel for annual income of £132k more worthy of 400 pages of poison.

Plus at the end of all this, if you don't like it then don't listen. As I said earlier, our elected buffoons have pulled our collective pants down and spanked us on many things. MR hardly enters the equation

[yootalkin2me]

1 hour ago, Stu Peters said:

They are not required to provide the same level of service. What they do is great if you just want background music and a few news headlines, but 'more music' stations costs a fraction of what a full-service local station does. Manx Radio could compete directly with them if the government gave the station to those operating it (to run as an unsupported workers co-op maybe), but it would simply become another jukebox station with no real news, current affairs, community programming, farming, specialist music, sport, religion, Manx Gaelic, outside broadcasts, phone-ins or documentary series (and much more). 

Thank you Stu, with this info I am happy for my tax scheckles to subsidise Manx Radio and I may even listen to it on the odd occasion.

[yootalkin2me]

1 hour ago, Stu Peters said:

They are not required to provide the same level of service. What they do is great if you just want background music and a few news headlines, but 'more music' stations costs a fraction of what a full-service local station does. Manx Radio could compete directly with them if the government gave the station to those operating it (to run as an unsupported workers co-op maybe), but it would simply become another jukebox station with no real news, current affairs, community programming, farming, specialist music, sport, religion, Manx Gaelic, outside broadcasts, phone-ins or documentary series (and much more). 

Thank you Stu, with this info I am happy for my tax scheckles to subsidise Manx Radio and I may even listen to it on the odd occasion.

[Donald Trumps]

I thought they'd stopped phone-ins

[Donald Trumps]

Certainly no questioning politicans on a Sunday lunchtime

[gettafa]

49 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said:

I assume many MR staff are currently working from home?

If that model works...and no evidence it isn't, continue and extend that model post-covid19 and you need far smaller premises...and far less people on permanent contracts.

BBC have shown, since Desmond Carrington nearly 25 years ago, that all you need is a front room/home office and you can broadcast to the world.

In fact Manx Radio are showing it now with Chris Williams.

With all that is going on, broadcasting is going to change. And I think Gov are going to find that that £million sitting up on Douglas Head is going to be very much needed. Maybe Manx Radio will be broadcasting from a bunker on an industrial estate. And that may be no bad thing.

Edited April 5, 2020 by gettafa

[Donald Trumps]

Is Williams broadcasting from the People's Republic of Peel?

[finlo]

10 minutes ago, Donald Trumps said:

Is Williams broadcasting from the People's Republic of Peel?

Yarp.

[Donald Trumps]

Wowser!

[hissingsid]

Manx Radio has good parts no doubt about that but it does need to up its game it comes across as being amateur and when it is getting subsidised by the taxpayers it needs to get more professional.   I realise there is not a lot of news around because of the current situation but yesterday’s morning news was practically the same as Friday teatimes.   Come on, make an effort.

[On The Bus]

4 hours ago, piebaps said:

The expenditure is less than 1% of Government expenditure.

An therein lies the problem. Anything that could/should be cut is always defended as being 'only 1%' or 'only 2%'. The trainspotters use exactly the same logic. 

At the end of the day it's all stuff the Government should not be spending money on. The time for smaller and smarter Government is now.

[gettafa]

13 minutes ago, On The Bus said:

The time for smaller and smarter Government is now.

Actually the time was nearly 9 years ago when the phrase appeared on election manifestos, and then again 5 years later. 

Statistics show government has grown bigger and of course somewhat dumber.

We have become immune to the phrase and it is a standard throwaway homily to be seen on manifestos next year. It does sound rather good though and is a sure vote catcher. Seriously though, what does that mean and how do you make a government smarter - answer by voting 'me' in. No one ever got a vote by saying make government thicker and bigger.

Edited April 5, 2020 by gettafa