Options
Avon FM baught back
djclewes1
Posts: 175
Forum Member
✭
We have moved to the outside of Stonehouse and i want to take the station with us. We are better off as there are development trusts and councils that are just waiting to help us which is something we never had in Larkhall it was like providing a service to a community who never gave a s**t. I have done checks and i was thinking should we bring back Avon FM. Avon FM as a community station in Stonehouse that had some great programmes aparently (before i moved to Scotland) and the only reason it closed was because it lost it's license bid to clan FM (look what happend there). Stonehouse as a lot more community spirit and it seems as if everyone trys helpping each other. It as a population of around 7000 with around 30 business. What do you think should i change the station name and basically start from scratch. Obviously it won't open any new funding doors but it might be worth focusing on a small community instead of a big community that doesn't seem to give a dam. I am sure a few people will enjoy commenting on this as a few are aware of Avon FM in the past. (Does not mean i will use the name Avon FM but it is likely).
0
Comments
i like how some people just avoid the question and try and start something totally different.
There is a logic to serving a smaller, more narrowly focused area. It is easier to create awareness in a smaller area, and there is more of a novelty factor. In a sense it would be more narrowcasting than broadcasting, rather like hospital or campus radio. So people in a more closely knit community might be more likely to listen or get involved.
But there is a lot of me that thinks the radio boat in Lanarkshire has sailed. The original licencing competition that Clan FM won was very divisive due to factions in rival groups, Clan FM/The Edge/L107 in all their forms is widely documented, your own project decided against going for a community licence in this round and plainly your recent experiences with Diversity have been less than satisfactory................
Lanarkshire radio has never been a happy place. You plainly have passion and enthusiasm for community radio, so why don't you just become involved with one of the many existing CR stations/projects such as nearby Camglen Radio and assist them in the setting up of their forthcoming service? Once you are in the door what you have to offer will soon be recognised and you will get to play a major role.
You have no doubt heard less than complimentary things about me- most of which and indeed more- are true so you will take my words with a pinch of salt. But all I say is think carefully before putting more good time after bad.
The station helped to launch the careers of Steven Scott, Colin Paterson and even gave the return of Paul Meisak, whilst dozens of other people involved with the station found careers in the broadcasting industry in other capacities in other parts of the country.
I also became the person that was responsible for the station's sound, making it sound like The Bay in Lanacaster, for which Avon FM was Scotland's first soft-AC station, long before Smooth Radio, a little bit before Discover/Wave 102 in Dundee (who used Avon FM's playlist in part) and before Radio 2 repositioned itself from being an easy listening station for the over-50's to what it is today.
The station was simply named after the river that flows through the area.
If, hypothetically, Avon FM was to return, a suitable transmitter site that I already identified when I was trying to find sites for LC Radio, would give excellent coverage to Stonehouse and Strathaven (but not Larkhall), as well as the rural communities in between and on the edge, for which the river is a prominent landmark.
By the way, the "bad experience" that Rich is referring to is the attempt to find new premises, i.e. land (blades of grass) to put a portacabin on, for which we had seriously progressed with the plans. Unfortunately we found that the local councillor's words were not worth much and were the entire opposite of those said to us by the Council, which ultimately led to us having no premises to broadcast from in Larkhall and the ones we had occupied were less than suitable.
you know black label over the last few post i have really liked your honesty. Have you been drinking mellow birds as you do seem to of mellowed down about and i am respecting your opinions more and to be honest that is something i never thought id do.
ha you can say that again. I like how some council really help there community where as our council seems to only help the community the week before elections and the week after fail to deliver there promises. I would respect the councillors more if they were honest and said i am not so sure let me find out and i will call you back with a honest opinion and maybe a idea of the time line.
People who pick up on spelling and punctuation normally have nothing to say. Can you imagine being in the pub with such person not listening to what you say but how you say it? :eek: Its enough to turn a mellow, quiet person into a raging lunatic.
Every time I see one of those 'correctional' posts - I think of a certain annoying Harry Enfield character. They are annoying as the simpletons that end every conversation with - "simples" ***Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!*** :mad::mad::mad:
is there a block user feature on this forum as i don't really care for people that are total d***s.
I don't really judge people by what they have done in the past after all people can change. I judge people for myself there attitude and what they do for me. If they help me i will respect that person or if they give good advice i will respect that also.
Old age and common sense is catching up.
With just 25 watts, that's all that can really happen ... unless after the mass migration of BBC and national commercial services to DAB that frequencies become available for higher power and relay transmitters. Having said that, in this instance, due to the topography, a 25 watt transmitter with directional antenna from certain sites will also cover Strathaven and out towards Drumclog.
Your confusing small-scale radio with community radio. The former required wages, rates and many other expenses to be paid, community radio stations have fewer bills to pay.
As for "factions in rival groups," I was there, you weren't. There wasn't any factions that I'm aware of. There was people who took advantage of the SALLY licence and wanted to serve their own areas of Lanarkshire. Avon FM was basically the area from Larkhall down to the Beattock Summit and across to the East via Carluke. CLAN FM, as the name suggested, was for Central Lanarkshire, i.e. Motherwell, Hamilton and onwards to Cumbernauld. Eklipse FM was for the big EK. The other one (XL) was the only true competitor against Clan FM and wanted to serve the same area. Lanarkshire FM was a christian group with a good news ethos. That's well documented.
CLAN FM won the licence at a time in which nobody really knew how successful (financially) incremental stations were going to be. Troubled with weak and badly placed transmitters (blame the initial licence applicants for that) in an area where people don't know how to use aerials on their radios because of the sheer strength of signals from Black Hill and CLAN was on a hiding to nothing. Still, Lanarkshire did have local radio of its own fro 11 years.
... on advice from funding organisations ......
Blame those in local authorities and political authority, the latter of which seems to get paid to talk shit and say what their constituents want to hear, without actually having any substance to their (amazing and very promising) claims and also without having adequate communication with the local authority. Pity, really ... because I have formed good relationships with local politicians in my previous home who took things to a successful conclusion - but the ones in my new home town seem to say "I can" when they actually mean "It's beyond my power - but I'll make you feel good for a few moments."
Puncuation?? :rolleyes:
Can't believe I'm still reading about L107. I like it.:)
Before I can comment on punctuation, I need to learn how to type, or get spell check to correct my teh's.
Ya ' all have a good weekend.
Gonna get a bite and come back for Ned N Maria's country show.
Am I right or do I need to see my doctor?
It's also only for people who wish to make the poster look stupid or aka trolls