Standards in Local Radio

[action man]

This morning I listened to MNWR broadcast a mass from Mayo.

The proceddings included a choir and music group.

The entire broadcast was done on a telephone, not a reportafone but a telephone, held manually up to a speaker in the church.

Youc ould hear the phone rattle and the cough of the person holding it drown out the priests sermon.

Is this what local radio is about?

[Justin Speck]

I've heard other stations do sports over a phone line. I know finances are often tight but!

I suppose the big question is: what do the listeners think? Are they just happy to hear their Mass or match regardless of quality or does the poor quality just turn off?

J

[scanman]

I read in the Mayo News that Paul Claffey is involved with some
consortium with an application for the Midlands licence ???

Heartland/s FM Laois, Offaly & Westmeath; BCI would do well to
drop MR3 the next chance they get. They fluffed an obituary back
in early June, obviously had not read the details B4 going on air,
broadcast the wrong church for the funeral, and then corrected it two minutes later only after an ad break, so money is King at MR3.

[Dogger]

In my station we broadcast Mass once a month and always by Comrex... close to ISDN quality. Same for match commentaries and other OBs. The day of the normal phone line I thought was well dead.

[Radio Mad]

Ask NewsTalk 106. They seem to deem it appropriate to broadcast an item, over an hour in duration, down a telephone line.

To be perfectly honest, the nationals, RTÉ and Today FM, make use of this outdated method of communication far too often.

[JamesDeane]

There should be no problem with match commentary's over a standard DEL(phone line) if a reportafone is being used, it may not be perfect but is satisfactory for local radio who cant afford to install an ISDN at high cost and maintenance in all of their grounds

If you use comrex or hotbox, you need several and you cant do a comrex link at one match and then hand over to a phone line quality commentary at another, A Comrex box costs just short of €4,000 as far as I know!

The MWR mass should not have been broadcast over a phoneline, if the ISDN or link went down and they hadnt a reportafone the broadcast should have been abandoned

I recall doing my first link from a mobile one day because the ISDN wouldnt lock to the station but I hadnt the phone to my ear, I sat int he OB as if I was doing any link, the mixer was linked to a mobile flipjack.

Local radio doesnt have to be CNN or the BBC but an effort and investment has to be put in by management and if it isnt you cant blame the guys on the ground.