With Radio Scilly set to launch full-time in September, Keri Jones is a busy man. But he kindly took time to give ScillyNews the latest info on exactly what he’s been up to:
‘I’m doing lots of time consuming but worthwhile backroom tasks at the moment getting ready for the station launch on FM. We will be starting a pre-launch training programme for any island resident who wants to develop the skills they need to produce or present programmes, islands’ news or features in July. The posters will be going up on all the islands, but if anyone wishes to get in touch, please contact me at Kerijones@aol.com.
It is our intention that we continue to offer any resident a chance to present a programme and get involved because that is what makes Radio Scilly fun. This isn’t radio that is worried about ratings or revenue. It is radio that will make a difference.
When we launch, we’ll be operating a live local breakfast/mid morning show of Scilly news, information, music and discussion seven days a week. In the evenings, afternoons and at the weekends there will be the usually eclectic mix of music shows presented by Islanders. Anything goes - as always!
We really want to spend a lot of time on skills training so people can do their own thing on Radio Scilly for fun or as a creative outlet or gain the skills they need pursue a full-time career in media, if they wish.
Radio Scilly will be a non-profit distributing community business. We’ve set up the organisation like this so we can access grants to fund the equipment that we need to do everything we want to do for the Islands’ community.
The grant application procedure has become my full-time job for the past few months. I have taken my laptop on holiday and was writing applications sitting overlooking the Grand Canyon and then Malibu beach, which was quite cool but surreal!
I must admit that I do find the grant application process tough. It has taken time for me to understand the language and methods of funding. I’m quite slow at it and the response time is really slow. I’m confident that we’ll get there though.
We need some grant success so we can purchase new, sturdy and reliable studio and broadcast equipment that will cope with lots of hands-on work and training use from all sorts of groups from the Youth Club to Five Islands Schools pupils and all of Steve Watt’s Springsteen CDs.
In total, we’ll need around 70,000 pounds to fund a project that will allow complete community access. We want this to be a shining example of a great community radio station - something Scilly will be proud of. If we don’t get funding for all new gear then we can still launch on time but it will be a more basic service.
If we are awarded a few smaller grants and I donate the my old studio kit thatwe used on the trials we will get on, but we’ll have to revisit the idea of off-island live broadcasts, a lot of training and the youth club and school shows until we have some funding success. My gear is 12 years old and on its last legs. It is not up to sustained use.
I’m confident we’ll get there. We have had some good luck. BT Community connections have awarded us a computer. That shaves a grand off the wish list costs and we have had a very kind donation of pre-owned broadcast equipment from Kevin and Vikki Stewart of Tindle Radio Group. They own a group of commercial stations in East Anglia and the leading stations on the Channel Islands . I suspect it was the islands thing that convinced them to help. I showed them my Scilly pictures and apparently St Mary’s looks like Alderney!?
For further updates, check out Keri’s new regularly updated blog on http://www.radioscilly.co.uk