Manor Leas Junior School Visits Lincoln City Radio
by Baron Halpenny, LincsMag Editor.
Date: 02 November 2011
Pupils from Manor Leas Junior School visited Lincoln City Radio on Wednesday 2 November and were the first visitors to Lincoln City Radio's new studios at Commerce House in Outer Circle Road, Lincoln.
The school have recently established their own radio station and have had some input from Malcolm Thompson, Presenter and Director of Programmes at Lincoln City Radio.
Ten pupils from the school supervised by Headmaster James Greenwood and teacher Zoe Methringham went to learn not just about the interesting history of Lincoln's premier community radio station, but also to see how a radio station is run, with some lucky youngsters even becoming involved with the programme being aired by Malcolm Thompson while they visited.
For the last eighteen months the vibrant radio station has been at The Terrace in Grantham Street before a change of premises, driven by a need to control running costs and improve studio acoustics, resulted in the station moving to its new location on Monday 31 October.
Better Acoustically
"We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Rob Smith of Lincoln City Council who along with his colleagues has supported us so magnificently for the past eighteen months" said Chairman of Lincoln City Radio, Michael Richards...
"Our change of premises provides us with a studio which is far better acoustically and maintains excellent accessibility by public transport and by car with plenty of car parking space for our staff and visitors."
The pupils, and possible new radio personalities of the future, from Manor Leas Junior School were the first visitors and certainly impressed with the new premises.
"As a proactive organisation we are keen to support as many diverse community groups as possible." said Michael Richards,
"Manor Leas School have just launched their own radio station and this will prove to be a very important step in the development of its young students. We are thrilled that they want to come and see our operation, which is staffed entirely by volunteers. We currently have in excess of 140 people involved either directly or indirectly with Lincoln City Radio. For the most part we have become an accomplished radio station serving Lincoln."
A Victim of Success
But the accomplishments of Lincoln City Radio has also meant that it has become a victim of its own success, which unfortunately has worked against them as they are only allowed to raise half of their revenue by advertising, as Michael Richards explains.
"Because we play advertisements some benefactors in the city think we are just another commercial station and choose not to support us, which is quite a problem for us! We need grants and donations to stay on air and we work hard to raise revenue from a range of sources which is quite difficult in these hard economic times".
