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Who is funding Spirit Radio ?

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  • 20-04-2015 9:00pm
    #1
    John Joe Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 297 ✭✭


    Who is really bank rolling that farce of a radio staion ? Why have the bai allowed them get away with so much


«13

Comments

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    #2
    Geniass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Geniass


    Get away with what?

    They have sponsors and don't pay as much for the infrastructure AFAIK.


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    #3
    tessat
    Registered Users Posts: 77 ✭✭tessat


    Get this, from the wiki page they are a registered charity and survives on donations and volunteers.
    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Radio


  • Options
    #4
    John Joe Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 297 ✭✭John Joe Jones


    Geniass wrote: »
    Get away with what?

    They got their licence on the basis of being an national Medium wave station in the republic of Ireland, yet their only mw transmitter has better coverage in another jurisdiction.


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    #5
    Expunge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭Expunge


    According to this.. http://www.spiritradio.ie/about/public-financial/

    SPIRIT costs 37,000 a month to run.
    Cheap as chips with all those FM transmitters, I would have thought.

    Remember, spend spend and God will send!:)


  • Options
    #6
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    Cork is a bit overloaded with religious radio. We've Spirit and Life FM.


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  • Options
    #7
    parasite
    Registered Users Posts: 2,077 ✭✭✭parasite


    http://bocktherobber.com/2013/06/what-exactly-is-the-iona-institute/ some clues there


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    #8
    Expunge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭Expunge


    Again from the Spirit website..........

    "Our board of directors are unpaid and represent a broad spectrum of the Christian community. Spirit Radio is a Not For Profit organisation and has charitable status."

    Also, all the directors names and images are there for all the world to see, including Dermot Mannion (Aer Lingus fame) and Sean Ashmore (4FM/Sunshine) and many others.

    It's not so much their existence that bothers me. It's what sort of an audience are they trying to attract? As I write this, I'm hearing Olly Murs and piss poor presentation. They also play a lot of annoying US Contemporary Christian music.

    What is Spirit Radio? A station for US style Christian Evangelicals or Irish Catholics?
    'Cause I don't think you can super serve both in this country.


  • Options
    #9
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,618 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Expunge wrote: »
    What is Spirit Radio? A station for US style Christian Evangelicals or Irish Catholics?
    'Cause I don't think you can super serve both in this country.

    Its definitely not aimed at Catholics.


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    #10
    Geniass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Geniass


    L1011 wrote: »
    Its definitely not aimed at Catholics.

    It's aimed at Christians, of which Catholics are a subset.


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    #11
    Expunge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭Expunge


    L1011 wrote: »
    Its definitely not aimed at Catholics.

    Well, that might be the problem so.
    A bit more Rosary reciting and 'Faith of Our Fathers' type content might bring a bigger flock - old time religion, you might say.

    All that Protestant Scripture quoting and Christian Rock from Georgia and Alabama will do nothing for the underserved traditional Catholics in the Rep of Ireland.

    Likewise, bonging bells and auld wans (of both sexes) on their knees reciting Catholic prayers will not entice the Evangelicals.

    There's probably a larger audience to be had chasing older Catholics than Evangelicals in the Republic of Ireland. Although, the age profile would be high.


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  • Options
    #12
    Expunge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭Expunge


    Geniass wrote: »
    It's aimed at Christians, of which Catholics are a subset.


    Bit more than a subset in the Republic of Ireland, I would have thought.

    Still 85 per cent (nominally) RC, according to the last Census.


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    #13
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,618 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Geniass wrote: »
    It's aimed at Christians, of which Catholics are a subset.

    Its very much evangelical, which Catholics are not though.

    Catholics are much less likely to open their wallets to fund a niche media service than any evangelicals are, as can be seen in the US where its pretty common yet there's minimal Catholic religious channels - EWTN being the exception.


  • Options
    #14
    Geniass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Geniass


    L1011 wrote: »
    Its very much evangelical, which Catholics are not though.

    Catholics are much less likely to open their wallets to fund a niche media service than any evangelicals are, as can be seen in the US where its pretty common yet there's minimal Catholic religious channels - EWTN being the exception.

    I seem to recall that at least one major funder/infrastructure provider is an Irish Catholic.


  • Options
    #15
    Geniass
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Geniass


    Expunge wrote: »
    Bit more than a subset in the Republic of Ireland, I would have thought.

    That's more to do with your lack of understanding of what a subset is.


  • Options
    #16
    Chloris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 535 ✭✭✭Chloris


    The worst part of my day driving is when I have to hurriedly flick by Spirit and Life FM without letting any freaky indoctrination seep out.


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    #17
    Expunge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭Expunge


    Geniass wrote: »
    That's more to do with your lack of understanding of what a subset is.

    Oh right, thanks for your correction. Subset: part of a larger set. Great!

    It's more to do with the dominant profession of Christians in this country being Roman Catholic, with culturally very little in common with small (but growing) other Christian sects.
    Next largest Christian group would be Church of Ireland at around 2 per cent of the population.
    There's not much for either of those two groups on Spirit Radio, in my view.
    But if ya like happy,clappy Christian Rock from American South - it's just the thing!

    But yes, you are correct. There do seem to be a number of Catholics funding or supporting Spirit Radio.


  • Options
    #18
    radioland
    Closed Accounts Posts: 103 ✭✭radioland


    John Joe Jones wrote: »
    Who is really bank rolling that farce of a radio staion ? Why have the bai allowed them get away with so much

    My recollection is that the funding of this station is transparent with donations from listeners and some resources put in by Christian faiths. I don't have an issue with. Id personally be far more concerned about the amount of Irish radio and newspapers owned by Denis O'Brien

    If you don't like Spirit , switch it off


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    #19
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 12,962 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    tessat wrote: »
    Get this, from the wiki page they are a registered charity and survives on donations and volunteers.
    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_Radio

    When they started off, they had full time paid on and off air staff and a commitment to partake in the JNLR.

    They stopped paying the majority of staff after 8 months of going on air after they took in next to no advertisement income. At a staff meeting to break the bad news it emerged that all their wages had been drawn from a cash bond put forward before they went on air.

    They also mysteriously pulled out of a book 2 years ago within days of it's release and currently provide no credible researched listenership figures. It is a condition of their licence that they must provide same should they opt out of the JNLR.

    On their regular donation pledges, it would be interesting to see how much of their income comes from same and crucially, a cash breakdown of same. As it stands we can't be sure what they say comes in actually comes in. Unlike many charitable bodies who solicit donations Spirit don't have any published accounts so its very hard to find out what income and outgoings they have.


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    #20
    joseph brand
    Registered Users Posts: 4,537 ✭✭✭joseph brand


    "Spirit Radio is a Not For Profit organisation and has charitable status."

    All their earnings (donations) are tax free? Sweet.
    Christians – Working Together

    Spirit Radio is bringing Christians together from a wide range of backgrounds. At the heart of the Christian Gospel is the message that God has sent his son Jesus Christ to redeem us and bring us into a relationship with himself – this is the Good News that Spirit Radio seeks to communicate to people across Ireland.

    It's a lot easier than knocking at doors, looking for suckers converts.

    Personally I prefer some adult radio, so I'll be sticking with Newstalk.


  • Options
    #21
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    I hope they're being monitored for referendum balance compliance.

    I'm not suggesting that they're not making a big effort to be balanced but it's just that religious groups and the No campaign seem to go hand in hand so I would imagine being a Christian radio station couldn't be an easy task for the next few weeks.

    I think one might have to just avoid discussing the topic entirely!


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  • Options
    #22
    Ferrier
    Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭Ferrier


    I think they're doing a great job. More interested in making a difference than making a profit. Don't know any other Irish radio station you can say that about.


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    #23
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 12,962 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    Ferrier wrote: »
    I think they're doing a great job. More interested in making a difference than making a profit. Don't know any other Irish radio station you can say that about.

    They have that little in the way of ad revenue coming in that making a profit will never ever be something they will have to worry about ;)


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    #24
    joseph brand
    Registered Users Posts: 4,537 ✭✭✭joseph brand


    Ferrier wrote: »
    I think they're doing a great job. More interested in making a difference than making a profit. Don't know any other Irish radio station you can say that about.

    Never trust the 'holier-than-thou' types, would be my advice. Take it or leave it. It always transpires that they have ulterior motives, usually money. It's not rocket surgery. Just look at the big 'Donation' banners on their website along with tax exemption and the words 'filling their pockets' comes to mind.
    Spirit Radio plays the best contemporary Christian music

    Personally, I find 'contemporary Christian music' lacking in originality and quality whilst also being a bit creepy. Maybe that's just me.

    On the subject of religious radio, I discovered Taliban FM! Not much to it, just deafening silence.


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    #25
    Technocentral
    Registered Users Posts: 6,101 ✭✭✭Technocentral


    As they say "The Devil has all the best radio stations"


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    #26
    Fuzzy Clam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,293 ✭✭✭Fuzzy Clam


    549 AM silent carrier for the last couple of days and now off air completely.


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    #27
    Infoanon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,619 ✭✭✭Infoanon


    Fuzzy Clam wrote: »
    549 AM silent carrier for the last couple of days and now off air completely.

    Nothing on their website,AM is costly to run but would Spirit really risk upsetting the BAI and switch off AM ? And would the BAI have the guts to pull the plug on Spirit for breaching its licence?


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    #28
    Antenna
    Registered Users Posts: 2,305 ✭✭✭Antenna


    Fuzzy Clam wrote: »
    549 AM silent carrier for the last couple of days and now off air completely.

    Just checked on caradio and its back on

    comparing the two, the audio on 549kHz is lagging Spirit's Cork 90.9 FM by about 1 second.


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    #29
    Infoanon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,619 ✭✭✭Infoanon


    Antenna wrote: »
    Just checked on caradio and its back on

    comparing the two, the audio on 549kHz is lagging Spirit's Cork 90.9 FM by about 1 second.

    Thanks,no need to have AM and FM in sync


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    #30
    Fuzzy Clam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,293 ✭✭✭Fuzzy Clam


    Antenna wrote: »
    Just checked on caradio and its back on

    comparing the two, the audio on 549kHz is lagging Spirit's Cork 90.9 FM by about 1 second.

    Yes, came back late morning or early afternoon. Must have been a technical glitch :)
    Still seem to be on lower power than when they first came on though. My guess about 6 Kw now.


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    #31
    Fuzzy Clam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,293 ✭✭✭Fuzzy Clam


    Infoanon wrote: »
    Thanks,no need to have AM and FM in sync

    No need but it's good practice.

    I've heard RTE's 252 at various latency times over the years, compared with FM. Sometimes as much as 2 secs behind.


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