Manx Radio returned to profit last year despite the impact of the Covid pandemic.

Its latest annual report, for the financial year 2020-21, reveals that the broadcaster did not call upon any of the additional £200,000 Covid support approved by Treasury.

A £64,540 loss the previous year was converted into a profit of £36,659, thanks in part to cost savings.

But the broadcaster’s government subvention (subsidy) also increased from £899,830 to £995,000 for the year, as agreed by Tynwald in October 2019, and this financed 46% of the station’s expenditure. Turnover from continuing operations was £1,199,197, down 9% from the figure of £1,315,463 the previous year.

Chairman Bill Mummery said despite the impact of the pandemic, total turnover was only £14,926 (1%) below its normal average annual turnover.

He said in his foreword to the annual report: ’Given the challenges and uncertainty both for Manx Radio and our commercial airtime partners, this is I believe a very creditable performance and is one that bodes well for the path to recovery.’

Operating expenses of £2,156,663 were £120,847, or 5%, below the previous year.

Mr Mummery said that while cost savings were implemented to get the company through the tough Covid period, all of the savings and changes in practices will not be sustainable.

’We anticipate some of the expenses to return to previous levels,’ he said.

Some of the savings are also explained by the usual schedule of outside broadcasts not taking place including those from the Southern Show, the Royal Show and Parish Walk.

furlough

Manx Radio did not benefit in any way from any government financial Covid-19 support schemes or furlough payments, the annual report notes.

Additional coronavirus support amounting to £200,000 was offered by the government a month after the 2020 state of emergency ended.

But despite two further periods of lockdown in the island in January and March 2021, this was never drawn down and, the report states, the broadcaster ’weathered the Covid-19 pandemic with no support of any sort from the government other than its routine subvention payments’.

Total funding available for Manx Radio confirmed in this year’s government Budget was £1,228,722, which included the £995,000 subvention plus income of £83,722 and a grant of £150,000 for minor capital works following the transfer of the AM and FM transmission networks from Department of Home Affairs.

During the year, the chairman received remuneration of £9,903, up slightly from £9,709 in 2020.

The other non-executive directors received £6,617 each pro-rata, up from £6,487 each the previous year.

Presenter Alex Brindley was appointed to the board of directors in April this year.

The average number of employees during the year was 31 compared to 32 the previous year.

A planned redevelopment of Broadcasting House has been deferred, as the board considered a request for project funding to be ’currently inappropriate’ given the Covid-19 government funding required for the wider economy during 2020 and 2021.

’The board will revisit the scheme at a future date,’ the annual report notes.