The former BBC producer - turned Tynwald member - who is pushing for a radical new public service media strategy insists she has no hidden agenda.

Kerry Sharpe last month failed in her bid to get parliamentary backing for a select committee to look into ways of improving public service media provision but said she would not give up on the idea because the island needed a better service.

Her own report outlining her proposals will be laid before Tynwald on Tuesday - although it will not be the subject of any debate

She said: ’I don’t have a particular agenda other than nudging people into considering how best we can strengthen our public service media here in the island.

’We need an overall strategy so that the public service media licence-holder can see where they fit into the future media landscape and plan accordingly.’

Mrs Sharpe added: ’We need some kind of body which can serve as a buffer between Treasury and the licence-holder. A body which understands the financial pressures of media and the reality of the public purse, a body which can facilitate communication between the licence holder and Treasury and eliminate the endless cycle of reports we have had in recent years.’

She rejects any suggestion that her report and proposals are overly critical of Manx Radio.

’I did point out various areas of limitation at the station but these need to be seen within the context of the proposal, which asked why do we need to be considering an overall public service media strategy at this point in time?’

She added that, since she first outlined her ideas, new Manx Radio managing director Chris Sully had ’brought with him a vigorous, fresh approach’ and had ’improved on a great deal of the issues’.

In response to questions that her proposals may also show a bias towards the BBC, with whom she worked, she added: ’Pubic service media worldwide seeks to follow the basic values which were laid down by Lord Reith and embodied in the BBC, so in terms of strong, independent and impartial public service media, I am biased towards the BBC as the global beacon.

’We know that there is already a relationship between the Isle of Man and the BBC and it will be interesting to see how that relationship can be developed.’

When her call for a select committee to look into creating an overall public service media strategy was rejected, some Tynwald members warned about politicians interfering with an independent media.

The House of Keys did recently accept her amendment to the Communications Bill to change the definition of public service broadcaster so that it could apply to an outlet other than or in addition to Manx Radio.

She said this would future-proof legislation.

She added that her proposal for a public service media body did not mean its content would all have to be created in-house.

’It might be possible to have one umbrella PSM body but that not all material would necessarily need to be created in-house,’ she said. ’Written content, animation etc could be bought in from specialists.’

Her proposals were a discussion point, not definitive.

They include that one senior public service media editor to oversee output.

But Mrs Sharpe said she was not writing a job description for herself.

’If I feel I have a perspective and certain knowledge on a topic based on past experiences then I seek to apply that knowledge, hopefully, for the greater good.

’I’m not trying to create a job for myself by talking about why we need an overall public service media strategy.’