Regulator finds Manx Radio breached public service remit

Manx Radio has breached its public service broadcasting licence by repeatedly failing to provide enough speech-led content, according to a damning investigation by the island’s communications regulator.

The Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority (CURA) found the taxpayer-funded broadcaster fell below its requirement for at least 40% speech output on eight of the 10 weekdays examined.

Manx Radio receives £1.388m in annual government funding, known as a subvention, to support its public-service broadcasting role.

CURA said the shortfalls were neither isolated nor exceptional and concluded the station had failed to meet its licence obligations, despite having been warned about concerns over its speech content earlier this year.

It is now proposing to direct Manx Radio to restrict its Manx Radio Gold service on AM during daytime hours until the combined output of its AM and FM services meets the 40% threshold.

The proposed direction follows an investigation into broadcasts during two weeks in April and May. The regulator examined the station’s recordings, programme schedules and its own assessment of speech output.

The licence requires speech to account for at least 40% of total output between 6am and 7pm on weekdays, apart from specified exceptions such as the TT and bank holidays.

CURA identified Manx Radio Gold, a predominantly music-based service carried on the station’s AM frequency, as the main cause of the shortfall.

While the FM service averaged 51.51% speech in Manx Radio’s own assessment, its AM output averaged only 20%. The station’s combined figure was 35.75%, below the required level.

CURA said the combined output fell short on eight days, including all five weekdays examined during the second monitoring period.

The authority also rejected Manx Radio’s argument that higher speech output during events such as Tynwald sittings could offset lower figures on other days. It said the licence did not allow the station to compensate for repeated shortfalls by exceeding the requirement at other times.

The regulator further found that changes Manx Radio introduced in April had failed to meaningfully address the problem, despite concerns having been raised previously.

Manx Radio had argued that the monitoring periods did not reflect its wider annual output, that speech percentages alone did not capture the value of its public service programming, and that a jointly agreed assessment methodology was needed.

However, CURA said it had assessed the actual broadcast output across the relevant periods and that the absence of an agreed methodology did not prevent it from determining whether the station had complied with its licence.

The authority acknowledged the wider contribution of Manx Radio’s programming but said this did not override the specific speech requirement.

Manx Radio managing director Chris Sully, speaking in a Manx Radio interview, said the issue stemmed from the launch of Gold, which reduced the amount of speech carried on AM.

He said the station has now changed its schedule so Gold now runs on AM until midday, after which the frequency switches back to speech-led programming, including Mannin Line, Island Life and The Home Run.

Mr Sully said the changes meant the combined output was now above the required figure and that Manx Radio would continue working with CURA.

CURA’s proposed direction is not yet final. Manx Radio has 28 days from the notice’s issue to make representations before the regulator confirms its decision.

CURA is the independent authority responsible for regulating communications and utilities in the Isle of Man, including overseeing Manx Radio’s public service broadcasting licence.

Separately, Manx Radio is understood to be conducting a formal investigation following an incident in which veteran journalist Paul Moulton said he was ordered to leave the station and told to ‘get lost’. The incident prompted an official complaint from Mr Moulton in August.

Manx Radio was approached for an update but did not respond.