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Programme Controller Paul Johnston |
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Monday, 24 September 2007 Change in the air?
Recent and ongoing changes at the hospital have prompted me to re-think our programming. Because most of our volunteer presenters have full time jobs, the vast majority of our live output has traditionally been centred around evenings and weekends. For example, our flagship request show is on a Saturday morning, and the team do a magnificent job. But the hospital is becoming a ghost town at weekends, as more and more patients are sent home. This is for a number of reasons, including speedier treatment. Years ago, if you had a hernia operation you were in for three or four days. Now, the same operation is carried out by keyhole surgery and you're in and out in a day. That's great news for patients as they're back home quicker, and brilliant for the NHS as it saves money which can be reinvested elsewhere. But it means many wards are now closed on Saturday and Sunday. Throw into the mix the government's plans for "Super Surgeries" which will treat patients in their own neighbourhood, and it's clear to see it could all combine to present Radio Clatterbridge with a major challenge in the future. So, we are going to have to find ways of getting to the audience during weekdays, and concentrate more of our efforts on providing live programming when we know there are more patients in the hospital. That will probably mean taking on more volunteers who are free of a weekday, both to present programmes and visit wards collecting requests. I will also be looking at shifting presenters from the weekend to a weekday. And, with the support of the Trust, we need to start broadcasting not just to the wards but also to public areas that we don't currently reach such as the restaurant and the pre-op assessment centre. There is still a large audience there to be entertained and informed, but we can't afford to stand still and do things the way we always have done.
posted by Paul Johnston # Monday, September 24, 2007
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