Welsh mag marks landmark year

Editor David Hardy has just produced the latest edition of Yr Ardd.

The A4 glossy is the magazine of the National Botanic Garden of Wales and this season celebrates the attraction’s 10th birthday.

Its features include a welcome from Garden director Rosie Plummer, arguing strongly for extended Assembly funding, news that rugby’s Gareth Edwards is now honorary president and a piece on a 10th birthday cake created by volunteer Alison Howell.

Favourite

My favourite items, however, remain the forthcoming events and activities.

As always, they’re a fragrant propagation of niche interest, super-popular and splendid curiosity.

Amongst the entries in the niche category flutters a lifelong learning course in January: Painting Leaves in Watercolour. Students will tackle the mixing of greens, will paint vein structure and wil capture a variety of surface textures.

Water lilies

On October 30, they can attend Painting Autumn Leaves and Berries; on November 13 it’s Painting Fruit and Vegetables. There’s more through the spring but I’ll be waiting for the water lilies course – apparently there’s money in them.

The most popular events in the coming weeks are likely to be Christmas-themed temptations such as a tree decorating competition for schools, Santa’s grotto and a December 11-12 craft and food fair.

One of the year’s most enchanting occasions at Llanarthne comes a week and a bit before December 25 when it’s Carols at the Garden evening.

Oddball

More oddball will be lifelong learning programme’s Doorstops to Die For sessions, with designs featuringchickens, turkeys and rabbits. Even the blurb describes it wonderfully as “something dfferent and a little silly.”

Failing that, there’s always improvers classes for beekeepers, quilting and cushion making for those “petrified” of patchwork and plenty of woodturning advice.

Now if that’s not worth Assembly funding, what is?

Wales' council papers face double hit

Council newspapers across Wales will come under closer scrutiny than ever this month.

The Comprehensive Spending Review will shine a spotlight on all such none-frontline publicly funded services.

It could mean the end - or radical changes at least - to Swansea Council's The Leader, Neath Port Talbot partnership freesheet Community Spirit and Carmarthenshire Council's Community News.

In a pincer movement, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is determined to stop taxpayers' money being spent on "frivolous town hall propaganda papers" at a time when many local papers are struggling to survive.

Banned

Under proposed new Government rules, councils will be banned from publishing newspapers in direct competition to local press.

News trade magazine Press Gazette has this week's best coverage of the issue.

It quotes Pickles as saying: "An independent local press is an essential part of our open democracy, helping local people scrutinise and hold elected councillors to account.

"The rules around council publicity have been too weak for too long allowing public money to be spent on frivolous town hall propaganda papers that have left many local newspapers looking over the abyss - weakening our free press - or to use 'hired-gun' lobbyists that operate in the shadows to bulldoze special interests through.

Focus

"The proposals I am publishing will close off these inappropriate practices and make sure that councils focus taxpayers' money on where it should be spent - protecting frontline services."

The Local Government Association argues that local authority newsletters are intended to keep residents informed about what their council was doing.

For contrasting views on the issue, read media commentator Dan Sabbagh and traditional local paper the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle.

Bay Radio bosses celebrate West Wales scoop

Exciting times at Town and Country Broadcasting have just become a little more exciting.
The parent company of stations such as Bay, Scarlet, Carmarthenshire and Nation has just acquired a new Welsh stablemate.
The hook-up with Radio Ceredigion has TCB bosses claiming to now have Wales' largest commercial radio group. It's an incredible expansion tale with roots in the launch of the well-received Radio Pembrokeshire just eight years ago.
TCB now operates seven commercial radio stations in Wales, giving it FM coverage across all of south and west Wales and more widespread coverage across the area than any other commercial radio company.
Ceredigion is a local station aimed at the country's mid-west coast. In Swansea Bay you can tune in online at http://www.radioceredigion.co.uk/.
TCB managing director Martin Mumford told Media Master: “Today is another landmark for our company. Over the next few weeks we’ll be building a quality local radio service for Ceredigion with great music, county news and entertaining and informative programming in Welsh and English.
"The station will become a positive force for local businesses and stakeholders in Ceredigion by offering them a professional environment where they can promote their goods and services”.
TCB started Radio Pembrokeshire in 2002 and has grown to become one of Wales’ fastest growing media businesses. Its portfolio includes Bridge FM in Bridgend and TCB recently recorded its highest ever weekly audience of 215,000 listeners.

Media tales set to inspire Carmarthenshire business

I've just put the finishing touches to the April newslettter of Carmarthenshire's FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) branch.
This will be the fourth monthly missive emailed to members by the branch committee.
It's a great way of keeping the 600 county-wide members in touch with the local, regional and Welsh worlds of business.
The membership is so diverse that not every news items will interest them all. However, the hope is that there's plenty to inspire.
April's edition includes:
Click News of Chancellor Alistair Darling delivering Budget help for small businesses
Click A House of Commons reception highlighting the need for a publicly owned bank run through the Post Office Network.
Click Businesses heading for Llanelli’s Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club to learn how to tap into the lucrative golfing tourism market.
Click News of an industrial park that could create 1,500 jobs for Carmarthenshire or Neath.

Figures cheer for Swansea Bay broadcast teams

It was sweaty palm time for Swansea's broadcasters on Thursday.
Latest listener figures were being released by Rajar, the Radio Joint Audience Research body.
That means, in the case of our commercial services, advertising messages can be tweaked accordingly.
If you'd like them analysing more closely and as to how they relate to your own enterprise just give me a shout on 07758 745240.
UK-wide headline figues included:

• 46 million adults tune into radio each week
• Digital radio ownership is up 13% year on year
• Listening to radio via mobile phone is up 7% year on year

The Swansea area's local figures included (in alphabetical order for audited stations only, period: 3 months to Dec 2009):

Bay Radio
Potential audience 454,000
Listeners 38,000
% reach 8

BBC Radio Cymru
Potential audience 2,504,000
Listeners 145,000
% reach 6

BBC Radio Wales
Potential audience 2,504,000
Listeners 411,000
% reach 16

Nation
Potential audience 1,405,000
Listeners 89,000
% reach 6

Radio Carmarthenshire
Potential audience 127,000
Listeners 38,000
% reach 30

Real Radio
Potential audience 1,781,000
Listeners 419,000
% reach 24

Swansea Sound
Potential audience 454,000
Listeners 78,000
% reach 17

The Wave
Potential audience 454,000
Listeners 138,000
% reach 30

One or two stations were quick off the mark to celebrate success.
Presenters on Swansea Sound and The Wave busily plugged the fact that figures were healthy.
The older of the two sister stations, medium wave operator Swansea Sound flagged up the fact that its listener figures were up 3,000 (1%) on the previous quarter.
Breakfast show presenters on its more brash FM sibling were over the moon that figures showed them being heard by three in 10 of the Swansea Bay adult population every week.
Andy Griffiths, broadcast director of Bay, Nation and Carmarthenshire's Town & Country Broadcasting, said: "Nation led us to our best ever results. It stormed ahead in the ratings and became the UK’s fastest growing station.
"Nation's listening figures were up almost 300% on this time last year and up over 60% in the past three months."
Town & Country has a total audience of 215,000 weekly listeners across South Wales.
The group’s stations include Radio Pembrokeshire, Llanelli's Scarlet FM and Bridgend's Bridge FM.
All told, a healthy outlook in tough economic times for the local broadcasters. Good reason for the commercial sector to think seriously about using the platforms for promotional opportunities.
For advice, you know where to come.

Greetings to a new Swansea Bay editor

It was a pleasure to sit down with the Swansea Bay media's newest editor this week.
Harry Mottram may not be a name too recognisable to many of us in this area - but such unfamiliarity shouldn't last long.
He's in charge of a magazine due to launch across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire this year.
It's called Primary Times and is already franchised to other areas of the UK. These include three titles of which Harry is already in charge - Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
It hits an interesting niche market - that of primary schools. Harry's team aim to ensure that it carries material of interest to pupils, parents and teachers. Its positive outlook means it'll probably be welcomed by the Swansea Bay education sector. Harry's hope is that it'll be made available in primary schools and libraries across the region.
It has a projected print run of around 70,000 and is being run by an arm of the Northcliffe media empire, known hereabouts for its helming of the South Wales Evening Post, Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal, Swansea Life, Swansea Bay Business Life and Swansea Herald of Wales.
Flicking through a sample Avon edition that Harry brought down, it's clearly a confident publication that sees value in itself and its readership.
Nicely designed, it's got an editorial content of around 50%, including a strong listings section. The advertisers include some very decent attractions - Bristol's Blue Reef Aquarium, St John Ambulance, Bath Council, Bristol Zoo and the city's Old Vic Theatre.
There's a lot of paid-for promotion too for schools from the public and private sectors, a soccer school and the National Museum Cardiff.
Primary Times, under different proprietorship, tried to break the Swansea Bay market several years ago but was a tad unattractive in design and content terms. This time it's different and I predict success.
Launch date? My money's on autumn.
Those interested in advertising or aiming editorial at the new magazine should give me a call on 07758 745240.

Swansea Bay broadcaster awaits listener figs

There was much energy and activity at Newby House when Swansea Bay Media Master visited this week.
Neath Abbey's very own broadcasting house is home to many of the good folk from Town and Country Broadcasting.
That's the company which brings us stations such as Bay Radio, Scarlet FM, Radio Carmarthenshire and Nation Radio.
Managing director Martin Mumford, one of the Swansea Bay media scene's brightest forward-thinkers, was relishing the prospect of new listener figures about to be released. The relish was spiced with that most traditional of vital ingredients: nervous anticipation.
His staff, meanwhile, were gathering video testimonials from satisfied advertisers. Expect to see them on the company's website soon.
Martin's excited about 2010 and continues to be inspired by the incredible success of guitar-heavy Nation which lures around 130,000 listeners every month.
He's also upbeat about Bay which targets a population of more than 450,000 and is encouraged that the sister local services, although young, are now an established part of the Swansea Bay media mix.
Martin, good luck with the Rajars!