You have a couple of options:

For periodic recording, Audacity is useful: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

For log type (recording everything that is broadcast) recording:http://www.playitsoftware.com/Products/Recorder

Both options are free and easy to use.

Good luck!
Carl.

Looking forward to listening to the recording.

Matthew Rogers

In case you didn’t know, Canalside Community Radio is not allowed to run paid for on-air adverts. I / We have gone round the trees, up the hills, through the dales and trawls and trawls and trawls of e-mails, phone calls, letters, bloggs etc etc but to no avail.
Whilst this has been going on WE have been living the reality, soldiering on in a different manner to everyone else in the Country (commercial radio included) apart from of course the other 15 stations in the same full of holes boat. I say full of holes, because the fact of the matter is quite simple …. eventually, it is only a matter of time till someone goes tits-up ! not because of incompetance on our part, but due to total and utter incompetance of others. This is completely unnacceptable and members will know that this has been my view for 4 years and it will not change. If I / We wish to make a balls-up of our project then that is our prerogative and our mishap or cock-up we’ll be damned though if we suffer because of someone elses.

Therefore, being the type of chap that I am, actions speak louder than words and I am prepared to get up off my backside and do something about it.
Sadly we don’t have to many options. However, we will use what options we do have at our disposal. We will try everything within the Law. But, if we continue to be treated like baffoons and treated with no respect whatsoever, then if we have to drop on the wrong side of the Law, we are ready for a scrap.

We are tired of it, you guys are bored of it and the fact of the matter is that these restrictions must go or at least be balanced out in a fair and even manner.

We are stood here getting trampled on by the local commercial clots …. it is a long story but they are playing the game, playing the rules and treating us as competition. We can prove it ( I have a bag full of instances ) therefore, if the commercial clowns wish to treat us as competition then we should be permited to treat them as competition it really is that simple.
So, in order to keep you informed I will let you know what we are doing why ? because we are doing nothing wrong. I wasn’t aware that standing up for oneself against bully boys was a crime, but then again I could have missed something.
I admit that I have become confrontational and I have become aggresive, not my fault but others.

We have devised a way in which we can now give on-air adverts away ‘FREE’ we have informed Ofcom what we are doing …… please note that we haven’t asked, we have told them what we are doing, and we have done it. This is not an antagonistic gesture to Ofcom, we are merely applying the rules. Those rules being that if we do nothing and tell / or ask Ofcom ….. nothing will happen, not even an answer why? because they are a regulator and not an advisory service. It is up to us to knock the tennis ball into their side of the court. That, we have done.
At the moment the ball is still in their side of the court and has been there now for two weeks whilst their legal people try to get their heads around it.

They clearly will try to prove that these ads are actually paid for ads and therefore we have broken the Law …… our counter arguments are three fold :-
1) If we want to give something away for free (then like anyone in this Country) we are entitled to do so … it is not illegal (unless it’s drugs of course) I will be honest though ……. we are doing it because we are proving the point that if the DCMS wish to be stupid, we can do that as well …. quite easily actually seeing as the fact that we have been treated like jesters and fools so we might as well behave like that
2) If the adverts are paid for adverts, then the fact that over the past 4 years we haven’t run any adverts, then surely ALL those Companies who have supported us would in fact not support us but would have SUED us for failure of fulfilling the contract !! our contracts are quite clear …….. no paid for advertising if we wish to bung some in 6months/1 year/2 years down the line then that is our prerogative.
Ofcom / Government will also try to prove that there is some link or some catch in it …… actually there isn’t. They have said that the free adverts are only for businesses who have already signed up with us …… what about new businesses. Unfortunately, we may have to grit our teeth, bite on our lip and give some away ………….. however, that magical word again ”prerogative” will always remain ours and we can basically decide HOW MANY it may be one per month, two per week, eight per day our choice and NOT the DCMS’s.
3) Finally ………. I ask this question ……….. if we do have to give these adverts away for free WHY SHOULD WE ? could someone in Government, in the CMA, in Ofcom and on this message board give me one good argument and justify the situation.
I am 52 years old and I am no numpty, I am unaware of any business in this Country that gives everything away for free and then remains in business to do it once again and again and again ………………… those who thought these rules up clearly are clearly looking at this from the wrong end of the sewer pipe.

We have thrown caution to the wind, we have now stood up and we are now being counted. The talking has ended, the banging ones head against a brick wall has also terminated and the sleeves are up and the boxing gloves are on. Having said all of this, we would obviously prefer Mr Vaizey and Mr Hunt go down the route of common sense. It would be easier for everyone concerned.

And absolutely finally, I am having a meeting with Mr Vaizey and our local MP Mr Rutley just me, one on one, and I have quite a few questions to ask him. I have done my homework, I have gathered my evidence and I am ready to argue our case. I am 99% sure that he will not be able to answer any of the questions. Four years on, the Government need to produce the evidence that the existence of Community Radio has threatened the existence of commercial radio ….. there is no evidence and he will be running blind …. there isn’t even a needle in a haystack ! however, the other way could be proved that commercial radio has threatened community radio ……….
Reading between the lines and studying Mr Vaizeys comments over the past 4 years, he does appear to have nailed his colours to the commercial mast …….. so, it will possibly be a touch more difficult. I only hope and pray though that he will be understanding and sensible and that he will go away and apply the correct judgement.
So far as we are concerned, we are beyond the point of no return, because if Ofcom can prove that we have broken the Law ————- then er ? we have broken the Law then it gets naughty in for a penny in for a pound and might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb !

If this is the sorry state that a Community Radio Station has ended up in, after it has ticked all the boxes, won awards and done lots more then it proves in itself what a shambles the Government are presiding over.

End

sorry if i offended anyone, its just the way it comes across to me.

terry ellis.

well done everyone

regards

Nick

If you trawl back through the archives you will find a post from me (12 months / 2 years ago) whereby I passed comments on these grant processes where ‘votes’ are used.
A number of our volunteers and staff ‘badgered me’ to ‘have a go’ at this fund ……….. reluctantly I said ”OK”
I got outvoted and that is democracy !

we have spent the last 3 weeks talking up this vote on nearly every show whilst at the same time pinging e-mails off to friends, colleagues, aquantances etc etc

we did OK …… we polled about 500-ish votes. However we were up against a Scout group and a Brass Band … who I think won ??

Observations (and not sour grapes) good luck to them and I hope they spend their money wisely and that it brings success to their projects.

HOWEVER !

There is absolutely no comparison whatsoever between a Community Radio Station and a Brass Band or Scout troop.
Brass Band meet 3 times a week-ish for a few hours, they have lots of subscriptions and running costs are minimum, likewise a Scout group meet twice a week and running costs are possibly even lower.
A community radio station has a huge 24/7 electric bill, lots of licences, people to support and if running it properly there isn’t much change from eighty grand £80,000

So, what is the Community Radio sector in North East Cheshire left with ………. no on-air adverts due to a cop-out by DCMS Ministers and a grant funding system (not just NatWest) whereby Trustees cop-out also.

I truly beleive that if you apply, you should get something, and it should be divided out equally ……… I would even go one step further and possibly look at percentages and costs.

What have we achieved here.

1) We have given the NatWest a massive PR campaign for sod all !
2) We have wasted valuable air-time that could have been used promoting other things
3) People have wasted their lives on e-mails / twitter / facebook etc
4) At least I achieved a ”well I told you so” all well and good, but doesn’t pay the bills. The bills by the way that are now starting to mount up big style.

I personally think the whole thing is a mess ! a total mess and a balls-up of the highest order !

This is what should happen :-

1) The Government should PUT UP a descent community fund that will pay each Station £12,000 per-annum. This will nail the core broadcasting costs.
2) All restrictions should be lifted with one remaining …. the projects are not-for-profit and NOT for personal gain.
3) The CMA should be the ‘big daddy’ and it is they who should be applying for Grants. The big grants SIX FIGURES the money should be for ALL projects and stations and should be shared out equally amongst everyone. If we get a larger sum then good, if we don’t, then tough for everyone.

Finally, could someone explain to me how a scout group or a brass band benefits the ‘wider / larger community ??? not my quote but theirs (natwest) I think I’ve missed something here ?

Trust me chaps, this is not sour grapes, and to be honest whenever we receive a grant IF ! I always feel sorry for those who missed out.

Our local Council have just dished out their grants and we got a nibble (£1,000) the debate in the chamber may I add was a very sensible debate and one in which they came to a sensible and common sense answer.
The groups that had high running cost got their fair share and those with very low costs got their bit.

Common sense at last. There were some on more lolly than us fine no prob’s divided out equally. That’s the way to do it.

Finally and with reference to this recent vote, there are other groups in our area who also went for this fund, they haven’t a cat in hells chance with some of them not even getting 50 votes …… what a cryin’ shame I say …. they all have a role to play and they all do a good job. They should at least get something.
I would even have been happy with £100 it’s better than a load of time wasdting and nowt’ !

regards

Nick

Best Regards
Brian Martin.