Now I unfortunately missed much of the meeting (live webcast) due in part to a long cue at Rooks for a couple of their finest saveloys and attending a brief training course on the “bleeding obvious” (2nd in a week) as is prevalent and mandatory, in much of our working life.
Paul Carter, Tory boss and his Chief Executive Gilroy had demanded their day in committee as it were, also present was Kent Director of Strategic Development and Public Access, Tanya Oliver.
Paul Carter and his colleagues Peter Gilroy and Tanya Oliver were it transpires not happy, to have had the previous scrutiny committee discuss the new contract for Kent TV, without them present although as far as I can recall no disparaging comments were made about either.
Today’s meeting pretty much came to the same conclusion, although the atmosphere had changed as had the chair and several of the previous committee members, the flavour I got from the last meeting was that ordinary members of the council, were a bit put out, at the lack of referral to backbenchers, still I understand that KCC TV is off the schedule for a long time after today’s, occurrences.
It seemed to me, that having the bosses present quelled any rebellious inclinations, like members asking to be at least consulted on policy. Sill it would be wrong to draw an analogy with rebellious school boys confronted by the headmaster and chairman of governors asking if they had any grievances.
I’m sure if there were any genuine concerns, Kent councils Tory backbenchers (mainly substitutes for the regular committee members) have as much backbone as you might expect. I just wonder why this matter could not have waited till September and whether 5 of the original 8 committee members being absent skewed things a tad, probably not eh.
Still something that has troubled me over the Kent TV contract is that despite Peter Gilroy’s mention of chronology of events, you would have thought that, given the council had more than two years, to anticipate the end of the current contract, they appear to have waited till rather late in the game to do something about it.
Kent TV is hardly a big hit, with the public, with funding stretching toward two million pounds of public money, it would be nice if the county, had some method in place already monitor benefits but it appears not, so far no credible figures appear to have been published, on any real or more likely imagined savings that Kent TV has delivered.
How often have the chief executive and leader of the council, told us that Kent is an excellent authority, if its true, why given more than two years, were they not better prepared to handle the end of the original contract.
If Paul Carter and his colleagues, expect us to believe that Kent TV is anything more than an affectation, lets see some figures that justify its existence. So often I’ve heard the business analogy, that KCC is a big business, if this is the case I suggest they start using proper business methods not just thinking that something's a good idea and not prove it.
Still I see that the influential Bignews Margate got a mention during the discussion, proving that the best things in life are free unlike Kent council or its media obsession. If I had the same money as Kent TV, having invested maybe 5 or 10 quid in electricity, pro rata, Bignews Margate would be blog of choice for every man women and child on the planet.
A question for Cllr Paul Carter whom I understand is a businessman would you invest the best part of two million pounds of your own money and wait more that two years to assess the effectiveness of you investment? I think not and nor should taxpayers!
The bosses have a weird relationship with Kent TV if you dare criticise they go bananas I just wonder why? Yet you ask them to take responsibility for it and they run a mile it took months for me to get KCC to accept they were responsible for Kent TV.
Its a pity KCC could not have convened a similar meeting when one of their own contractors made an extraordinary attack on me for publishing honest opinion about KCC media, still mustn't grumble.
I’ll let you know or maybe you can let me and the readers when this meeting is available to view on KCC’s WebPages.
Is your use of a "web stream not available" image in anyway supposed to imply that the webcast did not work? It's here in full glory for you to fully digest your one small moment of glory: http://www.kent.ukcouncil.net/site/player/pl_compact.php?a=29048&t=0&m=wm&l=en_GB
ReplyDeleteKent TV viewing statistics from September 2007 to March 2009 are publically available:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kent.gov.uk/publications/council-and-democracy/kent-tv-viewing-statistics.htm
Anon 10.47: any KCC webcast user will know exactly what Tony's image means. KCC have a times lag of anything from 1 to 5 days in making their webcasts available. Its as simple as that and you owe Tony an appology although if you are from KCC or Ten Alps I doubt if it will be forthcomming.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10.59: I've searched for this data at KCC website so you must be in the know at KCC or Ten Alps to know where this was. Why is it not in a KCC press release?
Compared with competitors and even local blogs the unique visitors are not great. It works out at about £1 per unique person, and that using the published contract value and does not include all the other time and costs KCC have spent on this. Including the total waste of money of yesterdays meeting. But thats cllr Carter's politics for you, he cant loose face about the poor ratings and other critisms from even his own party.
And if you are from Ten Alps why have you failed to get Kent TV on page 1 of google when 'Kent' is entered, I thought Kent TV was to promote Kent. take a leaf from VisitKent which is free to us Kent Tax payers.
I still like Kent TV but it leaves an awful lot to be desired to make it good let alone excellent
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:05 - You're dearly mistaken my friend, Viit Kent is part funded by KCC tax payers. Sorry to shatter your illusions that everything in life is free.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to be in 'the know' at KCC or Ten Alps the statistics are available on the KCC web pages (as indicated by the weblink given).
ReplyDeleteIt is as simple as 1,2,3:
1. Go to www.kent.gov.uk and type Kent TV into search box
2. Click on the 4th hit listed 'Kent TV'
3. Click on 'Kent TV' in the See also box on RHS.
A link to the viewing stats and the Board minutes are available at the bottom of the page.
If KCC are investing in the Visitkent partnership its just plain daft that they have spent millions on Kent TV as well. I doubt whether KCC's involvment is more than a few thousand given that VisitKent has many more partnerships to support it. But if its more than a low level sum KCC are wasting us tax payers money just to promote Kent when VisitKent is prominent on a google search for Kent and Kent TV is off the scale on page 7.
ReplyDeleteer, 03.54 you are clearly illiterate or foolish or perhaps, as many appear to be on this Chav special of a blog just plain malicious. I don't hold a brief for Kent TV one way or the other, although frankly I don't mind paying taxes for something as innovative as this - it makes a change in Kent, BUT facts are still important. And the fact is that I just typed 'Kent TV' into my google search engine and it was the first thing to appear ...on page one.
ReplyDeleteAnon 5.55 you are missing the point, I wont be as rude as to say you must be thick but people looking for Kent will not be searching for 'Kent TV'. Only the people at Ten Alps will think that Kent revolves around Kent TV. Visitors to Kent will be searching for just plain 'Kent' as I mentioned in my post. How can they know that you need to add 'TV'.
ReplyDeleteKCC claim that Kent TV promotes Kent- just plain old Kent- get it now annon 5.55?
This is where the visitKent.co.uk, kenttourism.co.uk, kentonline.co.uk (KM) have all got it right.
I grant that is you search for 'Kent whats on' the sites above will appear followed by Kent TV but Ten Apls are missing a simple keyword in their google setup.