30-cent-a-text Newstalk Radio , almost Nationwide .This blog recently published a piece concerning what we consider to be the 30-cent-a-text rip-off charge by Newstalk Radio , and have now been contacted by a person called 'Clancy' who , rightly, used our piece on a Forum (Boards Ireland.com) in connection with the cost of a text to that station . A campaign is presently under way on Boards Ireland.com to encourage the station owners to drop the 30 cent charge - we wish that campaign all the best and would ask our readers to sign the petition .
Incidentally - our records show that ,on Monday 9 February 2004 , Newstalk 106FM (as it was then known) ran a recruitment 'advertisement' for the 'Queens Own Hibernians' , a British Army 'Regiment' : John , from this blog , contacted the station to complain about the fact that any Irish radio station should stoop so low as to assist a foreign army which continued to maintain an unwanted armed presence on Irish soil . On Tuesday morning , 10 February 2004 , the same advertisement was broadcast again on Newstalk Radio - before John could pick up a telephone to ring in a complaint again , his own mobile phone rang : it was Dan Healy , Newstalk Chief Executive at the time , on the line , and he apologised for the fact that John had taken offence at the advertisement. According to Mr Healy , the station had received "...hundreds of complaints.." in connection with that advertisement , which had now "...being pulled.." .
Dan Healy explained that that particular British Army 'regiment' was one which station management had made-up ,and ran an 'advertisement' for , simply as a way to gauge the attention paid to its ads by Newstalk listeners ! The whole thing was a 'joke' , in other words - an internal Newstalk campaign by way of which the station could 'prove' to potential advertisers that its listeners do pay attention to advertisements run on the station .
We can only hope that the 30-cent text charge is another 'internal campaign' by Newstalk , and one which they will 'pull' soon . Because we don't find it at all 'funny' .
Best of luck to all at Boards Ireland.com in their campaign against Newstalk's rip-off text charges . Sign their petition if you can .
Sharon .
