Thursday January 29, 2009

Hello!

Posted by Dan Parrott at 16:25 in Channel M Music

Right, we've had our knuckles wrapped for not keeping this blog up but it's a new year and the empathy has gone so we're gonna go blogging crazy. Rachael our Music Researcher especially is quite excited about it as she...

Continue reading "Hello!" »

Thursday May 15, 2008

School strike: Lessons in public relations.

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:08 in Richard Butt's blog

I covered a strike at a school in Denton today. Anyway, I wanted to put the school's side of things. The staff there seemed to believe, wrongly, that it's in their best interests of the school to thwart journalism, so they didn't talk.

Continue reading "School strike: Lessons in public relations." »

Thursday May 08, 2008

Starstruck!

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:39 in Richard Butt's blog

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Saturday March 29, 2008

Final preperations and our new show line up will be complete!

Posted by Dan Parrott at 00:33 in Channel M Music

We've been working hard on setting up some new shows and with the launch of the weekly 'City life Social' on Thursday night! The City Centre Social is no more after around 140 episodes recording over the past 16...

Continue reading "Final preperations and our new show line up will be complete!" »

Tuesday March 25, 2008

Midnight Juggernauts

Posted by Dan Parrott at 19:33 in Channel M Music

We've been trying for ages to get Midnight Juggernauts into the studio, looked like it was nearly gonna happen this week but then not due to timings but we have been promised May. If you've never heard them before check...

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We've been given our own blog!!!

Posted by Dan Parrott at 15:32 in Channel M Music

Someone has decided that it's a good idea to let the Channel M Music team have our own blog, apparently we can post anything we like on what we've been up to, shows we've been filming and all the latest...

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Wednesday January 23, 2008

Unbelievable!

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:14 in Richard Butt's blog

My column for this week

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Tuesday January 22, 2008

By the seat of my pants . . .

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:12 in Richard Butt's blog

Up early this morning to talk to students at Holy Cross Sixth Form College in Bury.

Continue reading "By the seat of my pants . . . " »

Wednesday January 16, 2008

The Long Wait!

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:23 in Richard Butt's blog

There are occasions when I’m not busy....

Continue reading "The Long Wait!" »

Thursday December 20, 2007

Whoops. Wrong gender.

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:00 in Richard Butt's blog

A little faux pas last night when we were filming.

Continue reading "Whoops. Wrong gender." »

Thursday December 13, 2007

Stop the little Hitlers!

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:19 in Richard Butt's blog

Grrrr . . . I'm angry!

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Wednesday December 12, 2007

"Adverse weather conditions"

Posted by Richard Butt at 09:53 in Richard Butt's blog

Why anyone thinks Metrolink is good and should be expanded is beyond me.

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Thursday December 06, 2007

Not a story!

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:23 in Richard Butt's blog

It has been one of those days.

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Wednesday December 05, 2007

Nobody surprised at gun gang

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:42 in Richard Butt's blog

I went to Whalley Range today after the story about a gang of 25 masked men, some brandishing weapons, marching through the streets of the area yesterday.

Continue reading "Nobody surprised at gun gang" »

Friday November 02, 2007

Now there's more . . .

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:17 in Richard Butt's blog

If you can be bothered to search stories out online, the chances are you want to see more than two minutes' worth.

Continue reading "Now there's more . . . " »

Tuesday October 09, 2007

Fame at last.

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:37 in Richard Butt's blog

I have made it into the paper I first worked at, the Isle of Man Examiner.

Continue reading "Fame at last." »

Monday October 01, 2007

What's wrong with Manchester United?

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:39 in Richard Butt's blog

While Manchester United is top of the Premiership in arrogance, it's in danger of relegation from whatever the Vauxhall Conference is called now in logic and helpfulness.

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Friday September 28, 2007

Stoicism in Slovenia

Posted by Richard Butt at 07:00 in Richard Butt's blog

There is something strangely masochistic about the British.

Continue reading "Stoicism in Slovenia" »

Friday September 14, 2007

Funky stuff. Stutted.

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:32 in Richard Butt's blog

SO, it's Friday night and I'm writing my blog. I should be disco-dancing and strutting my funky stuff. But I'm not.

Continue reading "Funky stuff. Stutted." »

Real deterrence

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:31 in Richard Butt's blog

NIGEL Meadows, Manchester’s coroner, has come up with a suggestion that should be filed under “Jolly Good Ideas”.

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By jove, he's got it!

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:30 in Richard Butt's blog

I HAD a great conversation with a viewer last week. He rang to ask us about a collapsed road near his home.

Continue reading "By jove, he's got it!" »

The pen is mightier than the cake

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:29 in Richard Butt's blog

EVERY workplace has its little quirks – things that only people who work there really understand, or should understand.

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Vandalism. Worse than murder

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:27 in Richard Butt's blog

I’D rather reintroduce capital punishment for littering or vandalism than for murder.

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Monday August 13, 2007

Tony's legacy

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:27 in Richard Butt's blog

Three days on from Tony Wilson's death, and it's still dominating the news.

Continue reading "Tony's legacy" »

Friday August 10, 2007

Did the Earth move for you?

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:08 in Richard Butt's blog

Manchester was shaken by an earth tremor this morning. No, I didn't notice it.

Continue reading "Did the Earth move for you?" »

Wednesday August 08, 2007

Dramatic news

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:28 in Richard Butt's blog

It's been a dramatic news day, with the arrest of two people on suspicion of the murder of Jessie James.

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Tuesday August 07, 2007

Shootings shocks

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:05 in Richard Butt's blog

Fifty-five people have been shot dead in eight years in Greater Manchester. Anyone who's seen the strong front page of the Manchester Evening News today will be given pause for thought.

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Monday August 06, 2007

Pull over to the left, you dolts!

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:22 in Richard Butt's blog

I've been away. So no blog. On the journey home yesterday, I noticed that Vauxhall Zafira drivers seem to be unaware of the Highway Code.

Continue reading "Pull over to the left, you dolts!" »

Monday July 23, 2007

How secure?

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:06 in Richard Butt's blog

How secure are you online? With the growth of sites such as Facebook and MySpace, a lot of us are bunging all sorts of information online and available to all and sundry.

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Tuesday July 17, 2007

Dead but not missed.

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:12 in Richard Butt's blog

How could a woman lie dead in bed for more than 10 months without anyone noticing?

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Thursday July 12, 2007

Casino bombshell aftermath

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:41 in Richard Butt's blog

The supercasino story broke last yesterday. Hence no blog yesterday.

Continue reading "Casino bombshell aftermath" »

Monday July 09, 2007

Andy's back!

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:55 in Richard Butt's blog

It's a big day for us here at Channel M News, because our anchorman Andy Crane is back.

Continue reading "Andy's back!" »

Friday July 06, 2007

Who, what, where and Sven

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:08 in Richard Butt's blog

Sven-Goran Eriksson is revealed today as Manchester City Football Club's new manager.

Continue reading "Who, what, where and Sven" »

Thursday July 05, 2007

Terror and mortgage rises

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:58 in Richard Butt's blog

Omar Altimimi's conviction on terror charges is dominating the news here in Greater Manchester today.

Continue reading "Terror and mortgage rises" »

Wednesday July 04, 2007

Wednesday's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:10 in Richard Butt's blog

The police have just released details of a horrific gang rape.

Continue reading "Wednesday's programme" »

Tuesday July 03, 2007

Sell the airport!

Posted by Richard Butt at 12:09 in Richard Butt's blog

Should Greater Manchester's councils sell off the airport to pay for Metrolink and better public transport?

Continue reading "Sell the airport!" »

Monday July 02, 2007

Localised flooding.

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:39 in Richard Butt's blog

I've just come home early from the Lakes because it was so wet.

Continue reading "Localised flooding." »

Friday June 29, 2007

Guns and floods

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:34 in Richard Butt's blog

We're reporting on police raids last March that, we now know, have resulted in only one gun-related offence.

Continue reading "Guns and floods" »

Thursday June 28, 2007

Farewell to Tony Downes

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:51 in Richard Butt's blog

The funeral of Neil "Tony" Downes dominates the news in Greater Manchester.

Continue reading "Farewell to Tony Downes" »

Tuesday June 26, 2007

Bye, bye Bernard, hello Sven.

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:48 in Richard Butt's blog

We've been to Bernard Manning's funeral to see how this much loved/loathed comedian is seen off by his friends and family.

Continue reading "Bye, bye Bernard, hello Sven." »

Monday June 25, 2007

And now the weather

Posted by Richard Butt at 12:25 in Richard Butt's blog

It's raining, it's pouring. It's all anyone's said as they walked into work today. So we'll do a story about that tonight.

Continue reading "And now the weather" »

There moth be an answer

Posted by Richard Butt at 08:20 in Richard Butt's blog

On Breakfast this morning to review the papers. So I wanted a good night's sleep. But what happened? My burglar alarm went off at 3.58am.

Continue reading "There moth be an answer" »

Sunday June 24, 2007

Another week, another moan.

Posted by Richard Butt at 18:46 in Richard Butt's blog

Thursday and Friday were a busy couple of days and I never got a chance to write anything. Perhaps there's a lesson here. When I don't blog, it's probably the best days to watch Channel M News.

Continue reading "Another week, another moan." »

Wednesday June 20, 2007

Congestion, booze and graffiti

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:00 in Richard Butt's blog

The congestion charge is tonight's top story again.

Continue reading "Congestion, booze and graffiti" »

Tuesday June 19, 2007

Musing on Manning and today's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:31 in Richard Butt's blog

Well, Bernard Manning went and died between my post yesterday and the start of last night's programme. So, of course, we led with that.

Continue reading "Musing on Manning and today's programme" »

Monday June 18, 2007

The force of a polar bear

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:00 in Richard Butt's blog

An unrestrained dog flung forward in a 30mph car crash would hit the driver with as much force as a polar bear, research has shown.

Continue reading "The force of a polar bear" »

All too familiar story

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:50 in Richard Butt's blog

An all-too-familiar story leads tonight's news. Another young man has been shot on the streets of Manchester.

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Saturday June 16, 2007

Posted by Richard Butt at 17:27 in Richard Butt's blog

LADIES and gentlemen, I have an announcement.

Continue reading "" »

Friday June 15, 2007

Difficult job today

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:32 in Richard Butt's blog

A bit of a difficult job today on the early evening news.

Continue reading "Difficult job today" »

Beaten up for doing his job

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:27 in Richard Butt's blog

Poor old John Clarke got beaten up for doing his job last night.

Continue reading "Beaten up for doing his job" »

Thursday June 14, 2007

Public sector nonsense

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:13 in Richard Butt's blog

Here's an example of the drivel that spouts forth from PR people in the public sector:

Continue reading "Public sector nonsense" »

Thursday June 14

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:11 in Richard Butt's blog

Today we talk to the parents of a baby boy who needed emergency surgery for a fractured skull - but who wasn't even checked by doctors at hospital despite an hour and a half wait.

Continue reading "Thursday June 14" »

Thursday June 14

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:11 in Richard Butt's blog

Today we talk to the parents of a baby boy who needed emergency surgery for a fractured skull - but who wasn't even checked by doctors at hospital despite an hour and a half wait.

Continue reading "Thursday June 14" »

Wednesday June 13, 2007

Wednesday June 13's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 11:21 in Richard Butt's blog

Tonight we'll be covering a Stockport Express story about people in the town who fear that a Moss Side-based housing association that's bought former council houses in the borough could lead to gangs and guns.

Continue reading "Wednesday June 13's programme" »

Monday June 11, 2007

Monday 11 June

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:38 in Richard Butt's blog

On tonight's programme, we look at the row about a video game that's based at Manchester Cathedral. It's a violent game that seems to embrace our city's "Gunchester" image.

Continue reading "Monday 11 June" »

Thursday June 07, 2007

Thursday June 7's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:40 in Richard Butt's blog

Tonight's Channel M News has the latest on the battle of a couple from Rochdale for the town's A and E department.

Continue reading "Thursday June 7's programme" »

Water lot of trouble

Posted by Richard Butt at 11:48 in Richard Butt's blog

THE possibility of fluoridation of our water supplies is going to be a mammoth talking point soon, if the reaction to our story is anything to go by.

Continue reading "Water lot of trouble" »

Wednesday June 06, 2007

Wednesday June 6

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:27 in Richard Butt's blog

Do you think we should have a day off and celebrate Britishness?

Continue reading "Wednesday June 6" »

Tuesday June 05, 2007

Tuesday June 5's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:56 in Richard Butt's blog

Unfortunately, there's plenty of miserable news in Greater Manchester today. But we've also got some optimistic stories too.

Continue reading "Tuesday June 5's programme" »

Friday June 01, 2007

My latest column: CCTV

Posted by Richard Butt at 11:11 in Richard Butt's blog

WHEN you walk out of your front door and go pretty much anywhere these days, the chances are that you’ll be filmed.

Continue reading "My latest column: CCTV" »

I said "string 'em up" on live telly

Posted by Richard Butt at 07:12 in Richard Butt's blog

I've just found myself saying "string 'em up" on live television. Shame on me!

Continue reading "I said "string 'em up" on live telly" »

Wednesday May 30, 2007

Wednesday's programme (May 30)

Posted by Richard Butt at 13:40 in Richard Butt's blog

Calamity at Channel M News today.

Continue reading "Wednesday's programme (May 30)" »

Tuesday May 29, 2007

Tuesday's programme (May 29)

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:09 in Richard Butt's blog

Middle East-style shisha bars are going to feel the effects of the smoking ban more keenly than just about anywhere else. They exist for people to smoke. On Channel M News tonight, we find out what's going to happen.

Continue reading "Tuesday's programme (May 29)" »

Monday May 28, 2007

Why I love the Royal Exchange

Posted by Richard Butt at 23:59 in Richard Butt's blog

I went to see The Tempest at the Royal Exchange Theatre on Saturday after seeing it previewed on Channel M News last week.The play is excellent. Especially, of course, Pete Postlethwaite.

Continue reading "Why I love the Royal Exchange" »

Bank Holiday Monday's show.

Posted by Richard Butt at 12:16 in Richard Butt's blog

It's the bank holiday and some of us are at work. Boo! Hiss!

Continue reading "Bank Holiday Monday's show." »

Friday May 25, 2007

Friday's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:57 in Richard Butt's blog

An hour to go till we go live and things seem to be running smoothly. (So it's sure to go wrong.)

Continue reading "Friday's programme" »

Thursday May 24, 2007

Thursday's programme.

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:33 in Richard Butt's blog

So, so much for me doing an entry for every show. Yesterday was very busy. And something had to give.

Continue reading "Thursday's programme." »

Tuesday May 22, 2007

Tuesday's programme

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:29 in Richard Butt's blog

We've got a high-tech theme running through tonight's Channel M's early evening news.

Continue reading "Tuesday's programme" »

Monday May 21, 2007

Andy in hospital

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:49 in Richard Butt's blog

Our anchorman, Andy Crane, is in hospital as I write this after suffering a broken hip on the Great Manchester Run yesterday. Ouch!

Continue reading "Andy in hospital" »

Friday May 18, 2007

Metro News's farewell

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:15 in Richard Butt's blog

My old paper Metro News was delivered for the last time today.

Continue reading "Metro News's farewell" »

Tuesday May 15, 2007

Guilt-tripped into writing

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:31 in Richard Butt's blog

The media industry is in turmoil and nobody knows what's really going to work.

Continue reading "Guilt-tripped into writing" »

Sleepless in Crumpsall

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:29 in Richard Butt's blog

I SET the alarm for 1am. So I went to bed at 8pm. And I tried to sleep. I had to be alert for the next day. The hours ticked slowly by. I was wide awake. The more I tried to make myself sleep, the more alert I was.

Continue reading "Sleepless in Crumpsall" »

Any human beings about?

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:57 in Richard Butt's blog

AT Channel M News, we like to speak to human beings. Unfortunately, those responsible for our services don’t like to be questioned when things go wrong.

Continue reading "Any human beings about?" »

Confession: I Bluejack

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:55 in Richard Butt's blog

BLUETOOTH telephones mean that travellers at Terminal One at Manchester Airport will no longer have to get up off their lazy bottoms to look at the television screens to see if their flight’s delayed or which gate to go from.

Continue reading "Confession: I Bluejack" »

Monday April 23, 2007

Bursting your bubble

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:18 in Richard Butt's blog

We’ve covered a couple of events recently in which helium balloons are launched into the air. A hotel company has just written to us, excitedly, about its plan to release 800 more of them. I shan’t give it free advertising by saying which one. Is it just me, or does anyone else object to this sort of thing?

Continue reading "Bursting your bubble" »

Get rid of most councillors. Pay the rest.

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:16 in Richard Butt's blog

THE local elections are a week away yet they’re not something that’s gripping the nation. Ask your average punter who their local council leader is and they almost certainly won’t know. Ask them which party’s in control and most will shrug their shoulders and think no more about it.

Continue reading "Get rid of most councillors. Pay the rest." »

Posted by Richard Butt at 10:16 in Richard Butt's blog

TODAY is St George's day and, once again, we'll no doubt hear complaints about the English celebrating harder on St Patrick's Day than on their own patron saint's day. However, things have changed. More and more people seem to be aware of St George's Day and a few celebrations are now taking place. Sorry to be a party pooper but I think that's sad.

Continue reading "" »

Sunday April 01, 2007

Sorry. Been busy

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:22 in Richard Butt's blog

I'VE been very remiss in putting stuff on this blog for a bit. I've been as busy as a busy thing with busy-ness disease.

Continue reading "Sorry. Been busy" »

Tuesday February 13, 2007

Posted by Richard Butt at 10:04 in Richard Butt's blog

I hit 40 at the end of last year - which means many of my friends are doing the same. It was to celebrate one of their birthdays that I found myself at a Leeds indie club on Saturday night. It was full of young, heterosexual Yorkshire people. A very strange place for me.

Continue reading "" »

Thursday January 11, 2007

Remarkable women

Posted by Richard Butt at 12:14 in Richard Butt's blog

I interviewed an extremely courageous victim of child abuse for our story last night

Continue reading "Remarkable women" »

Monday January 08, 2007

Posted by Richard Butt at 11:42 in Richard Butt's blog

I didn't realise the French had a sense of humour till now.

Continue reading "" »

Sunday January 07, 2007

Censor your own news

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:59 in Richard Butt's blog

A FIGHT between two boys at a school in Manchester was caught on phone camera a few months ago by another pupil. It was then posted on a video-sharing website and available for anyone with internet access to view anywhere in the world.

Continue reading "Censor your own news" »

It's not just me, is it?

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:57 in Richard Butt's blog

YOU’VE probably got something that riles you and nobody else. Well, here’s one of mine. Why do people put cups and glasses upside down on shelves?

Continue reading "It's not just me, is it?" »

Al-Qaeda tidied my house

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:54 in Richard Butt's blog

OF all the things Al-Qaeda has ever forced us to do, cleaning my house is not one I suspect they envisaged.

Continue reading "Al-Qaeda tidied my house" »

Torchwood's too sexy!

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:53 in Richard Butt's blog

MUCH though I love science fiction (I got the first three series of Blake’s Seven on DVD for Christmas and my birthday) and am not averse to some rumpity pumpity on the telly, I have to say Torchwood was disappointing because it made such great play of sex.

Continue reading "Torchwood's too sexy!" »

Thursday December 21, 2006

Merry Winterval

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:25 in Richard Butt's blog

I'm getting a bit fed up with believers wittering on about Christmas, saying it's a Christian festival and all that and that we shouldn't say "season's greetings" or send Christmas cards with non-religious themes.

Continue reading "Merry Winterval" »

Monks fight each other

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:22 in Richard Butt's blog

Monks really have been fighting each other - with sledgehammers and crowbars.

Continue reading "Monks fight each other" »

Fit to kid yourself

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:02 in Richard Butt's blog

SPORT England’s recent survey about who exercises regularly showed predictable results. Half of us do no exercise at all and only about one fifth of us do enough exercise. By “enough”, Sport England says we should exercise three times a week for 30 minutes at “moderate intensity”.

Continue reading "Fit to kid yourself" »

Petitions on his plate

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:59 in Richard Butt's blog

POOR Mr Blair! He has got a lot on his plate, hasn’t he?

Continue reading "Petitions on his plate" »

Not so cheap

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:57 in Richard Butt's blog

MANCHESTER was hailed as one of the cheapest nights out in Britain last week. A survey said that £16.17 can get you partying. I have to say I had my doubts, so I took on the challenge.

Continue reading "Not so cheap" »

We want to see our own city

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:55 in Richard Butt's blog

THE city centre’s big wheel is good. But it’s not tall enough to peer over some of the city’s buildings. That got me thinking.

Continue reading "We want to see our own city" »

So sick of cigs

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:54 in Richard Butt's blog

OUT on Saturday, I went to Caffe Nero on Cross Street for a coffee with some friends. They found a table while I went to order the drinks. The table was around a corner and I approached, horrified, to see them obscured by a cloud of smoke.

Continue reading "So sick of cigs" »

Mobile scam

Posted by Richard Butt at 20:51 in Richard Butt's blog

SO mobile phones are basically OK in hospitals . . .

Continue reading "Mobile scam" »

Monday December 04, 2006

The $2m comma

Posted by Richard Butt at 21:21 in Richard Butt's blog

This made me think. Once a sub-editor, always a sub-editor....

Continue reading "The $2m comma" »

Friday December 01, 2006

I was interviewed, for a change

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:16 in Richard Butt's blog

WE interview a lot of people in the street on Channel M News. I was out the other day doing it, talking to people about truancy. Then some Spanish students asked if they could interview me on camera.

Continue reading "I was interviewed, for a change" »

Tuesday November 28, 2006

Something to drink to . . .

Posted by Richard Butt at 23:08 in Richard Butt's blog

IF the dire predictions had been right, we'd now be wallowing around our streets, ankle-deep in vomit, incapable of going to work and desperate for our next fix of alcohol. The licensing law changed a year ago, potentially permitting 24-hour pubs. The Daily Mail led the charge (as it so often does), claiming that the end of civilisation as we know it was just a couple of crème de menthes away.

Continue reading "Something to drink to . . ." »

Gurn . . . you're on telly

Posted by Richard Butt at 23:01 in Richard Butt's blog

THERE’S something about a television camera that makes some people go very odd. The very sight of one makes normally-sensible folk gurn. They stand in the background and wave. If we’re on a road, they beep their horns. In fact, car after car, lorry after lorry, beep their horns.

Continue reading "Gurn . . . you're on telly" »

A word to the wise

Posted by Richard Butt at 23:00 in Richard Butt's blog

HERE’S some good news for those of you who think education standards are slipping. I’ve just spent some time with my six-year-old niece. She loves learning to spell and do arithmetic. A bit weird, perhaps.

Continue reading "A word to the wise" »

Lazy and so English

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:56 in Richard Butt's blog

IT’S not so long since it was generally seen as a jolly good thing (at least for the people doing it – normally Europeans) to stomp into another land, stick up a flag, teach the natives about their version of God and perhaps sell the biggest and fittest of them into slavery. But these days it’s usually seen as pretty bad form to march into someone else’s country and say: “Hello chaps, we’re in charge now.”

Continue reading "Lazy and so English" »

A funny sense of humour

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:54 in Richard Butt's blog

TALKING of the legacy the British have left in their colonies . . . I was amazed to see what was running five nights a week on Cypriot television.

Continue reading "A funny sense of humour" »

Classy problem

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:52 in Richard Butt's blog

I WENT to Didsbury to talk to people there about anti-social behaviour in the area. Many of them didn’t want to talk. The middle classes are far less likely to talk to the media than the working classes – especially about this sort of thing.

Continue reading "Classy problem" »

Ban the fridge

Posted by Richard Butt at 22:49 in Richard Butt's blog

I’VE been pondering what causes most of today’s modern ills and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not drugs, alcohol, unplanned pregnancy or even Nikki from Big Brother. It’s the fridge.

Continue reading "Ban the fridge" »

Monday October 30, 2006

Fish heads

Posted by Richard Butt at 19:48 in Richard Butt's blog

I'm beginning to wonder how I filled my life before YouTube.

Continue reading "Fish heads" »

No comment. Great TV.

Posted by Richard Butt at 19:39 in Richard Butt's blog

SOMETIMES, I have to confess, it’s much better to get a “no comment” than an interview when we’re reporting a story for Channel M. And the ruder the better.

Continue reading "No comment. Great TV." »

Yes, it LOOKED dodgy.

Posted by Richard Butt at 19:38 in Richard Butt's blog

IT must have looked dodgy. I was walking along Dantzic Street near the city centre looking in the window of every car parked there.

Continue reading "Yes, it LOOKED dodgy." »

Friday October 27, 2006

Tram rage (again)

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:13 in Richard Butt's blog

I’D have thought that Metrolink would be only too pleased to make it as easy as possible to buy tickets and passes. Of course, I’m wrong.

Continue reading "Tram rage (again)" »

Corrie's big so what?

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:11 in Richard Butt's blog

SO, Coronation Street MIGHT move. Well, the set might. About two-and-a-half miles to Salford Quays. It would be in another local authority’s patch. And Granada would pay business rates to Salford instead of Manchester. Am I alone in thinking “so what”?

Continue reading "Corrie's big so what?" »

The integration game

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:11 in Richard Butt's blog

WE keep hearing a lot about how Asian people – and especially Muslims – should integrate with society. Commons leader Jack Straw brought the debate to a head when he said he asked women to remove their veils when they spoke to him. For anyone who can listen to the radio or make a phone call, I fail to see how understanding anyone wearing a veil is particularly difficult.

Continue reading "The integration game" »

Kim Jong-Il in Newton Heath

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:10 in Richard Butt's blog

IN Newton Heath the other day, I wondered whether I’d stumbled through some sort of break in the space/time continuum and ended up in North Korea. I was at a Manchester Council depot on Grimshaw Lane. The people working there were perfectly pleasant and didn’t look as though they were plotting nuclear bomb tests. Behind them something sinister lurked.

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Closely-guarded secret

Posted by Richard Butt at 14:09 in Richard Butt's blog

I WENT around Stockport’s fascinating air raid shelters a couple of weeks ago. They’re carved into the sandstone under the town centre. They’re where hundreds of Stopfordians sheltered during the Blitz.

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Sunday October 08, 2006

The snobbery ladder

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:27 in Richard Butt's blog

HOUSE prices have risen by 10 per cent in a year in south Manchester, apparently. This has sent the middle classes into paroxysms of hand-wringing and despair. What about the first-time buyers, they all cry. Well, what about them?

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Slippery slope to Satanism

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:26 in Richard Butt's blog

Two weeks ago, Asda already had an aisle devoted to it. And, right on cue, along comes a bishop (the Bishop of Bolton in this case) to denounce it. Young children find it too scary, he wails. They should have bright things and celebrate the eve of All Saints’ Day. For pity’s sake! It isn’t the slippery slope to Satanism.

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Double mellow lines

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:26 in Richard Butt's blog

I WAS invited to a well-known local institution to film the other day. We had driven and we didn’t know where to park, so we left it on the double yellows (don’t worry it’s not going to be a boring “woe-is-me-I-was-booked” story) outside and popped in.

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Voices of the people

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:25 in Richard Butt's blog

PART of my job entails going into the street and talking to people for what we call a “vox pop” (short for vox populi, Latin for voice of the people – and they say television is no respecter of high culture). I was sent to Moss Side to ask about the current gun amnesty.

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Pay for the pleasure of buying

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:24 in Richard Butt's blog

MY partner has just spent £80.25 on the internet getting tickets for one pensioner and two of us to go and see Chicago at the Opera House in Manchester in October. But £10.75 of that is booking charges. It costs £2.75 per full-paying adult and £2.50 for each pensioner.

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Debate? What debate?

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:21 in Richard Butt's blog

I SPENT more than six bum-numbing hours this week listening to a debate over the future of the health service. More specifically, it was the health service in the north east of Greater Manchester (north Manchester, Oldham, Bury and Rochdale). Even more specifically, it was Rochdale. And it wasn’t really a debate at all.

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Monday September 25, 2006

This gave me great joy

Posted by Richard Butt at 10:21 in Richard Butt's blog

This gave me great joy. It features several Morris Marinas....

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Sunday September 17, 2006

Pat's battle

Posted by Richard Butt at 17:41 in Richard Butt's blog

ONE of the great things about this job is that I get to go out and chat to some interesting people. Pat Morris is one of them. She’s 65 and retired from full-time nursing, although she still works occasionally as a bank nurse at Wythenshawe Hospital.

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Repenting at Her Majesty's pleasure

Posted by Richard Butt at 17:41 in Richard Butt's blog

A MAN who blew up a speed camera is currently in jail. He destroyed it a year ago in Hyde after he was snapped breaking the law. I went into the town to find out what people there thought.

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Tuesday September 12, 2006

A part of the community

Posted by Richard Butt at 16:53 in Richard Butt's blog

I WENT to Moss Side today to do an update on the Jessie Jones murder case. Jessie was 15 and shot dead at 2.40am on Saturday. It's fair to say that the Channel M News jeep and I were not welcomed by everyone there with open arms.

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Tuesday September 05, 2006

Data Protection jobsworth

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:24 in Richard Butt's blog

I filmed outside Mothercare in Ancoats today for a feature about child seats. Booster seats are going to be compulsory for children under 4ft 5ins tall who are younger than 12. The landlord of the eyesore shopping centre on Great Ancoats Street sent out a security man to stop us. He was talking about the Data Protection Act. So he was speaking out of his hat.

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How proud?

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:21 in Richard Butt's blog

ONE thing struck me as strange about the Pride event this year. OK, maybe more than one, but I’ll concentrate on just one here.

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Bang out of order

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:19 in Richard Butt's blog

THE B of the Bang sculpture near Manchester City’s new ground should be fantastic. Normally, I’m all for public art. What would Paris be without the Eiffel Tower? Look how the Angel of the North has put Gateshead on the map. But Manchester’s daring sculpture has been dogged with problems.

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We'll miss Professor Ashton

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:19 in Richard Butt's blog

PROFESSOR John Ashton never bit his lip when it came to speaking out for what he believed in. In his 13 years as the North West’s director of public health, he hit the headlines a number of times – and he didn’t go quietly when he quit his job last week. I met him on his last day at work last week, as he was clearing out his office in City Tower, Piccadilly.

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Hitler's cross. So's everyone else.

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:17 in Richard Butt's blog

ONE of the most amazing stories I read last week was about the opening of a restaurant in Mumbai. It was called Hitler’s Cross. If he was cross, a lot of other people were livid – and understandably. It was even adorned with a swastika.

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Sunday August 27, 2006

Binged out

Posted by Richard Butt at 15:29 in Richard Butt's blog

WE’RE becoming a nation of binge-drinking louts, the Daily Mail and its ilk seem to be convinced. Young people are drinking more and more and they’re a danger to the moral fabric of society, they opine. Indeed, I used footage of drunken violent yobs on one of my Channel M News reports last week. It was to illustrate a story about the topic.

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