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.

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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...

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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.

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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....

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.)

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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.

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Monday May 21, 2007