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News and Comment August 2011

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19 August (Part 2) - Broadcasting Bexley’s Crimes

This is going to come as a surprise to my colleagues on the Bonkers team because I forgot to put it on the agenda for our meeting last Wednesday, but a West End marketing company wants to place adverts on Bexley-is-Bonkers. Its readership is now so widespread that they want to pay us for cluttering up the pages with ads. I’m going to stick my neck out and say no one on the team would want to accept advertisements, they would compromise the site’s integrity and we might be compared to councillors, constantly maneuvering things so that the maximum amount of money falls into our pockets; but it is flattering just the same to think the popularity of the site attracts advertisers. For the record this site costs £5 a year (domain registration fee) to run plus the electricity to run my computer. My ISP provides unlimited space and band-width free of charge as a token of support.

Google has been kind to us too. A new layout not only puts Bonkers’ listing right under Bexley council as it usually has done, but the change almost makes Bonkers look part of the council. It all helps to spread the word. It’s a shame that Linda Piper has left the News Shopper, she used to read the blog and twice asked to ‘borrow’ things from it. I hope she enjoys her new island life.

Moving up a step or two from the News Shopper, a couple of the Bonkers’ team were interviewed for BBC Radio 4 recently - I have no idea when that will be used or whether it will be at all - but it may have led to other things. One of them has since met a producer from Panorama but he is reluctant to appear on the programme. The meeting has nevertheless provided confirmation that this site is read in influential places. Yesterday another BBC producer emailed to ask if I knew of any similar group to ours in the west of England. I asked why the west and was told it would be convenient for the production team at present - so if you come from Bath or points west of there and are engaged in similar scrutiny of your council or other public body, and whether you blog it or not, please let me know. I’ve been told to expect a phone call about the planned programme. Sooner or later the spivs and charlatans who run Bexley council are going to make the mainstream media. Will the BBC be issued with a Harassment Letter too?

 

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