Here is something where I am shaming our local media for failing to support us all. I am proposing we use the Facebook Mkeneyan Group to celebrate ourselves and sod the media. Are you a member of the group ? It is an open, public group CLICK HERE and become an Mkeneyan.
The Gazette ? Do I mean the Bletchley Gazette ? Didn’t it become in its later days the Milton Keynes Gazette ?
When Her Majesty bestowed the honour turning the Borough of Milton Keynes into the City of Milton Keynes I was bitterly disappointed by the lack of interest shown by our media. I know from speaking with many fellow Mkeneyans how widely my disappointment was shared.
Ok, yes of course media in the twenty-first century, particularly local media, has changed beyond all recognition. But can you imagine how The Bletchley Gazette would have reported the story ? I am sure it would have published a special edition. Pre Milton Keynes New City the Gazette had brothers and sisters in other North Buckinghamshire towns who would have done exactly the same.
How many times have I said that Milton Keynes has more legend and heritage per square mile than any other town city or village in the country ? While our being granted a city charter is a landmark in our heritage, landmarks and heritage do not sell advertising space do they.
During the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee week-end the local rag dropped into my letter box. When it was originally founded by Bill West and Jerry Alder, or was it Jerry West and Bill Alder, the paper’s letterbox slogan was Just a friend dropping in. I scanned the pages trying to find between the adverts articles celebrating the Jubilee. Having submitted two myself I was eager to see how my fellow Mkeneyans were partying. I couldn’t find anything and so the newspaper was filed in the recycling sack along with all the other rubbish.
As
part of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration Andrew Marr broadcast a
series on BBC4 under the title The New Elizabethans. In episode one he talked
about the new city of Milton Keynes, played the shopping centre song You’ve
never seen anything like it and managed to find some footage of the Centre MK
in its early days. He also used a photograph of Leon School under construction
showing what was the Lower School Tower Block. WOW ! Having taken a couple of
screen shots and shared them on social media there was a huge support and cross
sharing.
Thank You Andrew Marr.
Not specifically the old Bletchley Gazette but we need its community focus deep within today’s media to celebrate the life of Milton Keynes City.
Growing up in Sutton Coldfield on the edge of Birmingham we has our local weekly version of the Bletchley Gazette in the Sutton News. Then every mornings there was the Birmingham Post and in the evening the Birmingham Mail. Sundays saw the Sunday Mercury and Saturday evening the Sports Argus telling all football results and more from the likes of Aston Villa and Birmingham City all the way to the local Boy Scouts on the playing field up the road. Times have changes nationally as well as locally..
But I am not writing nationally, I am writing as an Mkeneyan and complaining our local media has let us down.
Legend
says that when Leon Disco was founded the first record played was Video Killed
The Radio Star by The Buggles. We don’t have any radio. Stars or otherwise,
today to kill !
BBC Three Counties Radio: Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. For a very long time Milton Keynes has been a unitary authority so not technically a part of Buckinghamshire. From its studio in wherever it is does BBC Three Counties know Milton Keynes exists.? Now Milton Keynes is a city we need BBC Radio Milton Keynes. After all we Mkeneyans pay for the BBC to exist so why can’t we have a bit of value for our money ?
BBC Look East ? Look East from its studio and all you’ll notice is the North Sea.
Who
remembers Channel 40 TV ?
Who remembers Cable Radio Milton Keynes ?
Who remembers Milton Keynes being honoured within Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee by being granted a city charter ? Not our local media, that’s for sure.
When I first started using social media some six years ago I know I was not of the right generation. I refuse to have my life overtaken by a dumbo smart-phone so the anti-social bit are not part of my interest. Twitter is for twits. Just look at the way the likes of Donald Trump use it and my point is proven. Facebook, however, does have a part in my life.
A
little while ago I set up a public Fabebook group Mkeneyans. It has right now
seventy-six members. What is the population of The City of Milton Keynes ? Mr
Google what do you say ? Two hundred and twenty-nine thousand, nine hundred and
forty-one. Seventy-six versus two
hundred and twenty-nine thousand, nine hundred and forty-one – we have a way to
go !
Mkeneyans is a positive forum, it is not a friend dropping through your letter box once a week, it is your next door neighbour. If the local media is not serving we Mkeneyans, if it is not celebrating the like of our city charter and Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee then let’s do it ourselves.
Let’s set down some stepping stones. Seventy-Six – Seven Hundred and Six – Seven Thousand Six Hundred – Seventy-Six Thousand.
How
many followers does the world’s number one Twit have on Twitter ? (He’s been
banned hasn’t he ?) In 2020 he had 79,439,308
and he twittered no fewer than 51,264 times ! Well we are not twits, we are
Mkeneyans. Let’s use this book to walk our fellow citizens across the stepping
stones and make our Mkeneyans Facebook Group a media to be proud of.
No comments:
Post a Comment