Let’s get #Nottingham trending!

Every so often someone has a small idea that balloons out of all recognition, often it is social media that is the driving force – think Rage against the machine. Nottingham could be the next big one….

It's a great place!

Within the last few days a plan has been hatched to try and publicise just what a great city Nottingham is. The generally held view by residents of Nottingham is that we get a pretty raw deal from the national press. I have commented upon this previously and although the negative comments made in the press are reducing we are sadly still best known for gun crime (which isn’t an issue) rather than the great things about the city. In other words the damage has been done and needs correcting.

So when Tony Bates @babblingbates suggested that today should be ‘get #Nottingham trending day’ I am sure he didn’t expect it to snowball like it has. It was picked up by all of the frustrated local businesses and individuals who want to ‘re-educate’ the UK about all that is good about Nottingham – this included the BBC, City Council and Nottingham Post. Tony has also appeared on Radio Nottingham to promote it and with the current Mayoral debate raging in the city the timing could not be better!

So now is the time to tell the rest of the UK and World what’s great about Nottingham;

Here are a few ideas of things related to Nottingham – Paul Smith, Boots, Robin Hood, The MRI scanner, Two top Universities, Nottingham Contemporary, it’s Batmans home - I could go on…

So now it is down to everyone else to add the hash tag #Nottingham, say something good about the city and get Nottingham trending today!

 

We have a County flag – why?

A new county flag has been flown in Nottinghamshire for the first time. During an official launch, the green, red and white flag was raised at Nottingham Castle, Newark Castle and in Mansfield Market Place.

The design, which has been registered by the Flag Institute, was chosen by people who took part in an online vote on the BBC website. The idea to create a new flag came from BBC Radio Nottingham.

Two listeners contacted Andy Whittaker’s breakfast show, saying the county needed a flag for the Nottinghamshire public to fly. The presenter mentioned the idea on air and was apparently overwhelmed with the level of positive response, with people ringing in to his show and sending in their designs.

A panel of judges came up with the final design by combining elements from various ideas submitted to the radio station. The flag incorporates St George’s cross on a green background, and a shield with the Robin Hood emblem in its centre.

There is no official flag for the county but this is the only flag for Nottinghamshire registered with the Flag Institute. Apparently the Flag Institute maintains and manages the national registry of United Kingdom flags and this flag complies with its strict UK Flag Registry criteria.

My question would be ‘why do we need it?’ We have various logos for the City and County and this in my view just complicates the marketing of the City and County. Or am I just being grumpy?

 

RIP – Trent FM

The various logo's

When I first came to Nottingham as a student in 1980 I remember discovering Radio Trent (as it was called then) and being amazed by how different it was from anything I had been exposed to before (OK, I was a country boy). I loved it, and listened to it all the way through my college life.

I do have to admit to having moved away from Trent listening many years ago, broadcasting has moved on, plus the iPod has revolutionised music listening, and the novelty of commercial radio wore off long ago (the adverts began to annoy me)!

I was however sad to hear of the stations ‘demise’ and name change to Capital FM East Midlands. The rebranding has come about after a merger of Global Radio’s Hit Music and Galaxy stations to form the Capital Network. I get the impression it is an unpopular change as much of the local content has gone as well.

Radio Trent, as it was known, began broadcasting in 1975, offering Nottingham the latest pop music mixed with local content. Radio Trent was a completely new
concept for the regions (Capital was already established in London) and it launched a number of careers including David ‘Kid’ Jensen and Dale Winton. It offered an alternative to national radio (and BBC Radio Nottingham).

The station was renamed Trent FM in 1988, and then launched GEM-AM on its medium wave frequencies.

Really?

I do think the national branding is a retrograde step, I can see what Capital are trying to so – national ‘quality’ with local news. But, now that everyone has access to news almost instantly via the web this surely makes Capital East Midlands no different to any other national radio station – so why listen?

Despite having left as a listener many years ago I will miss our local independent radio station – RIP Trent.