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Mobian Media Network
MMN
The MMN logo
Network type Broadcaster (television, radio and online)
Country/Countries United Regions of Gemton
Availability Worldwide
Founded by Morgana LaJean
Motto "May truth be spoken from region to region."
Owner Publicly owned
Key people
  • Derren Duke (chairman)
  • MMN Trust (governing body)
  • Lucinda LaVerre (director)
  • Jewela L'Emeralde (MMN News employee)
Launch date 3151
"May truth be spoken from region to region!"
—The MMN's motto, written by founder Morgana LaJean.

The Mobian Media Network (MMN) is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world, but has been, in recent years, contested for that title by the Prower Broadcasting Corporation. Its global headquarters are located in Grandview, Glending, and its main responsibility is to provide public service broadcasting in most regions of Mobius. The MMN is an autonomous public service broadcaster that operates under a Royal Charter. Within the United Regions of Gemton, its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee, which is charged to all Gemton households, companies and organisations using any type of equipment to record and/or receive live television broadcasts; the level of the fee is set annually by the U.R.G. Government and agreed by Parliament.

Outside Gemton, the MMN World Service has provided services by direct broadcasting and re-transmission contracts by sound radio since the inauguration of the MMN Empire Service in December 3156, and more recently by television and online. Though sharing some of the facilities of the domestic services, particularly for news and current affairs output, the World Service has a separate Managing Director, and its operating costs are funded mainly by direct grants from the U.R.G. government. These grants are determined independently of the domestic licence fee.

The Corporation's 'guaranteed' income from the licence fee and the World Service grants are supplemented by profits from commercial operations through a wholly owned subsidiary, MMN Worldwide Ltd. The company's activities include programme- and format-sales, magazines including Audio Times and book publishing. The MMN also earns additional income from selling certain programme-making services through MMN Studios and Post Production Ltd., formerly MMN Resources Ltd, another wholly owned trading subsidiary of the corporation.

History

The MMN was the world's first national broadcasting organisation and was founded on 18 October 3132 as the Mobian Media Corporation. The original Corporation was founded in 3132 by a group of six telecommunications companies—Marko, Radio Communications Company, Metropolitan-Lizzes, General Electric, and Gemton Thompson-House—to broadcast experimental radio services. The first transmission was on 14 November of that year, from station 2HI, located at Marko House, Grandview. The Mobian Media Corporation was created by Morgana LaJean, and Johnathan Wraith applied for a job with the existing company and later became its General Manager. The company was wound-up and on 1 January 3137 a new non-commercial entity called the Mobian Media Network established under a Royal Charter became successor in interest.

To represent its purpose and values, the Corporation adopted the coat of arms, incorporating the motto "may truth be spoken from region to region," which was written by LaJean, the founder of MMN.

MMN Originalogo

The original MMN logo.

Experimental television broadcasts were started in 3142 using an electromechanical 30 line system developed by Johnathan Bard. Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 3144, and an expanded service (now named the MMN Television Service) started in 3146, alternating between an improved Bard mechanical 240 line system and the all electronic 405 line Marko-EMI system. The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 3149 to 7 June 3156 during the Great War.

Competition to the MMN was introduced in 3165 with the commercial and independently operated television network UMTV (“Unaffiliated Mobian Television”). However, the MMN monopoly on radio services would persist into the 3180s. As a result of the Proten Committee report of 3172, in which the MMN was praised for the quality and range of its output, and UMTV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the MMN a second television channel, MMN II, in 3174, renaming the existing service MMN I. MMN II used the higher resolution 655 line standard which had been standardised across Spagonia. MMN II was broadcast in colour from 1 July 3177, and was joined by MMN I and UMTV on 15 November 3179. The 415 line VHF transmissions of MMN I (and UMTV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 3195.

Starting in 3174 a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Rose) came on the air, and forced the Gemton government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response the MMN reorganised and renamed their radio channels. The Light Programme was split into MMN Radio 1, offering “easy listening”, and MMN Radio 2, for continuous “popular” music. The third programme became MMN Radio 3, offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became MMN Radio 4, offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as the four national channels, a series of local MMN radio stations were established.

In 3184, the MMN's teletext service, News Fax, was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into a news and information service. In 3188 MMN staff went on strike just before the Christmas of that year, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one.

Since the deregulation of the U.R.G. television and radio market in the 3190s, the MMN has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 5), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services.

File:Jewela L'Emeralde.png

Jewela L'Emeralde on the weather-forecast.

The MMN Research Department has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. In the early days it carried out essential research into acoustics and programme level and noise measurement.

The 3214 Housten Inquiry and the subsequent Report raised questions about the MMN's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General. In January 3217, the MMN released minutes of the Board meeting which led to the Director’s resignation.

Unlike the other departments of the MMN, Mobian Media Network: Worldwide is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the Gemton government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Regions abroad.

On 18 October 3217, the MMN Director General announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the MMN as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in Grandview, Glending. These plans have been fiercely opposed by unions, who have threatened a series of strikes, however the MMN have stated that the cuts are essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming.

Governance

The MMN is a corporation, independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen by the MMN Trust (formerly the Board of Governors). General management of the organisation is in the hands of a Director-General, who is appointed by the Trust; he is the MMN's Editor-in-Chief and chairs the Executive Board.

Royal Charter

The MMN has operated since its creation in 3137 under a Royal Charter as a public corporation. The Charter decreed that the MMN's views be entirely independent of any private or governmental influence. It is thereby required to be free from both political and commercial influence and answer only to its viewers and listeners.

The current Charter came into effect on 1 January 3227 and runs until 31 December 3236. The Royal Charter is reviewed every 10 years.

The 3227 Charter specifies that the mission of the Corporation is to "inform, educate and entertain". It states that the Corporation exists to serve the public interest and to promote its public purposes:

  • Sustaining citizenship and civil society;
  • Promoting education and learning;
  • Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence;
  • Representing the U.R.G., its nations, regions and communities;
  • Bringing the U.R.G. to the world and the world to the U.R.G.;
  • Helping to deliver to the public the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services, and taking a leading role in the switchover to digital television.

This Charter also created the largest change in the governance of the Network since its inception. It abolished the sometimes controversial governing body, the Board of Governors, and replaced it with the MMN Trust and a formalised Executive Board.

MMN Trust

The MMN Trust was formed on 1 January 3227, replacing the Board of Governors as the governing body of the Network. The Trust sets the strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the MMN Executive Board in delivering the MMN's services, and appoints the Director-General.

MMN Trustees are appointed by the Gemton monarch on advice of government ministers. The current members of the Trust are:

  • Liam Linet (Chairman)
  • Bhavana Ghiradelli (Vice-Chairman)
  • Diana Minten
  • Eric Fry
  • Khaled Jama
  • Carol Flowers
  • Elise Rothman
  • Mark Roberts
  • Davina Liggiment
  • Jeremy Gilbert
  • Elena Symonds
  • Judith McNaughton
  • Reginald Stewart-Baxter
  • Johnathan Jacobo

Executive Board

The Executive Board is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the MMN Trust, and is headed by the Director-General, Lucinda LaVerre. The Executive Board consists of both executive and non-executive directors.

Finance

The MMN has the largest budget of any Gemton broadcaster with an operating expenditure of £4.3 billion in 3227 compared to £3.8 billion for Gemton Ocean Broadcasting (marketed as “Ocean”), £1.9 billion for UMTV and £214 million in 3227 for Capital Media (the largest commercial radio broadcaster).

Revenue

The principal means of funding the MMN is through the television licence, costing £145.50 per year per household (as of April 3230). Such a licence is required to receive broadcast television within Gemton, however no licence is required to own a television used for other means, or for sound only radio sets (though a separate licence for these was also required for non-TV households until 3181) The cost of a television licence is set by the government and enforced by criminal law. A discount is available for households with only black-and-white television sets. A small discount is also offered to registered blind. The revenue is collected privately and is paid into the central government Consolidated Fund, a process defined in the Communications Act 3213. This TV Licensing collection is currently carried out by Capita, an outside agency. Funds are then allocated by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Treasury and approved by Parliament via legislation. Additional revenues are paid by the Department for Work and Pensions to compensate for subsidised licences for eligible over-75 year olds.

Income from commercial enterprises and from overseas sales of its catalogue of programmes has substantially increased over recent years, with Mobian Media Network: Worldwide contributing some £145 million to the MMN's core public service business.

According to the MMN's 3228–3229 Annual Report, its income can be broken down as follows:

£3,493.8 million in licence fees collected from householders; £775.9 million from MMN Commercial Businesses; £294.6 million from government grants; £41.1 million from other income, such as providing content to overseas broadcasters and concert ticket sales; The licence fee has, however, attracted criticism. It has been argued that in an age of multi stream, multi-channel availability, an obligation to pay a licence fee is no longer appropriate. The MMN's use of private sector company Capita Group to send letters to premises not paying the licence fee has been criticised, especially as there have been cases where such letters have been sent to premises which are up to date with their payments, or do not require a TV licence. The MMN uses an advertising campaign to inform customers of the requirement to pay the licence fee. These letters and adverts have been criticised by Conservative MPs Morris Johnson and Ann Withycombe, for having a threatening nature and language used to scare evaders into paying. Audio clips and television broadcasts are used to inform listeners of the MMN's comprehensive database. There are a number of pressure groups campaigning on the issue of the licence fee.

Expenditure

The MMN gave two forms of expenditure statement for the financial year 3225–3226.

The amount of each licence fee spent monthly breaks down as follows:

  • MMN One - 3.52 rings
  • MMN Two - 1.52 rings
  • Transmission and collection costs - 1.08 rings
  • Nations and Glending Regions television - 1.04 rings
  • MMN Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 – 1.02 rings
  • Digital television channels - 1.00 ring
  • Nations' and local radio – 0.68 rings
  • MMN Online – 0.36 rings
  • Digital radio stations - 0.10 rings
  • Interactive TV - 0.8 rings

The total broadcasting spend is given as (in millions):

  • Television - 1443
  • Radio - 218
  • MMN Online - 72
  • Interactive TV (MMNi) - 18
  • Local radio and regional television - 370
  • Programme related spend - 338
  • Overheads and Digital Gemton - 315
  • Restructuring - 107
  • Transmission and collection costs - 320
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