Podcast almost before the RNS15 Dec 2022 20:05
One of these days I fully expect these charlatans - by which I mean both the podcasters and the dodgy CEO's - to make a goof and bring what is obviously a pre-recorded podcast out before the relevant RNS is even released. That will finally catch them out of what is little more than dodgy insider trading.
Today the RNS was released at 3.53 pm and then, within a mere 37 minutes, the 'crafty' team from the Takeaway Podcasts managed to drop whatever they were doing and read and analyse the RNS. They then managed to locate Colin Bird - I have heard at various times that he lives in Portugal, or the UEA, though he sounds as if he just lives in the north-east of England - who just happened to be free and completely ready to immediately do a podcast. All very unlikely in the real world!!
This podcast was then recorded, edited and brought out as The Midweek Takeaway (luckily they had this slot ready and waiting) within, as I have said, 37 minutes of the RNS being released. Wow, what a performance.
Unfortunately, this sort of slick performance is not possible, with the more likely scenario being that Colin Bird contacted the Takeaway team several days ago and informed them that he was going to be bringing out an RNS. In order to get a podcast out on the same day, he was asked or maybe he volunteered to provide the Takeaway team with a pre-published copy of the RNS which allowed them time to read it and analyse it, swot up on Zambia and the contents and then record a podcast, all wrapped and ready to be brought out almost simultaneously with the news release.
Fortunately, the content was not very hot, except maybe for Mr Bird, and the share price was not going to and has not risen by any great amounts. Of course, if it was hot news and doing the podcasts in this dodgy manner, then the people who were privy to this advanced information and their mates would have had a day or two or three to buy lots of cheap shares in advance of the release, only to be ready to offload them for a tidy profit as soon as the news came out. There is no way that this podcast could have been prepared and released within 37 minutes so they must have seen the contents in advance. This is not fair and is clearly a case of 'insider trading'.
While it is very useful to have these podcasts, I do not feel that the presenters should have the opportunity to see them in advance and to 'insider trade' the shares.