22nd November 2016
Broadcasting in Ireland
What is Public Service Broadcasting?
 Recognise & categorise Public Service programming
 You cannot fund what you cannot define!
 Public Service Broadcasting is:
 About content not organisational structure;
 Programmes the market cannot support;
 News, speech, sport, access, reflect Irish culture &
identity, enable discussion & debate of local, regional &
national issues.
Public Service Broadcasting Obligations
 RTÉ & TG4
 Detailed legislative obligations, set out in 2009
legislation to provide public service content, including
commitments for News and Current Affairs;
 Independent Radio Stations
 Detailed legislative obligations set out in 2009
legislation to provide public service content, including
very specific commitments for News and Current
Affairs.
 Detailed obligations aid down in license contract
agreements between broadcaster & regulator
Local Radio Weekday Schedule
Radio..a hugely important Irish media
JNLR Results Oct 2016
 82% listening to radio daily
 Average listening 4 hours per day
 Market Share
 Any Independent Radio – 68.1%
 Any RTÉ Radio – 31.9%
Franchise Area
Station Name
Market
Share
RTÉ Radio1
Clare
Clare FM
48.4%
16.3%
Louth Meath
LMFM
30.2%
26.6%
Laois Offaly Westmeath
Midlands 103
33.8%
24%
Carlow Kilkenny
KCLR 96FM
32.5%
21.5%
Wexford
South East Radio
39.5%
22.3%
Wicklow
East Coast FM
23.5%
24.8%
Limerick
Limerick’s Live 95FM
32.9%
19.8%
Tipperary
Tipp FM
36.2%
22.4%
Waterford
WLR FM
38.8%
18.4%
Kildare
Kfm
48.4%
27.3%
Kerry
Radio Kerry
51.4%
19.6%
Galway
Galway Bay FM
29%
15.8%
Mayo
Midwest Radio
53.1%
13.6%
Roscommon Longford Leitrim
Cavan Monaghan
Shannonside/Northern
Sound
49.7%
14.8%
Sligo South Donegal
Ocean FM
35.8%
17.2%
Donegal North
Highland Radio
58.1%
9.9%
Put in context Carlow Kilkenny - 10am-12pm Weekdays
KCLR 96FM
Beat
Newstalk
Today FM
AQH
RTE LyricFM
RTE 2FM
RTE Radio1
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Spot the difference
Seán O’Rourke
RTÉ Radio 1
 Minister Katherine Zappone on
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childcare proposals
Debate on best childcare options
for families
Diarmuid Ferriter on the history
of birth control in Ireland
Unilever pull products from UK
shelves, could that happen in
Ireland?
75 years of culinary arts training
in DIT
Elaine Mernagh, Ireland Refugee
Solidary having returned from
Calais
Pat Kenny
Newstalk
 Teresa Heeney on childcare
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proposals
Debate on the Repeal of the 8th
Amendment & its discussion by
the Citizens Assembly
History of Teachers Strikes
US Presidential Election
New book on Countess
Markievicz
Q&A wit Resident Vet
Advice on security in the home
Threats to Public Service Broadcasting
 Market not able to support PSB content
 Radio Stations not able to continue providing resource
levels required to continue with the current levels of PSB
 Erosion of Irish culture and identify
 Lack of social connection, reduction in sharing of local
news, culture, social inclusion etc
 Negative impact on democracy
Funding
 BAI Strategic Objective - Sectoral Sustainability - more ads
for independent radio. This is not the answer
 Independent radio stations are closing (TXFM) and radio
stations are cutting news & talk programmes due to lack of
funding.
 Solutions have to be industry focused and cannot benefit
one sector of the broadcasting industry while negatively
impact on another sector
 Time to act now to protect what we have and love - before
we lose what makes independent radio unique
Actions Required
 Recognise the challenges facing Irish broadcast radio;
 Follow up on promise to scrap the BAI levy;
 Acknowledge that RTÉ is not the only Public Service
Broadcaster
 Devise a transparent, value for money funding model that
meets the needs of the audience
 Fund public service commitments on independent radio;
 Ensure diversity and an alternative view;
 Reflect local, regional and national identity, concerns;
 Information & coverage of events, issues;
 Reflect and support Irish culture;
 Incentive public service programming.
Fund for PSB on Independent Radio
 Support 20% news, current affairs & talk programme
commitments set out in the Broadcasting Act 2009;
 Prospective, independently audited and assessed,
measurable, with a focus on employment, digital and
innovation.
 Programming content would include:
 News, sport and information bulletins;
 Key political discourse;
 Irish language and Culture
 Education – media literacy & links to educational
institutions
 Reflect the lives of the listeners;
Appalling Vista
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Erosion of influence and use of media
Lowest common denominator / click bait
Local flavour lost
No local or regional identity on radio
Loss of diversity and plurality on the airwaves
Our news comes from Google & Facebook!
Negative impact on democracy especially at local level;
Consolidation of stations – “A Heart in Every Town”
25 years of work by broadcasters, regulators and
Government wasted & a return to a pre 1989
broadcasting landscape
And finally....
We have:
 A funding crisis;
 An editorial crisis;
 Readily available solutions.
What’s missing......
the will to actually do something