Calls Made To Increase Funding For Independent Radio Stations

[Tony Sweeney]

Calls Made To Increase Funding For Independent Radio Stations
Hugh O'Farrell Walsh

The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, representing East Coast FM, has
highlighted the challenges facing core News and Current Affairs in the
sector, in the wake of the announcement of a recovery plan in RTÉ.
The IBI believes it is absolutely vital that the crisis in News and
Current Affairs in the sector is central to consideration by Government
of wider funding for broadcasting.
The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland Chief Executive, Michael
Kelly, said: “I would be highly concerned if the problems in RTÉ were to
be addressed in isolation without taking into account the need to
preserve the core, day-to-day, News and Current Affairs in the
independent sector, which constitutes very important Public Service
Content provided to listeners by our stations.
Currently zero funding from the Exchequer or TV licence is provided to
the independent sector for its core News and Current Affairs.”
 “The survival of broadcast media is not just about RTÉ, and I have
today written to the leaders of all of the political parties emphasising
the nature of the crisis and seeking meetings to discuss it,” he said.
 He continued: “While most of the public attention in the past year has
related understandably to issues and problems around RTÉ, we in
independent radio would emphasise that we face extremely serious
challenges in funding and resourcing the specific News and Current
Affairs part of our services.”
 “Against the background or major funding and resourcing challenges, it
is clear that none of the schemes proposed up to now can help the core
News and Current Affairs to survive and thrive in our sector in the near
term.”
 “The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland believes that interim
financial support can be, and must be, urgently made available to our
sector.
There is a crisis in News and Current Affairs in our sector and the
direction of travel at the moment is that it could disappear, as has
happened in regions in the UK and US.  Helping save News and Current
Affairs in Ireland’s independent radio sector can be done at a small
fraction of the funding provided for broadcasting overall. Action is
urgently needed now.”
https://www.eastcoast.fm/news/wicklow-news/calls-made-to-increase-funding-for-independent-radio-stations/