Radio in Ireland

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Licensed radio in Ireland is one element of the wider media in Ireland, with 85% of the population listening to a licenced service on any given day.[1] This article deals with the legal radio stations of the Republic of Ireland. For a discussion of the extensive illegal broadcasting scene in Ireland, see Irish pirate radio.

Contents

[edit] History

Regular radio broadcasting in Ireland began with 2RN's test transmissions in 1925. [2] 2RN has since become RTÉ Radio 1, which celebrated 80 years of uninterrupted broadcasting in January 2006, making it amongst the oldest (if not the oldest) continuously operating, continuously public service radio station in Europe. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta joined in 1972, and RTÉ Radio 2, now 2FM, launched in 1979.

Commercial radio was outlawed in Ireland until 1989, leading to the developed of Irish pirate radio. Upon legalisation, licences were advertised and awarded on a franchise system explained in the article for a national service and a network of regional services covering the country, These all took to the air during 1989 and 1990, and although the national service (Century) eventually failed, all the local services lasted until their licence was revoked, or still exist. Additional licences have been added on an erratic basis since the late 1990s.

An "international" service, Atlantic 252, also operated on long wave between 1989 and 2002, although it was aimed solely at the UK and Ireland. It was never subject to the authority of the BCI (nor, much to its annoyance at the time, the UK's Radio Authority), and was operated under RTÉ's remit as a joint venture between RTÉ and CLT-UFA. After a short period as a sports station (TeamTalk), the frequencies reverted to sole RTÉ control and are now used as an additional frequency for RTÉ Radio 1.

[edit] Licencing

Aside from the stations operated by Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), radio stations in Ireland operate under sound broadcasting contracts issued by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI). This body supervises and regulates the commercial Independent National, Regional, and Local Radio stations, as well as the non-profit Community Radio stations, Institutional Services and Temporary Services.

As of 2007, the BCI has suspended issuing new analogue licences (with the exception of renewals, and licences already tendered) so that it can focus its attention on addressing the delays in rollout of digital terrestrial television in Ireland[1].

[edit] Transmission

All stations broadcast on FM barring those on the DAB Ireland multiplexes, which broadcast on VHF Band III; and the longwave version of RTÉ Radio 1 mainly intended for reception outside of Ireland. RTÉ radio services are also available free-to-air on digital satellite, as is Newstalk, and a number of recently licenced services or applicants have used satellite transmission to homes as part of the licence applications.

Mediumwave (AM) licences were issued for new commercial stations for Limerick and Galway in 2002, although these services never reached the air (with the licences being withdrawn); and a mediumwave licence has been awarded for a quasi-national religious service.

During 2006, a group, Choice FM, applied for and received permission to broadcasting on MW in the Dublin area over a period of thirty days. The 'easy listening' radio station relayed its FM programming on 1278 kHz MW, and operated opt-out programming at various times. The group is said to be interested in obtaining one of the four MW channels that are allocated to the Dublin area, however the BCI's future schedule for licencing does not indicate that any MW licences will be offered on a permanent basis.

During 2007, a radio station called 'The Rock' obtained a temporary 'classic rock' music service. The station broadcast on 94.9 FM and also on 1278 kHz MW. The Rock was operated by the same group that operated Choice FM during 2005 and 2006, although different MW facilities were used by the group during 2007.

[edit] Ownership

Ownership of commercial radio in Ireland is largely by three companies. Emap, with three stations, Communicorp/Radio 2000 with 4, soon to be 5; and UTV Radio with 5. The rest of the stations, mostly small services, are generally owned by local businesses, with notable proprietors of stakes including Thomas Crosbie Holdings, the Roman Catholic Church and the Mid Western Area Health Board.

[edit] National stations

[edit] RTÉ (national state broadcaster)

[edit] Independent National Radio

  • Today FM (formerly Radio Ireland) - Popular music with some speech programming.
  • Newstalk (National) - Speech-based.
    • DAB-specific services which are theoretically national services
    • All 80s (music jukebox)
    • Mocha (music jukebox)

[edit] Independent Regional Radio

[edit] Independent Regional Radio

  • Beat 102-103 - Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary.
  • Spin South West - Counties Kerry, Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary, and south west Laois.
  • i102-104FM (launched February 2008) - Counties Galway, Mayo, Longford, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal
  • i107FM (as yet unlaunched) - Counties Kildare, Meath, North Laois, Carlow, Louth, Westmeath, Cavan and Monaghan

All services are licensed for "youth" content, no franchises area geographically overlap, and the entire country is served apart from the cities and counties of Cork and Dublin, both of which have "youth" licensed services (Red FM and Spin 1038 respectively). Beat 102-3 was first to air and was a pilot for the rest of the system.

[edit] Independent local radio

There are 25 commercial stations (Independent Local Radio - ILR) licensed on a regional franchise basis. Often several counties of Ireland are covered by one station only, but Dublin and Cork have several. The majority of the ILR stations collectively own the national news provider Independent Network News, as well as the sales house, Independent Radio Sales, although participation in neither is compulsory.

[edit] Dublin ILRs

Except for the two original ILR licenses - 98FM and FM104 - each additional ILR license in Dublin was awarded for a specific format, intending on meeting demands which it was felt that 98FM and FM104 were not catering to.

Former Dublin speech-based ILR Newstalk have been awarded a quasi-national licence, and have returned their Dublin ILR licence although retaining its frequency. It is not known if this licence will be re-advertised.

[edit] Cork ILRs

  • 96FM and C103 (dual franchise) - C103 is aimed at older listeners, also sports and rural interest programmes.
  • Red FM - Youth-driven service.

[edit] Leinster (excluding Dublin) ILRs

[edit] Munster (excluding Cork) ILRs

[edit] Connacht/Ulster ILRs

  • Galway Bay FM - Galway City and County
  • Ocean FM - County Sligo, North Leitrim, and South Donegal.
  • Mid-West Radio - County Mayo
  • Shannonside FM - Counties Longford, Roscommon, East Galway and South Leitrim. Dual franchise with Northern Sound Radio, covering Counties Cavan and Monaghan.
  • Highland Radio - County Donegal.

[edit] Community radio

Community Radio covers specific local communities or communities of interest. These operate on a non-commercial basis. In Ireland the BCI requires that community radio stations subscribe to the AMARC Community Radio Charter for Europe. Community radio in Ireland is represented by CRAOL. Currently there are 22 community radio stations on air in Ireland, while there are 13 stations in the process of obtaining a licence.

[edit] Special interest services

Special interest services resemble ILRs in most ways, but must be of specialist interest—e.g. heavier local interest content, or specialist music. Only one such stations are currently licenced, Dublin City FM, who brand themselves as 103.2 Dublin City FM on-air, and DUB CITY on RDS.

[edit] Institutional services

The BCI may also issue licenses to institutions, such as hospitals and colleges, for the provision of low-powered FM services.

At present, there are six such stations in operation; all of them are hospital radio stations with the existing student radio stations operating under community radio or temporary licenses.

  • Beaumont Hospital Radio - Beaumont Hospital, Beamount, Dublin
  • CUH FM Hospital Radio - Cork University Hospital, Cork
  • Mater Hospital Radio - Mater Hospital, Dublin
  • Regional Hospital Radio - Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick
  • South Tipperary General Hospital Radio - South Tipperary General and Maternity Hospital, Tipperary, Co. Tipperary
  • St. Ita's Hospital Radio - St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane, Co. Dublin

[edit] Temporary services

Stations may also be licensed to operate for shorter periods, with temporary licenses allowing stations to operate for up to thirty days in a given twelve month period.

These licenses may be used by stations providing a service to coincide with local, cultural and sporting events or festivals.

Another group of stations to avail of this type of license are those that are being run as pilot projects; successful stations may later be established as Community Radio stations.

[edit] Defunct stations

[edit] RTÉ radio

  • Atlantic 252 - a joint venture with RTL, eventually failed financially
  • RTÉ FM3 Classical music/arts service, had existed prior to the launch of Lyric FM. FM3 time-shared the same national FM network as RnaG, resulting in limited broadcasting hours.
  • Radio Oglaigh na h-Éireann 1960s-era shortwave service offering Radio Éireann programming to Irish UN Forces serving in Congo, ended when no longer needed
  • RTÉ Radio Cork, (was originally 'RTÉ Cork Local Radio', changed name in 1989 to 'Cork 89FM', and relaunched again in 1994 as 'RTÉ Radio Cork') - an opt-out of Radio 1 for the Cork area on mediumwave and secondary FM transmitters, closed in 1999 due to declining interest
  • RTÉ mobile Community Radio station, existed during the late 1970s and 1980s, this mobile station provided temporary community radio services to towns and cities around the country.
  • Millennium 88FM temporary local radio service for Dublin during 1988 and part of 1989 to mark 1988 at the year of the Dublin Millennium.
  • RTÉ Digital Radio Sport, a rolling service in the early days of DAB.

[edit] Independent Local Radio

  • Limerick 95 FM (Radio Limerick One) (105 MHz FM). Lost franchise mid-term for stated misbehaviour - subsequently operated on a pirate basis.
  • CKR FM and Radio Kilkenny - franchises redrawn at end of contract, Kildare area awarded to KFM, Carlow and Kilkenny to KCLR.
  • Tipperary Mid-West Radio - held a very small franchise for South West Tipperary. Its franchise was merged with the rest of Tipperary franchise (held by Tipp FM). The station continues, being re-licenced as a Community Radio station.
  • North West Radio - subsidiary of Mid West Radio. Replaced by Ocean FM at end of contract.
  • Easy 103 - held a licence for part of Wicklow and Horizon Radio held a licence for north Wicklow. These two stations merged to become East Coast Radio.
  • Fresh 95.5 - short lived North Dublin-targeted station from LMFM. Was licenced to Meath only, relying on signal overspill.
  • Dublin Weekend Radio - station that broadcast from Dublin City University, it time-shared transmission with Raidio na Life. Facilities are now used by DCUFM.

[edit] Independent National Radio

[edit] Community Radio

[edit] Future stations

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has either awarded, advertised, or announced its intent to advertise a large number of new services to launch within the next 24 months. These include a licence for an AM station, something which has never lasted commercially in Ireland, and the first attempt to licence such since 2002; as well as what will amount to four stations easily receivable in most of Dublin city and county.

It is expected these may be the last commercial analogue services to be licenced, as the FM band will be highly saturated in Dublin and the midlands of Ireland. DRM on Ireland's many unused ITU-allocated mediumwave frequencies is expected to be the next round of licening, particularly as some of these allocations are 15 to 20 kHz wide, which is enough for FM-alike quality with the latest DRM+ coding methods. DRM has already been used by RTÉ to broadcast some content on shortwave and longwave. Eureka 147 Digital Audio Broadcasting is in the process of being rolled out, having begun in 2006. The suspension of analogue licensing prior to the completion of this plan would further suggestion a termination of analogue licensing entirely.

[edit] Independent national radio

A licence for a national religious station to broadcast on mediumwave with low power, FM infills was advertised in August 2006. Five applications were received, from CCN Ireland, Radio Maria, Spirit Radio, United Christian Broadcasters and Yes Radio. Spirit Radio were awarded the licence on April 17, 2007.

[edit] Independent regional radio

[edit] Youth licences

A licence for the Midlands & North East regional licence was advertised in September 2006. Five applications were received, again from Spin 1038 and Red FM, i107 (the same group as i102-104FM), ICE FM (part of TV3 Ireland) and FM107 (part of Midlands 103). The first three were allowed proceed to the second round, with i107 winning the licence.

[edit] Country & Irish licences

Two regional country and Irish licences will be advertised in the future, the first (North East) region covering North Kildare, Meath, Louth and parts of Cavan and Monaghan; and the second (Mid West) region covering Limerick, Galway, Clare and parts of Tipperary and Kerry. These services were meant to be advertised by November 2007 but the suspension of the radio licensing programme by the BCI has deferred this.

[edit] Independent local radio

[edit] Dublin ILR

A further Dublin ILR licence will be advertised in the future, for a classic rock format station. This will bring the number of Dublin licenced stations back up to its former level now that Newstalk is an INR. This advertisement was meant to occur in September 2007, but the temporary suspension of radio licensing by the BCI delayed this to March 2008. [2]

There were three applications, Nova 100, Classic Rock (backed by Wicklow ILR East Coast Radio) and Rock Radio (backed by existing Dublin ILR, Phantom FM).

[edit] Multi-city and county service

An easy listening "Classic Gold" service with a single contractor holding licences for Dublin city, county and 'Commuter Belt', the cities and counties of Cork, Limerick and Galway and County Clare was advertised in April 2007[3].

An interesting facet of this licence is the first legal recognition of the significant overspill audience Dublin stations receive, as the licence also covers the "Commuter Belt" of Dublin, which is defined as Greystones and Bray in County Wicklow; all of County Kildare north of Ballymore Eustace and Rathangan, and all of County Meath south of Ballivor and Bellewstown.

5 applications were received, "Cream", "Legend FM", "More FM" (backed by TV3), "Radio 3" (Backed by i102-4/i107) and "4FM". Two "Radio 3"s have already existed in Ireland, one a time-sharing service (RTÉ FM3 Classical Radio) that later evolved in to RTÉ lyric fm, and another (Midlands Radio 3) which is the previous name of the ILR station Midlands 103.

More FM and 4FM were allowed to pass to the next round, an oral hearing. 4FM were subsequently awarded the licence. They plan to commence broadcasting in october 2008.

[edit] References

  1. ^ RTÉ Radio Sales. RTÉ. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
  2. ^ RTÉ Libraries and Archives. RTÉ. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.

[edit] External links

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