1. Presentation to Joint Oireachtas Committee - Communications, Climate Action & Environment
22nd November 2016

2. Broadcasting in Ireland

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Local Radio Weekday Schedule

6. 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%

7. 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
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%

8. Put in context - Carlow Kilkenny - 10am-12pm Weekdays

9. Spot the difference Seán O’Rourke Pat Kenny RTÉ Radio 1 Newstalk
Minister Katherine Zappone on 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
Teresa Heeney on childcare 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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;

14. Appalling Vista 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

15. And finally.... We have: A funding crisis; An editorial crisis;
Readily available solutions.
What’s missing......
the will to actually do something