Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s what Happened
The Irish Times are reporting that the government are planning to replace the licence fee with a slightly reduced fee that will be collected by Revenue instead of An Post.
This is a rejection of what the media minister wants, as she reportedly wants RTE to be funded directly by the state, in a similar way to other state bodies like the HSE, or indeed TG4. This idea has significant opposition however from other members of government.
Ultimately if we want to keep RTE in its current form it will need state funding of between €200 million and €250 million a year, so it’s a lot of money. The question of how to pay that is frustrating as people generally don’t want to pay for it.
I would hope that if revenue does start collecting the fee though it changes to a more modern style of tax instead of the flat fee it is today. Just reducing the fee is kicking the can down the road, so I hope a sustainable solution can be found.
It’s been an important week for RTE as the minister received the outstanding reports related to the broadcaster. The Irish Times have some good coverage, so I’d recommend checking that out below.
Check out the Irish Times coverage of the reduced license fee and RTÉ reports here
Today FM have secured a sponsor for sports updates ahead of the Paris 2024 olympics.
Flogas have signed a 1 year deal to sponsor the updates airing across the station schedule, with stings initially set to focus on the companies support for Team Ireland,
The agreement was made by Bauer owned MediaCentral, Core Sponsorship and Today FM, and will include over 400 stings a month.
These sports updates will bring in a nice bit of revenue for Today FM, but media in general tends to get a big boost from the Olympics. RTE holds broadcast rights this time around following a deal with Warner Bros Discovery.
All media outlets will be trying to cash in on any slice of the pie they can get, and it looks like Today FM have got an early gold medal.
Read about the Flogas sponsorship here
Finally this week, lyric FM has turned 25. The station launched all the way back in 1999.
The broadcaster celebrated with a concert in limerick this week which was also broadcast on the station. Lyric has built a very loyal audience in its 25 years on air, and is unlike anything you’d hear on commercial radio.
It has fans all around the world as we discussed in our last post, and has a huge following closer to home too. Michael D. Higgins congratulated the station with a message this week, summing up its significance really well.
“Over the past quarter-century, lyric fm has truly enhanced the cultural landscape of Ireland, showcasing the beauty and diversity of not just classical music but also such a wide range of music that includes traditional, jazz, world music, musicals and film scores.
Michael D. Higgins
It’s a huge achievement for the station, and hopefully they’ll be on air for another 25 years and more. Congratulations to all at Lyric FM from us at Radio Land.
Read the lyric FM press release here
Quick Bits
RTE’s Bryan Dobson has retired after 37 years with the broadcaster
The Dawn Chorus takes place tonight
FM104 are giving away a Jeep Avenger on their breakfast show
What’s your favourite Gift Grub character of all time
Yesterday was press freedom day, and there were calls for new defamation legislation
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.