A new partnership between the IBI and RTÉ was announced yesterday. Radiocentre Ireland aims to promote advertising within the radio industry.

We spoke to John Percell who is chair of the new board. He told us everything we need to know.

Firstly, what exactly is the aim of Radiocentre?

To promote radio as a medium; maximise the commercial appeal of the Irish radio and audio sector by promoting excellence and seeking to grow understanding of the value radio provides to commercial and agency partners and marketeers.

How did the collaboration between RTÉ and the IBI come about?

The collaboration came about following discussions about ways of building on the success of Choose Radio where IBI had worked successfully with RTE on a number of research projects, case studies and events to promote radio. Both IBI and RTE wanted to move the initiative to another level so we have agreed a multi-annual budget and are in the process of recruiting a Chief Executive to lead and develop the organisation and fulfil our aims

The IBI has had the Choose Radio Campaign for quite a while now. Will the activities of Radiocentre be replacing This campaign or will the two coexist?

Choose Radio ceases and the promotion of radio by IBI and RTE together will now take place under the Irish Radiocentre umbrella.

Will Radiocentre be focusing on advertising specifically or will you be looking at a variety of funding options? (Sound and vision funding, partnerships with streaming services ETC)

Radiocentre Ireland will not focus exclusively on advertising – other commercial options including sponsorship; promotions and broad commercial partnerships involving radio will also be involved. Radiocentre is a promotional and research organisation aimed towards the promotion of the commercial profile and effectiveness of radio. It is not envisaged that Radiocentre will be engaging in commercial partnerships in its own right. That is the business of individual stations and broadcasting organisations.

how can people keep up with Radiocentre? Will there be social media accounts and websites for people to check out?

We have registered the website http://www.radiocentreireland.ie At the moment the site just contains information and application details for the position of Chief Executive Officer for which we are currently recruiting. More information as well as social media presence will follow in due course.

We’ll share details of Radiocentre’s social media when it’s available. While you wait, why not follow Radio Land on Twitter and Instagram? We’ll keep you up to date with all the latest industry news.