Louth councillor says radio in Louth to benefit from broadcasting commission

Louth councillor John McGahon has said that regional and local radio stations will benefit immensely from a newly proposed commission on the future of public service broadcasting.

Cllr McGahon said in a statement today that the decision by Minister for Communications Richard Bruton to set up such a commission was timely and will only benefit regional broadcasting in Louth "which provides immense public service to all listeners here."

“Our local radio stations are hugely important to their regions and listenership", said Cllr McGahon.

"From local news and sport to what is happening in numerous communities, they keep us informed in ways that a national station cannot. They promote events, initiatives and offer a platform to people in Louth that would otherwise be very hard to achieve."

He continued:

“We need local media and radio to continue to thrive to ensure the public is served with impartial and independent journalism. But our media and radio stations do face immense challenges – not least from vastly changing technology and that is why an independent commission is needed. 

“The independent commission will identify the challenges for local and regional broadcasters to inform, educate and entertain their listeners in a world where content is provided and delivered by new global platforms and changing audience preferences. They will also consider what would be the best delivery model in the next ten years and review best practices in other European countries,” he added. 

The statement from Cllr McGahon adds that a Commission on Irish Public Service Broadcasting is being established by the Department of the Taoiseach to bring forward proposals by September 2020 (to ensure input before Budget 2021). 

It goes on to say that the Commission will review the current approach and make recommendations to Government on setting a new strategic direction for public service broadcasting provided at national, regional and local level in light of international experience and future trends. Membership will be decided shortly, it added.