John Lahart
Question:
254. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide an update on the progress of a report on the financial health of the commercial radio sector that she requested from the BAI on 5 December 2022; if she will share the details of the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20829/24]
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A strong and independent media sector is vitally important to our democracy and our society. Within this, radio continues to play a key role, evidenced by the latest JNLR report showing 80% of adults in Ireland tuning in daily. Radio news is a vital and trusted source of information for the public, particularly for local and regional services. The European Broadcasting Union found that it was the most trusted media across many European countries, including Ireland.
Given the importance of the radio sector, at my request Coimisiún na Meán have prepared a Report into the Economic Viability of the Commercial Radio Sector. The report was prepared with a view to:
• inform deliberations on any possible short-term measures that could support the sector;
• gaining an understanding of the dynamics of the current economic environment and its impact on the viability of the sector here;
• examine specific pressures identified in the context of underlying structural factors in the sector, including ownership structures; and,
• inform deliberations by Coimisiún na Meán on the structure of the levy or levies that funds the cost of regulating the sector.
I welcome the insights which the report provides into the revenues, costs, and profits in the sector over the past number of years, and the challenges and opportunities facing the sector which it identifies, in particular regarding independent local radio stations. Coimisiún na Meán published the report on 3rd May 2024 and it is now for Coimisiún na Meán to consider how the findings of the report can be incorporated into its approach to supporting the independent radio sector.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Future of Media Commission was established to examine the challenges faced by the media sector and the impact on the provision of public service content. The Report made a number of recommendations to counter these challenges, including the establishment of a new Media Fund to provide support for the provision of public service content by the wider media sector at local, regional and national levels on a platform neutral basis. The Commission recommended €30m be provided. That included the funding already made available through the existing Broadcasting Fund, which amounts to an average of €15m per annum from TV licence receipts and which supports the Sound and Vision Scheme. Since the formation of this Government a further €28.4m in Exchequer funding has been provided to Sound and Vision, enabling increased investment in public service content for television and radio.
In 2023, €16.7m in funding was awarded by Coimisiún na Meán to applicants of the Sound and Vision scheme, providing support to a range of independent producers, commercial radio and community broadcasters. In 2023, I granted an additional €6m of Exchequer funding to the fund, enabling the expansion of the funding rounds. A dedicated €2.4m round for independent commercial radio was enabled entirely through the additional funding which I provided.
With regard to the wider Media Fund, I secured €6m in Budget 2024 for new Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes. These are being prioritised for implementation by Coimisiún na Meán. The Schemes will support the employment or engagement by media service providers of journalists for the production of public interest journalism.
A process of engagement with the European Commission regarding State Aid has concluded positively and it has been agreed that the Schemes can be implemented without prior State Aid clearance. In terms of next steps, it is now for Coimisiún na Meán to implement the Schemes. A public consultation on the detailed design of the schemes closed on 8th May 2024. Once the schemes are finalised, Coimisiún na Meán will run a call for applications for both schemes. Further details on the timelines for the rollout of the schemes will be made available by Coimisiún na Meán in due course.
