O'Keeffe defends local radio stations

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:IN THE LAST five years there have only been nine cases of radio stations breaching their obligations in relation to news, the chief executive of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has said.

In a robust defence of local radio stations yesterday, Michael O’Keeffe told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the news and current affairs obligations of radio stations were being fulfilled.

Mr O’Keeffe was responding to Labour deputy Tommy Broughan, who said many radio stations around the country had not fulfilled their obligations in relation to news content.

The commission had monitored 8,000 hours of radio in 2008, Mr O’Keeffe said, and there had only been one breach. In 2007 there had also been one breach; there were two in 2006 and 2004, and three in 2005. The commission had also increased its number of monitoring hours from 2,000 to 8,000 over the same period.

“The evidence is local news and current affairs are there across the country,” he said.

Mr Broughan also questioned Mr O’Keeffe about the effect on TV3’s current affairs obligations of the axing of its “excellent politics programme” The Political Party hosted by Ursula Halligan.

Mr O’Keeffe said he was aware of its removal, but noted the station had extended Nightly News with Vincent Browne from 40 minutes to an hour and were still within their contractual obligations. “And they have retained the person involved in that programme.”

The committee was also told that funding from the commission’s Sound and Vision scheme, which funds home-generated TV and radio programmes, was reduced from €18 million in 2007 to €10 million in 2008. They would hope to spend €10 million under the scheme again this year, Mr O’Keeffe said, although this could increase if the Broadcasting Bill 2008 was passed.

Also appearing before the committee, Paul O’Toole, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, the all-island tourism body, warned that the number of foreign tourists visiting Ireland would fall further this year.

He said tourism from abroad fell by 3 per cent in 2008. Poor trading conditions and the value of sterling would put pressure on visitors from the UK as well as from the US, Germany and France, which were our major markets.

High-end products, such as golfing holidays, were under pressure due to the erosion of the personal wealth of US visitors.

The committee was told Tourism Ireland had explored new markets and had opened “incubator units” in Dubai, Shanghai and Mumbai. They had also launched an advertising campaign in India.

Fáilte Ireland’s chief executive Shaun Quinn said the domestic market had grown at an unsustainable rate in the past seven years. It levelled off in 2008. “Fingers crossed for 2009. If we hold our own we’d be doing very well.”

John Martin, Waterways Ireland chief executive, told the committee they had put on hold a plan to develop 1.2 hectares they held in freehold in Dublin. The site, a triangle between the river Dodder and the Grand Canal Basin, had looked like a very good opportunity for investment and they had entered an agreement with the leaseholders, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. The plan was to go out to tender late last year but was postponed. “We are watching the markets. These are very uncertain times.”