Local radio must commit to more Irish language programmes when renewing licences

Local radio stations will have to sign up to new commitments on Irish language programmes when their licences are being renewed, the media regulator has decided.

Coimisiún na Meán, which replaced the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland earlier this year, decided at its board meeting in July that stations will have to collect data about their Irish language programmes and provide reports on how they are meeting their commitments.

The decision was taken while approving the awarding of a broadcasting contract to Galway Bay FM. Minutes of the board meeting, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show the commission approved the contract subject to two conditions: that the programme policy statement should include a requirement to review and update Irish language programme commitments, and that the station collect data and, on request, report to the commission about their performance on the Irish language, media literacy and sustainability.

“The commission further agreed that new sound broadcasting contracts going forward” should include these requirements, the minutes of the July meeting say.

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A spokeswoman for the regulator said that, based on a recommendation in the Future of Media Commission’s report, Coimisiún na Mean’s work programme includes a review of the provision of Irish language services across the media, a process expected to be completed during 2024.

“It is too soon to know what the review might conclude about the role of local radio stations in providing content in the Irish language. As the term of a local radio sound broadcasting contract typically lasts for 10 years, Coimisiún na Meán has decided to include commitments that would facilitate the further development of Irish language services once the review is complete,” the spokesperson said.

She confirmed a decision on the new commitments was taken at the commission meeting on July 20th, when it considered a new contract for Western Community Broadcasting Ltd, trading as Galway Bay FM.

“This was the first new contract considered by Coimisiún na Meán since it adopted its work programme. The commission agreed that the additional Irish language commitments should be included as part of the station’s programming commitments and that these commitments should be incorporated into new commercial radio sound broadcasting contracts that successfully complete the ongoing licensing process,” she said.

The new regulator has an executive chairperson and three commissioners, one of whom is Rónán Ó Domhnaill, who was previously An Coimisineir Teanga. In that role he advocated for strengthening language legislation, and a revised Official Language Act, putting more obligations on public bodies to provide State services in Irish, was passed in 2021.