The board of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) yesterday gave approval for the radio station Dublin's Country 106.8 FM to change its name to Star FM, writes Emmet Oliver.

The chief executive of Country, Mr Sean Ashmore, last night said he was very happy with the BCI decision and it represented a major boost for the station, which has been trying to change its name for over a year.

Mr Ashmore said the station would start changing the name from next month.

In recent weeks solicitors representing the Star newspaper have written to Country warning that such a name change could have legal implications. The lawyers pointed that a radio station bearing the name 'Star' could infringe the intellectual property rights of the Star newspaper.

However, the Star is believed to have softened its stance in recent days and negotiations between the two sides are believed to be continuing.

Mr Ashmore and his board have argued that the station was originally licenced three years ago as Star FM. They have also pointed out that Country is actually owned by a company called Star Broadcasting.

The name change is part of an attempt by the station to increase its listenership levels which still lag other Dublin commercial stations. In 2003, the station had a market share and a listenership of 3 per cent. Mr Ashmore said the name change had no implications for the music policy of the station.

The station has taken advice from senior advertising figures over the last year. They have told the station's board that the name Dublin's Country 106.8 FM is not appealing enough to large segments of the radio market, especially younger listeners. This prompted Mr Ashmore and his predecessor, Mr Padraig O'Dwyer, to seek a name change.