PUBLIC service radio and profit could go hand in hand, the chairman of National FM, Mr Jimmy Gordon, told the oral hearings for the new national Radio licence.
Mr Gordon said Radio Clyde in Glasgow showed the consortium, which includes ICC Venture Capital and More O'Ferrall Ireland as well as Radio Clyde, could provide a station that would appeal to a wide cross section of listeners and also make a profit.
"We believe in broadcasting, not narrow casting ... above all the other applicants we can actually deliver," Mr Gordon said.
Being successful in Glasgow rather than Dublin was an advantage rather than a disadvantage, he claimed. Awarding the licence to National FM would add to the diversity of media ownership in Ireland, but would not disrupt the existing pattern, he said.
The station's daytime programming would be broad based, while the evening schedule would cater for minority tastes such as jazz and classical music. During the peak daytime hours, National FM would feature three minute slots of talk, but Mr Gordon said that these would not be "tabloid" in style.
The under 25s are already well catered for, so National FM would appeal to high earners between 25 and 45, he said.
The music played by the station would be diverse. Playing Irish music would be in the station's own interest, as surveys indicated that this was what listeners wanted.
The station planned to have two news bulletins in Irish, bilingual programmes, and a quiz programme for younger listeners.
The station's managing director, whose name has not been disclosed, is well known in Irish language and cultural circles, according to the consortium.
The managing director of More O'Ferrall Ireland, Mr Peter Smyth, said that National FM was confident that it could win a large enough slice of the estimated £35 million radio advertising market to succeed.
"At crucial times of the day and year, demand for advertising outstrips supply," he added. National FM, which would have, start up costs of about £3 million, hoped initially to win 8 per cent of the audience.
If it won 8 per cent of Irish radio advertising revenue it would be viable, said Mr Smyth.
National FM would employ just over 50 people, and plans to offer fair salaries and a profit sharing scheme which would "make staff feel they are genuinely part of the enterprise".
Mr Gordon told the commission members he hoped they would not regard Glasgow as an alien city. He introduced a video message from the Celtic and Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner, who is to be part of the station's sports service if the consortium wins the licence.
"You'll be in safe hands with National FM," Mr Bonner said in the video.