A campaign is being waged in west Tipperary to retain a radio station described as a vital community resource.
More than 20,000 signatures have been collected from supporters of Tipperary Mid-West Radio, which fears it faces closure as a result of a decision by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI).
The BCI has decided that, after current licences expire, only one commercial radio station will operate in Co Tipperary. At present there are two, Tipperary Mid-West, which has studios in Tipperary town and Cashel, and the Clonmel-based Tipp FM.
The expectation is that Tipperary Mid-West, as the smaller station serving a largely rural community, will be the one to go when its licence runs out in early 2004. The prospect has outraged the local community, with organisations as diverse as Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, An Taisce and the GAA all voicing support for the station.
The BCI, however, says that even if the station is turned down for the county-wide licence or does not apply for it, it will not necessarily have to close. Its chief executive, Mr Michael O'Keeffe, said the application process about to begin would be completed by November. That would leave more than a year for the options regarding Tipperary Mid-West to be examined before its licence expired.
There was, for example, a community radio model, to which the station might be closer in size. "There is a misleading impression that we are about to close Mid-West Radio down. But it is licensed to continue broadcasting until March 2004, so there is a lot of time to decide what should happen next," Mr O'Keeffe said.
However, that is unlikely to placate a community which says the station provides a vital service in a largely rural and economically-deprived area.
Ms Marie Ryan, the station's secretary and controller of programmes, claimed the expressed wishes of local people were being ignored.
The station has listeners beyond its Tipperary town-Cashel catchment area and provides a service that differs from most commercial stations. It broadcasts Sunday Masses and Easter ceremonies for elderly people who cannot attend the services, and has programmes for a variety of organisations including the Red Cross and the Irish Countrywomen's Association.
Ms Ryan questioned the need for the BCI's decision given that the station was viable, had increas- ed its listenership in the most recent JNLR survey and had a full-time staff of 10, working alongside about 50 volunteers.
Mr O'Keeffe said that when the BCI recently sought expressions of interest in the new licence, strong support had been expressed for having a county-wide station. Even Tipperary Mid-West had suggested an expansion of its audience area to include a part of North Tipperary. Nobody had proposed maintaining the status quo.