The independent radio sector plays an essential role in sharing reliable and relevant news and bringing communities together. The wider media sector in Ireland, which is a vital element of our democracy and society as a whole, is undergoing fundamental change. This is in part due to the increased digitalisation of news and media content generally and the associated decline in advertising revenue as a consequence.
The Report of the Future of Media Commission examined the challenges faced by the media sector, including the radio sector, and consequent impact on the provision of public service content. The Report made a number of recommendations to counter these challenges and to support the provision of public service content.
One recommendation made by the Future of Media Commission was the establishment of a new Media Fund to provide support for the provision of public service content by the wider media and journalism sector at local, regional and national levels on a platform neutral basis. The Media Fund is being established on an administrative basis, with the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes being prioritised for implementation by Coimisiún na Meán, with €6m allocated in Budget 2024 for this purpose.
My officials have consulted extensively with members of the Future of Media Commission Stakeholder Consultative Forum, which includes representatives from the independent radio sector, throughout the year as part of the high level policy development process for the schemes. My officials will continue to engage with these members and indeed with all stakeholders to keep them informed of developments on this matter.
It is considered that the draft Schemes may constitute State Aid to economic operators in the news and current affairs market. Accordingly, the schemes may require a full State Aid notification to, and the approval of, the European Commission. The pre-notification form for the media fund schemes was received by the European Commission on 6th September 2023 and a response from the European Commission is awaited. Once the pre-notification process is complete, a formal State Aid notification, if required, will be submitted to the European Commission. Following State aid approval, Coimisiún na Meán will be in a position to implement the schemes.
Existing supports for the radio sector have been provided through the Sound and Vision Scheme which is administered by Coimisiún na Meán. I provided additional Exchequer funding for a special radio sector round of Sound and Vision (Round 50) which provided €2.4m in supports in Q4 2023. The radio sector also received significant funding from other Sound and Vision rounds announced last year. 35 projects received a total of €543,000 from announcements made last August, while another 67 radio projects received €636,000 from Round 47 which was announced last April.
Since 2020, independent commercial radio has received a total €10,388,988 in funding through the Sound and Vision Scheme. This includes €7.48m through three dedicated funding rounds (Round 35, Round 39 and Round 50)
