On foot of my commitment in the Dáil Report Stage of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, on 5 December 2022 I wrote to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to ask them to undertake an analysis of the financial health of the commercial radio sector and to submit a report to me within 100 days (i.e. mid-March). The purpose of the report will be to:
- provide an understanding of the dynamics of the current economic environment and its impact on the economic viability of the commercial radio sector in Ireland;
- examine any specific pressures identified in the context of underlying structural factors in the commercial radio sector, including ownership structures;
- inform deliberations on any possible short-term measures that could support the sector in 2023; and,
- inform deliberations by Coimisiún na Meán on the structure of the levy or levies on regulated services it is expected to introduce in 2024, in particular commercial radio broadcasters.
I am very much aware of the importance of the commercial radio sector, and the role that local and regional radio stations play in communities around the country. I look forward to receiving the report and examining its findings.