Way cleared for Local Irish Radio on Satellite

PacMan

Taken from Radiowaves.FM website
The BCI has announced the introduction of an Interim Radio Licensing Policy further to the Broadcasting Act, 2001. The interim policy facilitates the licensed re-transmission of existing radio services via satellite. It also provides a framework for the establishment of new satellite radio services whether for reception in the state or elsewhere.
Since the formal adoption of the interim policy, the Commission has awarded contracts in principle to County Media Limited (Cork’s 96FM/103 County Sound), Treaty Radio Limited (Limerick's Live 95), Independent Broadcasting Corporation Limited (LMFM Radio), and City Broadcasting Limited (Q102). Once finalised, the contracts will allow for the retransmission of these services via satellite. This interim policy will remain in place pending the completion of a Radio Licensing Policy under the Broadcasting Act, 2001.
The re-transmission of existing radio services via cable and MMD do not require a separate contract

DMC

Yep, very good news.

LMFM available nationally.

/me shudders.

byte

I would be very happy to see the likes of Phantom FM awarded such a license.

PacMan

Correct me if i am wrong, but are all these stations owned or operated by UTV ?:v:

Greenman

I want Newstalk 106 on satellite as they're internet audio is dreadful.

DMC

Correct and right, Pacman.

Sparky

byte wrote:

I would be very happy to see the likes of Phantom FM awarded such a license.

Yeah i would be with you on this one too.

Ballydung

North West radio was a gem, its been reincarnated as Ocean FM now. Live from Sligo and good auld MANNORHAMILTON. Would like to see that on the epg.

byte

Ballydung wrote:

North West radio was a gem, its been reincarnated as Ocean FM now. Live from Sligo and good auld MANNORHAMILTON. Would like to see that on the epg.

Oh sweet Lord no! God, I hated NWR! Mind you, Ocean isn't worth talking about either

Actually, around South Donegal, you'd be surprised at the amount of people who come looking to see how to get Mid West Radio, for Claffey? in the mornings! :rolleyes:

Ballydung

I know how you feel, its was a classic with local notes, bingo and the daily death notices. Has Packie Bonner got some involvement with Ocean FM ???

byte

Ballydung wrote:

I know how you feel, its was a classic with local notes, bingo and the daily death notices. Has Packie Bonner got some involvement with Ocean FM ???

Yes, I think he has something to do with it alright.

Macy

byte wrote:

I would be very happy to see the likes of Phantom FM awarded such a license.

Surely they'd be a rights issue with XFM or something...

It'd be great if Newstalk went on Satellite, living 2 miles out of coverage (even if it has gone down hill slightly since 5live bloke left)...

Sparky

it would be good now if they had something on the market here that will receive these radio stations in your car, a bit like xm radio in americia.
http://www.xmradio.com/
atleast you can have coverage of bbc and all other stations around ireland even when your not within terrestial coverage.

Richard

Isn't the fact that they will have to apply to be on satellite quite restrictive? Do UK radio stations have to apply for the OK to do the same thing?

BrianD

Richard wrote:

Isn't the fact that they will have to apply to be on satellite quite restrictive? Do UK radio stations have to apply for the OK to do the same thing?

Not really - you are just getting a content licence to to broadcast in another fashion. The UK stations have to do the same thing. In fact, you can't get listed on the Sky EPG unless you have a broadcast licence from one country or other. It also clears the way for radio stations who have never broadcast on FM in Ireland to become available on satellite to those who have receivers. I suspect it will be relatively easy to get one of these licences from the BCI but it does not guarantee you transmission - you still have to negotiate this with your carrier e.g. Sky Digital

Mossy Monk

Sky would only need to be spoken to about EPG placement, not transmission

byte

BrianD wrote:

Not really - you are just getting a content licence to to broadcast in another fashion. The UK stations have to do the same thing. In fact, you can't get listed on the Sky EPG unless you have a broadcast licence from one country or other. It also clears the way for radio stations who have never broadcast on FM in Ireland to become available on satellite to those who have receivers. I suspect it will be relatively easy to get one of these licences from the BCI but it does not guarantee you transmission - you still have to negotiate this with your carrier e.g. Sky Digital

That probably explains why Radio Caroline isn't on Sky EPG.

BrianD

Getting on the EPG is expensive - hence R. Caroline isn't there . The big UL radio groups can afford it for their various radio brands. Apologies, I used transmission incorrectly - what I meant was getting a placement on the Sky Digital EPG which gets you into the mass market. Most Sky subscribers would not be at ease with adding other channels to their menus. Transmission isn't that cheap either.

telecinesk

Well anything to put local radio on satellite is great news, for those out in central europe only having RTE1 Radio it will be welcome, If nothing else the accents will be amusing. Had enough of D4 accents reading the financial news and ceili house, one extreme to another...

DMC

Another reason why Caroline isn't on the EPG, is space. They ran out! I dont think Caroline were that pushed either way, but if they wanted to know, they couldn't.

I wonder will EPG placement become cheaper for radio stations once the 4 digit codes come in when the EPG reshuffle occurs? Especially if Sky are gonna push the Sky Gnome...

Genghis

DMC wrote:

Another reason why Caroline isn't on the EPG, is space. They ran out! I dont think Caroline were that pushed either way, but if they wanted to know, they couldn't.

I wonder will EPG placement become cheaper for radio stations once the 4 digit codes come in when the EPG reshuffle occurs? Especially if Sky are gonna push the Sky Gnome...

I had just been thinking - surely there will not be enough space for all the radio. When is the 4-digit EPG starting? Will it be 4 digits for TV too, or just the radio numbers 8XXX?

DMC

There will be more space from radio, by giving them just 4 digits, and more place for TV (nearly 100).

It was meant to launch before end of Novemeber, but it will happen in the New Year. Tv channels will remain at 3 digits (101 - 999) but there will be a reshuffle at the same time too.

All radio will be from 0.. try pressing 0 on your remote now, and you will see it will become a Speaker symbol.

So we expect BBC Radio 1 will go from 851 to 0101.

Genghis

Cool.

Don't suppose they will be addin more info about radio schedules to the EPG while they are at it? Or the ability to schedule / autoschedule radio shows?

byte

Yeah, a schedule would be good, though it possibly woudl take up too much tp space to show it all? Not fully sure, but if it was simple, Id imagine it would be so already.

In fact, I'm nearly sure about 4 or 5 years ago, radio channels DID have schedule listings, maybe somebody can verify?

Greenman

DMC wrote:

So we expect BBC Radio 1 will go from 851 to 0101.

Do you know will that apply to the ROI sub card??

DMC

I'd say not, Greenman.

Also, I'd say not that there will be proper EPG and Now and Next info in the Radio channels. If they would only get rid of the Further schedule information is not available banner on each channel. It used not to be there.

bungeecork

BrianD wrote:

Not really - you are just getting a content licence to to broadcast in another fashion.

Sorry, dumbo here doesn't understand. The BCI don't own or control any satellites, do they? And didn't SKY originally send their pictures by cable to Luxemburg and have them uplinked from there to avoid UK 'broadcasting' law. Are the BCI licenses for uplinking from Ireland only?

The BCI have no say over any of the foregin radio services available here by foregin satellite, so why should they have control over local radio broadcasting the same way. What's to stop Newstalk106 getting someone in France to uplink their web output and leasing a channel on Astra?

If my ignorance shows itself on this post then sorry. I'm new to all of this

DMC

No worries, mate, yes thats correct. The BCI is licencing broadcasts in and from Ireland.

bungeecork

So if any local station wanted to uplink from outside the country then they could do so without any hassle from (or need for) the BCI?

Greenman

bungeecork wrote:

What's to stop Newstalk106 getting someone in France to uplink their web output and leasing a channel on Astra?

Well if they do that I hope they bring their byte rate up from 20kbps to at least 64kbps.

Really IMHO 20kbps isn't worth squat diddly but better than nothing.

Mailed NT 106 they said it was a money issue!!!

I'd be listening to NT 106 on $ky if it was there for sure!!!

BrianD

bungeecork wrote:

Sorry, dumbo here doesn't understand. The BCI don't own or control any satellites, do they? And didn't SKY originally send their pictures by cable to Luxemburg and have them uplinked from there to avoid UK 'broadcasting' law. Are the BCI licenses for uplinking from Ireland only?

The BCI have no say over any of the foregin radio services available here by foregin satellite, so why should they have control over local radio broadcasting the same way. What's to stop Newstalk106 getting someone in France to uplink their web output and leasing a channel on Astra?

If my ignorance shows itself on this post then sorry. I'm new to all of this

The BCI licences allow Irish radio stations to uplink directly from Ireland and to be licenced in this country. A service has to be licensed in one country or other and there was no system in place to facilitate broadcasters in this country. The signal could also be fibre-ed to another country for uplinking from there.

There is nothing to stop Newstalk being uplinked from France but they would probably need a French licence.

The BCI has no regulatory control over any services originating from a foreign country that may be available here by satellite but it does have control over services that it licences here (even if they are aimed at a foreign country).

Mossy Monk

BrianD wrote:

The BCI has no regulatory control over any services originating from a foreign country that may be available here by satellite but it does have control over services that it licences here (even if they are aimed at a foreign country).

werent there Scandinavian channels always breaching the code of the ITC in the UK?

BrianD

Not any more it would seem. The 'Television without frontiers' (which while specifically refering to TV and not radio) sets down the general parameters that broadcasters should adhere to within the EU. Regulatory bodies can only complain or block a channel under very specific circumstances.

All the Ireland advertising opt-outs on Sky Digital and UTV do not have to adhere to the BCI or IAPI codes in Ireland. This is because their content originates outside of the RoI. This has been a 'bone of contention' with both TV3 and RTE.

Robert

Greenman wrote:

I want Newstalk 106 on satellite as they're internet audio is dreadful.

I agree newstalk would be nice