Competition for the award of the Niche Music Licence for Dublin & Country

Radioman44

BAI rejects URadio's Dublin licence bid


The three-horse race to offer a niche music independent radio licence for Dublin has lost a contender as the BAI officially rejects URadio’s application.

URadio proposed to take over the contract currently in the hands of Sunshine 106.8 and offer 100% contemporary Irish hits 24 hours a day.

But the station is not giving up. A spokesperson told RadioToday they are actively moving ahead with expansion plans, focussed on playing and promoting contemporary Irish musical artists.

The station says: “A few months ago we were testing the waters – Would people listen to us? Would artists support us? Well, the support and feedback we have received from listeners (over 6,800 Facebook fans and 3,300 twitter followers) and the thumbs up and co-operation from a host of musicians, performers and music organizations confirm that we’re on the right track. So thanks everyone for expanding the URadio community – after all it is your radio. Keep listening, stay in touch with your ideas and watch this space.”

URadio is now looking to partner with a suitable organisation that “appreciates the value of contemporary Irish music, wants to promote it and make sure that up and coming artists are given the airplay they deserve.”

BAI will announce next week who gets the contract – now between Country FM and Sunshine 106.8.

Posted on Saturday, February 1st, 2014 at 11:31 am. (C)

Losty Dublin

I read their licence application on the BAI website. You could have written an application on a beermat and it would have had a better chance; it was genuinely laughable stuff in places.

More Music

I remember reading it a few months ago. It was pretty bad alright.

Looked very unprofessional, like it was a last minute job put together by a teenager.

If I remember correctly they were going down the very heavily automated road for the first few years. It was like an online only radio station model.

Losty Dublin

More Music wrote: »

I remember reading it a few months ago. It was pretty bad alright.

Looked very unprofessional, like it was a last minute job put together by a teenager.

If I remember correctly they were going down the very heavily automated road for the first few years. It was like an online only radio station model.

In short it was just one shareholder, Olivier Mauxion, who has no experience of the radio industry here nor had he nominated a director with anybody here from the trade. He was proposing to broadcast with all recorded programming of 100% Irish music for at least the first two years, just seven news bulletins of approx 2 1/2 minutes duration five days a week, a whopping 2% talk content per hour, renting literally every single piece of studio and TX equipment from BTS and all with just 100,000 Euro of his own money.

Anyway they are gone so it's between Sunshine retaining and and a Country FM, a consortium featuing such heavyweights as Martin Block, Keith Shanley, Mike McClure (Ex M 103, Ocean and 106.8), Brendan Magee (M/NWR and Ocean), Gerry Murphy (Ex Lite Director, backer of the KIC FM application) and the JJ Kavanagh bus company, to name their better known shareholders. You can expect a few judicial reviews, appeals and court injunctions regardless of who win; it will be a lot of fun.

padd b1975

I for one think this niche is in serious need of freshening up.

I think there is a real demand out there for a station with a KIC FM style playlist concentrating on traditional Irish and country music.

The cult following for those type of shows is proven by the cult following for Showcase TV (Sky 191).


Obscure American and MOR type stuff is just not cutting it at the moment for Sunshine as their JNLR numbers clearly show.