Should local rural stations get a slice of the tv licence fee ?

The Parish priest

John Purcell is lobbying for local rural radio stations to get some of the license fee, the argument is that these stations provide vital public service broadcasting to their regions, particularly to older listeners but that the days of making money by selling advertising to Mike's Hardware store and Mary's school uniform shop are over.

Losty Dublin

This old chestnut.

7% of the Licence Fee currently goes to the BAI. Every single independent radio station is entitled to apply for some of this 7%. The funding can come from two main sources. There is the Sound Vision fund and is to assist in the making and commissioning of of documentary shows, educational programmes, heritage project or to make dramas, and the Archive Scheme for preserving broadcasting heritage and programme content. There is a BAI sponsorship scheme as well but it isn't for programming per se.

In conclusion the cash is already available but it's just not there to help pay for DJ wages, flash playout computers or fleets of branded SUVs to carry car stickers.

dxhound2005

I heard two programs on Northern Sound last week which they said had been funded by the licence fee. One of them was a two hour documentary about the death of Maurice Gibson in a IRA bomb. There was a lot of input from the three rugby internationals who were injured in the explosion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Gibson

The Parish priest

Losty Dublin wrote: »

This old chestnut.

7% of the Licence Fee currently goes to the BAI. Every single independent radio station is entitled to apply for some of this 7%. The funding can come from two main sources. There is the Sound Vision fund and is to assist in the making and commissioning of of documentary shows, educational programmes, heritage project or to make dramas, and the Archive Scheme for preserving broadcasting heritage and programme content. There is a BAI sponsorship scheme as well but it isn't for programming per se.

In conclusion the cash is already available but it's just not there to help pay for DJ wages, flash playout computers or fleets of branded SUVs to carry car stickers.

Would you agree tho that the old reliable sources of income that these small stations had like advertising for small business, classified ads and 30 cent sms requests has likely collapsed ?

Nody

The Parish priest wrote: »

Would you agree tho that the old reliable sources of income that these small stations had like advertising for small business, classified ads and 30 cent sms requests has likely collapsed ?

Would you agree that the ice sellers who sell ice blocks for you to put in the cellar no longer have a market due to refrigeration?

Either they move on with the times or they get to shut down like everything else; if they are so dear to the local population then said population can by all means pay to keep it running since "it's so important to them" according to you. However I bet if you ask them if they wish to fund it or have it shut down the answer is going to be in the second category over having to actually pay their fair cost for the service.

wnolan1992

Increasing funding to Sound and Vision fund and broaden the criteria for applications to same. I think stations should get money for covering local sport and cultural events and making programmes which RTE cannot do.

They should not, IMO, automatically just be entitled to a slice of the licence fee. They're commercial organisations owned and operated as businesses by private individuals and companies, if they can't make a profit from it, that's their problem tbh.

Losty Dublin

The Parish priest wrote: »

Would you agree tho that the old reliable sources of income that these small stations had like advertising for small business, classified ads and 30 cent sms requests has likely collapsed ?

I can answer that by asking you another question.

How many (licenced) Irish stations have had to close due to finances?

Faugheen

Losty Dublin wrote: »

This old chestnut.

7% of the Licence Fee currently goes to the BAI. Every single independent radio station is entitled to apply for some of this 7%. The funding can come from two main sources. There is the Sound Vision fund and is to assist in the making and commissioning of of documentary shows, educational programmes, heritage project or to make dramas, and the Archive Scheme for preserving broadcasting heritage and programme content. There is a BAI sponsorship scheme as well but it isn't for programming per se.

In conclusion the cash is already available but it's just not there to help pay for DJ wages, flash playout computers or fleets of branded SUVs to carry car stickers.

That's a nonsense argument because RTÉ, who get a large majority of the licence fee as it is, can also apply for Sound and Vision funding.

The independent sector also have a broadcasting levy which can cost from 6 to 7 figures depending on the stations income.

end of the road

Faugheen wrote: »

That's a nonsense argument because RTÉ, who get a large majority of the licence fee as it is, can also apply for Sound and Vision funding.

i'm afraid that's what happens when you have 1 authority regulating both, equality and fairness comes into play.

Faugheen wrote: »

The independent sector also have a broadcasting levy which can cost from 6 to 7 figures depending on the stations income.

cutting it or abolishing it altogether might be a better idea then giving them any more of the tv licence fee. but maybe that might bring it's own set of problems.

Losty Dublin

Faugheen wrote: »

That's a nonsense argument because RTÉ, who get a large majority of the licence fee as it is, can also apply for Sound and Vision funding.

The independent sector also have a broadcasting levy which can cost from 6 to 7 figures depending on the stations income.

It isn't a nonsense argument. Sound and Vision is there to fund a specific type of programme on radio and television. These programmes have to be made by independent production companies and is only payable after a station has agreed to commission and broadcast it. It is not a form of income for stations and it can not fund day to day spending for a broadcaster.

RTE are welcome to apply via the scheme but the same criteria of what is and isn't allowed applies to them. Certainly I know that they are refused funding for many programmes that have been applied for.

On your second point; the broadcasting levy applied is part of how the BAI are funded. If a station is paying out seven figures then they can't be too badly off atall atall atall.

http://www.bai.ie/en/about-us/levy/#al-block-4

A Teddy bear

It's now FF policy that some of the TV licence will go to local radio if they are in power after the next election.

real rocker

A Teddy bear wrote: »

It's now FF policy that some of the TV licence will go to local radio if they are in power after the next election.

All these stations are commercial operations & were set up as such. If they are so concerned about their finances maybe they could lobby the BAI regarding possible over regulation. If on the other hand their local service is so popular what is the problem?

A Teddy bear

Let's be honest tho, some local stations are way more deserving of tax payers money than 2fm is.

real rocker

real rocker wrote: »

All these stations are commercial operations & were set up as such. If they are so concerned about their finances maybe they could lobby the BAI regarding possible over regulation. If on the other hand their local service is so popular what is the problem?

I agree 100%..Independent Commercial broadcasters is what they started up as..Independent,not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence.If they cant make it work,hand back the licence.

A Teddy bear

A Teddy bear wrote: »

Let's be honest tho, some local stations are way more deserving of tax payers money than 2fm is.

There are self-titled Nigerian princes who are more deserving of the 4m - 5m euro 2FM absorbs from public coffers every year.

L1011

Most stations would be delighted just to have the BAI funded from it and not from a turnover levy

Faugheen

The problem is that RTE gets taxpayer money AND ad revenue, which is absolutely nonsense. BBC aren't allowed to earn revenue from advertising because they have taxpayer funds.

RTE are stripping ad revenue away from the independent broadcasters and don't have to pay a penny towards the funding of the BAI (the broadcasting levy).

Independent broadcasters are getting rode compared to RTÉ.

SPDUB

Faugheen wrote: »

The problem is that RTE gets taxpayer money AND ad revenue, which is absolutely nonsense.

Why is it absolute nonsense ? It was determined when RTE was being set up that due to the size of the population that a licence fee alone wouldn't fund it unless it was a multiple of the fee at the time and the same still applies .

RTE are stripping ad revenue away from the independent broadcasters and don't have to pay a penny towards the funding of the BAI (the broadcasting levy).

Independent broadcasters are getting rode compared to RT

Another way of looking at it is they are stripping ad revenue away from RTE just as any competitor in any line of business .

There's a case to be made that there should just be one broadcasting Authority but the great and good wouldn't like that as it reduces the chance of handy appointments to boards.

I've no problem with various regulations being reduced for independent stations especially regarding news given there is a lot of lip service being paid to them anyway

Jank1

Local radio stations are now on the government tit big time https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/0ddcb-minister-martin-announces-new-supports-for-local-radio-and-audiovisual-production-that-supports-the-live-music-sector/

Losty Dublin

Jank1 wrote: »

Local radio stations are now on the government tit big time https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/0ddcb-minister-martin-announces-new-supports-for-local-radio-and-audiovisual-production-that-supports-the-live-music-sector/

Except it's not a new source of funding. Local and independent radio (And also, TV stations) have always had access to the Sound and Vision funds from the BAI to make documentary programmes for broadcasting.