Should FM104 be given a national licence?

MikeyTaylor · 29-12-2017 11:26pm #1

Most listened local to station in Dublin, and therefore the one likeliest to get a national licence. What does everyone think? Yes? No? Maybe so?

Never Say Never Again · 29-12-2017 11:49pm

Their owners wouldn't be interested. I think they bid for the radio ireland licence back in 1996 and threatead to sue the irtc in 1998 when radio ireland were allowed drop so much of the talk but then they ended up having the same owner for a few years in the 00s.

foxatron · 30-12-2017 12:20am

Hopefully not

Bard · 31-12-2017 5:15pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Most listened local to station in Dublin, and therefore the one likeliest to get a national licence. What does everyone think? Yes? No? Maybe so?

Being the most listened to station in Dublin doesn't mean in the slightest that they'd be the one most likely to get a national license, especially when: a) they are Dublin-oriented to their very core, b) they're not looking for one and c) they're not offering anything new that isn't already done by a national station (or 2).

So... no.

I'd sooner give the national license to a station that does something different and that actually wants it. i.e.: Nova.

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 5:26pm

Bard wrote: »

Being the most listened to station in Dublin doesn't mean in the slightest that they'd be the one most likely to get a national license, especially when: a) they are Dublin-oriented to their very core, b) they're not looking for one and c) they're not offering anything new that isn't already done by a national station (or 2).

So... no.

I'd sooner give the national license to a station that does something different and that actually wants it. i.e.: Nova.

Nova don't have as many lsiteners, and they're really just another AC station.

Bard · 31-12-2017 5:29pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Nova don't have as many lsiteners, and they're really just another AC station.

The number of listeners they have is completely irrelevant to whether they'd be awarded a national or multi city license.

And they're a classic/modern rock station - there are no other licensed station in the country with the same music format as them. FM104 is a CHR station, of which there are many.

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 5:32pm

Bard wrote: »

The number of listeners they have is completely irrelevant to whether they'd be awarded a national or multi city license.

And they're a classic/modern rock station - there are no other licensed station in the country with the same music format as them. FM104 is a CHR station, of which there are many.

Heard plenty of pop on Nova.

More Music · 31-12-2017 5:55pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Most listened local to station in Dublin, and therefore the one likeliest to get a national licence. What does everyone think? Yes? No? Maybe so?

By that logic Mid-West Radio should get a national license also. Most listened to station in Mayo.

Maybe WLR should get a Dublin license.

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:02pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Heard plenty of pop on Nova.

Yes, and you will - particularly during John Clarke's show. What's your point exactly?

Nova's license is for guitar oriented music - mostly classic rock. They're allowed deviate from this slightly, as are other stations who have such specific licenses. Classic Hits 4FM, for example, are licensed to play 'classic' AC, but are still allowed to drop in the occasional modern track.

If 4FM wasn't already a multi-city, I'd be saying that either of these stations would be the most eligible for a national or multi-city license... - but they're not, so Nova - who have expressed this interest, and tested the market quite successfully with 'The Rock' - are the obvious choice - far more so than FM104 who, again, good, and successful and all as they are, are still just a standard full-service CHR station who have expressed no interest in going beyond the Dublin market.

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 6:02pm

More Music wrote: »

By that logic Mid-West Radio should get a national license also. Most listened to station in Mayo.

Maybe WLR should get a Dublin license.

Dublin has a much bigger population than Mayo.

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:05pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Dublin has a much bigger population than Mayo.

which is still utterly irrelevant

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 6:09pm

Bard wrote: »

Yes, and you will - particularly during John Clarke's show. What's your point exactly?

Nova's license is for guitar oriented music - mostly classic rock. They're allowed deviate from this slightly, as are other stations who have such specific licenses. Classic Hits 4FM, for example, are licensed to play 'classic' AC, but are still allowed to drop in the occasional modern track.

If 4FM wasn't already a multi-city, I'd be saying that either of these stations would be the most eligible for a national or multi-city license... - but they're not, so Nova - who have expressed this interest, and tested the market quite successfully with 'The Rock' - are the obvious choice - far more so than FM104 who, again, good, and successful and all as they are, are still just a standard full-service CHR station who have expressed no interest in going beyond the Dublin market.

How about closing down SPIN SW and replacing it with Nova South West? :-)

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:12pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

How about closing down SPIN SW and replacing it with Nova South West? :-)

Close down a regional youth-driven station and replace it with a guitar rock oriented station aimed at an older market? Where's the logic in that?

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 6:24pm

Bard wrote: »

Close down a regional youth-driven station and replace it with a guitar rock oriented station aimed at an older market? Where's the logic in that?

Just a (somewhat light hearted) suggestion. I think the SW could do with its very own rock station with no Dublin produced programming to worry about.

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:28pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Just a (somewhat light hearted) suggestion. I think the SW could do with its very own rock station with no Dublin produced programming to worry about.

Then give Nova the multi city or national license they want. No reason that should impact on Spin.

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 6:32pm

Bard wrote: »

Then give Nova the multi city or national license they want. No reason that should impact on Spin.

Sure SPIN would love a national licence.

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:35pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

Sure SPIN would love a national licence.

Knowing people within the station, I'm not sure this is the case.

How do you know they want it? And why haven't they applied for it then?

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 6:39pm

Bard wrote: »

Knowing people within the station, I'm not sure this is the case.

How do you know they want it? And why haven't they applied for it then?

I don't know they do, I am assuming.

MikeyTaylor · 31-12-2017 6:41pm

Bard wrote: »

Then give Nova the multi city or national license they want. No reason that should impact on Spin.

I mean a rock station specifically from the south west, for the south west, with no Dublin output.

AMKC · 31-12-2017 6:50pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

How about closing down SPIN SW and replacing it with Nova South West? :-)

I agree totally. If I had my way that rubbish station and that rubbish i radio station would both be closed down. Never heard a good thing on either one of them.

Sure SPIN would love a national licence.

They should not have a license at all never mind a national license. Rubbish station

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:52pm

MikeyTaylor wrote: »

I mean a rock station specifically from the south west, for the south west, with no Dublin output.

Do you have any understanding of the costs involved in setting up a new regional radio station? Who is going to do this? Why does it matter if it's coming from Dublin?

It is possible to be a multi-city station serving Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Clare without sounding too Dublin-centric... 4FM does it quite well.

We've gone wildly off topic here of course. You originally asked whether FM104 should be *given* a national license. They haven't asked for one and don't merit one, so no.

Bard · 31-12-2017 6:53pm

AMKC wrote: »

I agree totally. If I had my way that rubbish station and that rubbish i radio station would both be closed down. Never heard a good thing on either one of them.

Sure SPIN would love a national licence.

They should not have a license at all never mind a national license. Rubbish station

*You* don't like the station, therefore they should be shut down and replaced with a completely different format that *you* do like, despite them both having healthy audiences who they serve quite well?

Yeah that's logical :rolleyes:

Ursus Horribilis · 31-12-2017 7:09pm

Has it ever been stated what sorts of radio stations are wanted/needed for the country? There seems to be something of a hodgepodge out there.

Bard · 31-12-2017 7:33pm

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Has it ever been stated what sorts of radio stations are wanted/needed for the country? There seems to be something of a hodgepodge out there.

Sort of ... stations do surveys, market research and run temporary stations to gauge what sort of demand is out there for the station they're proposing to put to air.

end of the road · 01-01-2018 2:57am

give fm104 a national licence? a completely nonsense suggestion that has no merrit, is never going to happen, and rightly so. there is no argument for it and the format it provides is 10 a penny in the country already. if a national licence are going to be given (and then there is debate as to how much room there actually is for one, then it should be for a specialist format.

More Music · 01-01-2018 1:01pm

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

Has it ever been stated what sorts of radio stations are wanted/needed for the country? There seems to be something of a hodgepodge out there.

Tha BAI help a public consultation last year. It was open to anybody to suggest any type of service covering any area.

You or I, or indeed an existing station could suggest whatever they wanted. Of course you had to supply some basic info on the service and how it would be provided.

Should FM104 be given a national licence?

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