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Covid 19 could close some stations

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  • 20-03-2020 4:33pm
    #1
    Howard100
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭


    It was announced today that the BAI will waive their broadcasting charges for all local stations for the first 6 months of the year, saving local radio about 1 million. As welcome as this is, i fear that some local radio stations are going fold without emergency funding.

    Very few stations in Ireland will be able to sustain months of this. There will be job loses and i'd say lots of 'for sale' signs will be put up.

    Very dark days for the industry.


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    #2
    medoc
    Registered Users Posts: 966 ✭✭✭medoc


    Yea, already job losses (hopefully temporary) in lots of local papers. Can see some of them going under too if this is prolonged.


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    #3
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,217 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    medoc wrote: »
    Yea, already job losses (hopefully temporary) in lots of local papers. Can see some of them going under too if this is prolonged.

    Which stations affected as a matter of interest?

    See a good few music hosts broadcasting from their homes already.


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    #4
    KReid
    Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭KReid


    Possibly, huge amount of advertising revenue lost, already hearing the podcasts I listen to asking for donations. Hopefully a kick up the arse for the BAI, always seem to be playing it safe and not allowing the market to expand, thinking radio is safe

    I wonder will stations be allowed to just wind up, if they have obligations to broadcast a certain license, it should be on the BAI to provide some sort of relief for them, otherwise they won't have anything to govern in a years time.

    I suspect Newstalk and Rte Radio 1 will see a spike in listeners, I've been home since last week and glued to them while working from home.


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    #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Why would it affect radio so badly? Surely if anything they'll get more listeners?


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    #6
    fAzI
    Registered Users Posts: 275 ✭✭fAzI


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Why would it affect radio so badly? Surely if anything they'll get more listeners?
    But no advertisers because nearly everything staying still.


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    #7
    medoc
    Registered Users Posts: 966 ✭✭✭medoc


    Sheep Shagger wrote: »
    Which stations affected as a matter of interest?

    See a good few music hosts broadcasting from their homes already.


    I was referring to local papers. In the Celtic Media group the Offaly Independent has stopped publication and there are job cuts in other group papers. Presumably due to falling advertising revenue. The longer the crisis goes on the worse it will be.


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    #8
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,217 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    medoc wrote: »
    I was referring to local papers. In the Celtic Media group the Offaly Independent has stopped publication and there are job cuts in other group papers. Presumably due to falling advertising revenue. The longer the crisis goes on the worse it will be.

    Gotcha - read print advertising was down 65% last week.


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    #9
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,671 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    SBP reporting that O'Brien is likely to have to let Digicel default on a multi billion bond due to no cash available. Communicorp has nobody to give them a bailout basically.


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    #10
    Howard100
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭Howard100


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Why would it affect radio so badly? Surely if anything they'll get more listeners?

    The market has effectively stalled over Conora Virus so people are pulling all planned ad spends. This is the operating cash flow of all stations and without it the problems really begin. Wages have to be paid.

    Most Irish radio stations are just about keeping their head above water without this problem.


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    #11
    salonfire
    Registered Users Posts: 3,078 ✭✭✭salonfire


    L1011 wrote: »
    SBP reporting that O'Brien is likely to have to let Digicel default on a multi billion bond due to no cash available. Communicorp has nobody to give them a bailout basically.

    That would be a disaster for Irish current affairs radio.


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    #12
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,671 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    salonfire wrote: »
    That would be a disaster for Irish current affairs radio.

    An assets sale (licence, content contracts - but no buildings, staff, debt etc) of Newstalk would have at least two bidders I'm certain. Wireless (Newscorp) and the Irish Times; both of whom have newspapers and radio stations to pull content from and reduce overall costs. Both are customers of Newstalk for network content as it is.


    There is 2.5m going to the BAI to support stations but that's really not a lot of money per station.


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    #13
    Tork
    Registered Users Posts: 3,261 ✭✭✭Tork


    The BAI should've chastised Communicorp long ago for its ban on Irish Times journalists.


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    #14
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,217 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    Problem is, current affairs (decent coverage) is not cheap to produce whether that be radio, print or TV.

    In a world of sound bites and a growing number of consumers wanting short snippets of news and not investigative stuff, it's hard to see how anyone can make money in a market the size of Ireland.

    Worrying times for those who appreciate it - that number is dropping though...


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    #15
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,671 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    The death of actual current affairs content is quite terrifying.

    For quite some time now there's only been one local radio newsroom in Dublin (104/102 shared) with the Communicorp stations just using Newstalk with maybe their own readers (and maybe not). Even when there were two stations in Dublin there were three newsrooms - 98, 104 and INN.

    The BAI requirement time never worked and isn't working now - there needs to be other actions, probably financial, taken to get quality current affairs content.


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    #16
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,217 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    L1011 wrote: »
    The death of actual current affairs content is quite terrifying.

    For quite some time now there's only been one local radio newsroom in Dublin (104/102 shared) with the Communicorp stations just using Newstalk with maybe their own readers (and maybe not). Even when there were two stations in Dublin there were three newsrooms - 98, 104 and INN.

    The BAI requirement time never worked and isn't working now - there needs to be other actions, probably financial, taken to get quality current affairs content.

    Agreed

    The scary thing is the growing number of people who just read trashy clickbait online and are not interested in news - unless its celebrity or serious stuff in 20 second soundbites only.

    It's cheap to produce and recycle but isn't current affairs.

    The Irish Times website is a shadow of its former self for quality content and so are a number of radio news bulletins.

    The reason why....people don't want or appreciate quality - sad times.


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    #17
    zell12
    Registered Users Posts: 23,374 ✭✭✭✭zell12


    Joe Duffy is essential apparently
    List of essential service providers under new public health guidelines
    the publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals as well as video, television programme production, sound recording, radio and television broadcasting; wired and satellite and telecommunications activities; internet and cloud providers; data centres and related services


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    #18
    salonfire
    Registered Users Posts: 3,078 ✭✭✭salonfire


    zell12 wrote: »
    Joe Duffy is essential apparently
    List of essential service providers under new public health guidelines

    Of course communications is necessary.


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    #19
    Dakota Dan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,761 ✭✭✭Dakota Dan


    Howard100 wrote: »
    It was announced today that the BAI will waive their broadcasting charges for all local stations for the first 6 months of the year, saving local radio about 1 million. As welcome as this is, i fear that some local radio stations are going fold without emergency funding.

    Very few stations in Ireland will be able to sustain months of this. There will be job loses and i'd say lots of 'for sale' signs will be put up.

    Very dark days for the industry.

    The majority of local radio stations are nothing but a moan fest, callers ringing in the blame the government for everything and anything, never mind the constant doom and gloom topics to fill air time


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    #20
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 28,984 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Dakota Dan wrote: »
    The majority of local radio stations are nothing but a moan fest, callers ringing in the blame the government for everything and anything, never mind the constant doom and gloom topics to fill air time


    that is what their listeners want, so that is what they deliver.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #21
    Dakota Dan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,761 ✭✭✭Dakota Dan


    end of the road wrote: »
    that is what their listeners want, so that is what they deliver.

    True.


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    #22
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    end of the road wrote: »
    that is what their listeners want, so that is what they deliver.



    Unpopular fact.

    I've also noticed when radio show host move off the Covid 19 topic, most of the time they adapt an unmistakably contrived upbeat strident tone. On rte radio 1 and newstalk


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    #23
    jimmyrustle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 211 ✭✭jimmyrustle


    Oh no!

    I don't know how I could live without hearing that same Lizzo song three times an hour every hour since last October.

    Good ****ing riddance to the majority of them. I can count on one hand the amount of shows I listen to that are not on pirate radio.


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    #24
    Dakota Dan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,761 ✭✭✭Dakota Dan


    jimmyrustle wrote: »
    Oh no!

    I don't know how I could live without hearing that same Lizzo song three times an hour every hour since last October.

    Good ****ing riddance to the majority of them. I can count on one hand the amount of shows I listen to that are not on pirate radio.

    They are great at over playing whatever song is in the top 10 especially the ones with the same line repeated over and over like that annoying I’m only human after all song with the same line appearing 16 times in the song.


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    #25
    Tork
    Registered Users Posts: 3,261 ✭✭✭Tork


    That's probably a sign that you're over 25 Dan :pac:


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    #26
    murray sparkle
    Registered Users Posts: 47 ✭murray sparkle


    The Covid 19 crisis endangers radio stations, just as it impacts on every other form of business out there.

    Part of me looks at this and thinks - well, so what if they close. After all, the IBI are belly aching on Twitter and elsewhere saying that they need Government funding to ensure that they can continue to stay open. However, where were the IBI when the ad market was booming and they had full ad logs? Were they offering extra money to the State then? Radio stations are, after all, businesses and just because they are radio stations doesn't mean that they should be immune from the exigencies that befall other businesses.

    Also, radio stations operate in a protected environment already. They are guaranteed their licences for 10 years. The State has put in place significant barriers to entry precluding you or I from just buying a load of equipment and launching a legal competitor. They know well in advance if a 'competitor' is coming into their market and, at that, they never really are competitors. Does Beat really compete with KCLR? Does iRadio really compete with what Paul Claffey is producing? No. So, they are protected and they have the radio cake to themselves.

    Whereas, my friend owns a mobile phone repair shop. He was the first to open his business in his town. Now there are three in his street alone. Everybody in the country (almost) has a mobile and they all need to maintained or replaced. So, is the mobile phone business to be bailed out by the State? What about fruit & veg shops? Again, they won't be bailed out by the State, but they provide us with a necessity that is food. Two or three hours of local talk a day followed by 22 or 21 hours of bland 80's music is not essential. The IBI need to be realistic here.

    If they want local radio to be treated as an essential service and to be thrown a lifeline then they need to change the way they work and what they produce.

    Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and a thousand others ate FM104, 98FM & Q102's lunch a long time ago. If those stations closed they wouldn't be missed. However, outside of Dublin where we don't have stations that are as driven by consultants as they are in Dublin, there would be an element of the population that would miss the Keith Finnegan's of this world. They provide useful news and an outlet to represent their views and those of their community.

    Local radio stations, like local papers, will need to come out of this and look at how they operate. They also need to start telling, or accepting, the truth. The JNLR's are not an accurate reflection of what the public is doing. They are not now and they never were.

    The unfortunate truth for radio stations is that, just like the UK, there will never be the amount of jobs in stations again, as there was last year. Just as there were more jobs in radio 30 years ago than there are now. We will have longer shows, less presenters and (if they are to survive) more of a focus on local content that can't be obtained anywhere else. Otherwise, we are looking at the homogenisation of the sector just like what happened in the UK with Heart, Capital, Hits & Greatest Hits Radio.

    The IBI might have a point, and I grant them that, but they're delivering it in the wrong way and being too reactionary. They don't have a God given right to exist, no more than my friend's phone shop. They are protected in ways that my friend's business isn't. They need to prepare for a different media landscape or get off the pitch.


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    #27
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,671 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Pay cuts at Communicorp, the first reported action I believe:

    https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0331/1127661-communicorp-pay-cuts/


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    #28
    maestroamado
    Registered Users Posts: 4,426 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    Howard100 wrote: »
    It was announced today that the BAI will waive their broadcasting charges for all local stations for the first 6 months of the year, saving local radio about 1 million. As welcome as this is, i fear that some local radio stations are going fold without emergency funding.

    Very few stations in Ireland will be able to sustain months of this. There will be job loses and i'd say lots of 'for sale' signs will be put up.

    Very dark days for the industry.


    There seems to be quite a few as i found out when trying to get radio on the phone. I wonder how many....

    Would RTE be ok? Joe Duffy would not be essential for me.
    Dave Fanning, i never hear him anymore. why did he never get popular.
    John Kelly good.


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    #29
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,217 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    L1011 wrote: »
    Pay cuts at Communicorp, the first reported action I believe:

    https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0331/1127661-communicorp-pay-cuts/

    Any chance of the same thing happening at RTE as surely they face the same pressures?


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    #30
    swampy353
    Registered Users Posts: 928 ✭✭✭swampy353


    L1011 wrote: »
    Pay cuts at Communicorp, the first reported action I believe:

    https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0331/1127661-communicorp-pay-cuts/

    While I am not a fan of communicorp, the cuts that they have implemented seem as fair as they possibly can be and they apply to on air as well as back of house


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    #31
    maestroamado
    Registered Users Posts: 4,426 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    I often wondered why there be so many as every town has one and its mostly just local stuff basically gossip.
    I do not listen to the radio as i used listen to music quite a bit in the past but there seems to be little informed
    music programmes on the radio. It may be that i am out of touch and someone here will direct me.
    To my mind there too much current affairs as its the same story being told over and over.
    I generally listen to the beginning and only stay tuned if a topic i am interest in is coming up.
    I heard a guy on Sean O'R a few weeks ago.
    He was saying that most news was negative and depressing and put people in negative frame of mind.
    I have to say i am in agreement.


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