Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications

Funding the Broadcasting Sector: Discussion with Independent Broadcasters of Ireland

10:10 am

Photo of Brian WalshBrian Walsh (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree entirely with the sentiments expressed by other members around the table. The IBI provides a fantastic service. In my own area Galway Bay FM provides an immeasurable service. It would be very difficult to quantify or measure the value of the work it does but we know that it is valuable work carried out by all local radio stations. It is the local angle that makes the services personal. It is a great resource for elderly people living alone. It creates a sense of community and for that reason it is important that we protect the services and support them in any way we can. I support the IBI's call for an independent stand-alone fund to support public service broadcasting, particularly in light of the fall-off in revenue of up to 40% in recent years. Can the delegates tell us how that has impacted on their services? Has it simply caused job losses or has it compromised production capacity?

Does independent television come within the remit of IBI? Does it represent independent television production companies? Could the delegates explain what level of public funding it receives, if any, and how is that distributed to the members?

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