Mr. Peter Timmins:

It is extremely difficult, to be honest. The revenue model is very different. Generating revenue online is only a fraction of what is generated in print so it is proving difficult. That is why so many local newspapers have gone to the wall over the past seven or eight years, because it is just a different model. Facebook or Google, the digital behemoths, are cleaning up and taking maybe 80% of the digital spend and probably more than half of the total advertising spend. We are working in a difficult space. If it is accepted by the Government and all the political parties, which it is, that this is an industry that needs some kind of protection going forward because of all the benefits we have talked about, for local democracy and coverage of local issues, how is that going to happen? That is really the question. How is that going to best be done? The Future of Media Commission's report states with regard to helping, particularly in the area of journalism, that the content should be free at the point of consumption. Dr. Wheatley from DCU said it is important that people are not asked to pay for something the State is effectively subsidising. The advantage of our publications is that they are already free at the point of consumption so that is not an issue, whether online or in print.