Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to support this motion seeking additional funding for our local and regional radio stations. There is no doubt, and I am sure the Minister knows, that local and community radio and regional radio takes the true pulse of Ireland and can take the temperature on every single issue around the country on any given day. In Limerick we have an outstanding service provided by Live 95FM which covers a complete range of topics, including current affairs, local and national politics, sport of all codes, including live broadcasts of inter-county GAA games, Munster rugby, farming, business issues, the arts and culture, obituaries, crime and Garda reports, to name but a few issues. I compliment Joe Nash and his team on the outstanding work they do in Limerick.

We also have a very popular regional radio station, SPIN South West, which provides a very good, eclectic mix and holds its young listenership, and huge congratulations are due to Nessa McGann and her team. These radio stations are run on a shoestring and we need to think innovatively and find ways to encourage, promote and foster them. They protect our democracy and our transparency and fight against the fake news agenda. That is why I am supporting the recommendations in Deputy Dooley's motion, which are the recommendations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment. We need to avoid the demise of local and regional stations. We need to protect the jobs of the people who work in our local and regional stations and to avoid yet another attack on rural Ireland. We have to invest in them. I was told recently of a community radio station that has €250,000 in the bank, yet some local and regional radio stations are nearly operating on the breadline every day of the week. That has to change.

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