Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The particular suggestion here is that Lyric FM might be cut as a result of the financial difficulties of RTÉ. The Minister has a role in that because, as the Minister of State said, public service broadcasting is about maintaining the diversity of Irish cultural experience. Lyric FM, which only accounts for a tiny 2% of RTÉ's budget, is the channel that has opened up a large, new audience to classical, experimental, world, jazz, blues and other music, including opera, as well as output from the National Concert Hall and so on. Young people and many sections of society would never get a chance to listen to these types of music otherwise. Lyric FM makes a significant contribution to developing music and culture in this country. It would be unacceptable and it would be a dereliction of the responsibility of public service broadcasting to allow Lyric FM to become the victim of the financial difficulties of RTÉ. The Minister and the Government should intervene to make sure that does not happen so that public service broadcasting discharges its cultural responsibility.

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