Most importantly, the local radio stations have given access to the airwaves to people and interests for which the national stations could never hope to cater. In the main, local stations have become what they were intended to be – vehicles for expression at community level all over Ireland. I am pleased that WLR FM is the first and only radio station to have provided its own purpose-built studio and administration complex since RTE went to Montrose over 40 years ago. This is now shared by Beat 102, a regional radio station which came on the air this year and is proving very popular among its target audience. This new station is an experiment which is being closely watched by the BCI and the rest of the country and could well be the model for other stations in time. WLR FM is the kind of success story dreamed about when local radio was first set up 15 years ago and since then it has discharged its mandate fully and responsibly.