One of my big fears in recent years has been the over-commercialisation of local radio and this issue has been central to much of the debate that has taken place. Local radio is seen more as a method of making money than providing a service. If that is the driving force of local radio, it does not bode well for the future. We will have more difficulties down the road. This worry was accentuated by some of the monopolies I have seen building up in recent years. Local newspapers are being bought up by conglomerates and to a large degree a monopoly is being created. In my own area, the Tipperary Star, The Clonmel Nationalist and the Kilkenny People have been bought and are now being run by Scottish Holdings. Members will have seen in the media in recent times that Scottish Holdings, UTV and others are eyeing a lucrative market. The more local radio stations are absorbed and controlled, the more we will return to the days before local radio. That was the fear we had of RTE becoming a service provider.