Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

The media group East Midlands Allied Press, EMAP, is selling the local radio stations Today FM, FM 104 and Highland Radio. The local radio station, Shannonside & Northern Sound, was sold to a Kerry group in which my colleague, Senator Coghlan, has an interest. My point is that the State gave these licences that are being sold as commodities from which people are making fortunes. Local radio should be local, not a national radio service, and I will not get much coverage on local radio for saying that. I hope the Acting Leader can arrange a debate on the future of local radio stations before the election because they are no longer local; they are multinational commodities.