What are Today applying for?

flogen

Was looking out for the word on the applications for the new national (or quasi national) speech based licence that BCI put forward (looks like it's Newstalk only in consideration) and I spotted that Today Fm are applying for a "National broad format sound broadcasting service".
Anyone know what difference this is to the licence they already have, I mean, they're already national... is it that this licence will allow them to cover different music styles (so a broad format of styles rather than just pop, or chart?)

http://www.bci.ie/news_information/press55.html

GerardKeating

flogen wrote:

Was looking out for the word on the applications for the new national (or quasi national) speech based licence that BCI put forward (looks like it's Newstalk only in consideration) and I spotted that Today Fm are applying for a "National broad format sound broadcasting service".
Anyone know what difference this is to the licence they already have, I mean, they're already national... is it that this licence will allow them to cover different music styles (so a broad format of styles rather than just pop, or chart?)

http://www.bci.ie/news_information/press55.html

Basically, they are appling to renew thier existing licence, which will expire eventually.

DMC

Its their existing licence which is up for renewal. All the local radio stations have reapplied for their licence over the past few years, iirc they had 7 and 8 years initially, and with the exceptions of NWR in Sligo/Leitrim and the reallignment in Kildare/Carlow/Kilkenny, they have all been renewed. Now its the turn of the national player, which signed a 10 year licence that expires in March 2007, ten years after Radio Ireland began.
There is no competition for Today FM for their licence, no other players are competing against them, but they will have to go through due process with the BCI.

BrianD

It is not a matter of re-applying or not getting their licence renewed.

Every licence that is issued has a finite lifespan and after that is extinguished and a brand new licence is advertised. The previous incumbent has no rights to this licence though is obviously in a good position when applying. In the past most previous licence holders have been successful so it appears as if their licence has been renewed.

However, it is incorrect to saw that stations had their licences renewed. They didn't - they were successful in their bid for a new sound broadcasting licence that was offered for that franchise.

flogen

So in other words they win a new licence that is the exact same as their last one, excluding the dates involved?

Good.

Thanks for the replies, I was thinking too far outside the box to even consider they were going for a new licence on the same thing...

DMC

In legal-ese, BrianD, you are quite correct, but to all intents and purposes, they were advertising the existing licences with the same players winning, so it would not be remiss to say they are renewals, per se. Its how a lot of the papers were playing it too.

BrianD

Well actually it is very remiss and wrong to say they are "renewals" as it is certainly not the case. Anything but! I do agree that commentators do regard it as a "renewal" but their old contract is not being renewed it is being extinguished completely.

Suggesting that they are renewals indicates that the incumbemt has ownership of a permanent licence and this is not the case.

mike65

In any case they've got a flipping cheek! Newstalk could be the station Radio Ireland was supposed to be.

Mike.

DMC

From: www.radiowaves.fm

NATIONAL: Today retain licence
Today FM have retained their licence to broadcast their broad format service to the nation for the next ten years. The licence has been awarded in principle by the BCI to Radio Ireland Limited (trading as 100-102 Today FM). Today FM has operated this service since their inception in 1997, when they were known on-air as Radio Ireland. The Commission expressed their satisfaction with the exceptional quality of the application coupled with the track record of the applicant. On this basis the BCI considered that it was appropriate that the licence should be awarded in principle at this time. The award is subject to the successful outcome of contract negotiations and further details will be announced in due course.

mike65

Exceptional quality of the application? Gold star for good spelling and punctuation I presume.

Mike.