who owns the media - does it matter?
TweetThe recent sale of Emap’s Irish radio stations, including national service, Today FM, to Denis O’Brien’s company Communicorp has opened up debate over the issue of media ownership and concentration of interests. There’s been a lot of confused comment with more focus on O’Brien’s own personality and profile rather than the core issues at stake. In reality Ireland is still at a stage where the radio and broadcasting business in general is maturing and we’re still some way from any real concerns over new commercial monopolies. The media being dominated by a handful of players does have an impact on society and the level of information and content citizens are exposed to - but in Ireland the reality is we need strong Irish led media businesses in independent broadcasting and to a large degree the growth and development of Communicorp has to be welcomed. The real challenge for Communicorp in the deal is the level of dominance it gives the company in Dublin - particularly by holding three of the commercial licences and two direct competitors FM 104 and 98 FM. It seems Commnicorp hopes that the deal can be sweetened by the prospect of a sale of Spin FM - but its hard to see how that will make its Dublin position fit as it will still hold both commercial national licences and the two key Dublin ones. In the end its likely that the Competition Authority will seek a sale of one of the big two - FM 104 or 98 FM in order to let the deal through. For Communicorp the main win will be a national network and the ability to sell Today FM and Newstalk together - a music and speech partnership - which will allow it to rival RTE’s national offering in 2FM and Radio 1. Increasingly the RTE Radio hold on uniqueness is being challenge and it needs to hold firm to its public brief - to define and met the need of being different in a market where what they currently do is often being done by commercial competitors. RTE Lyric FM and RnaG - the least commercial of its network - are ironically the strongest card in this battle of definition and difference. RTE Radio 1 and 2FM need to maintain and grow that degree of separation by doing things the others don’t do - like arts, science, children’s programming and special event. Utimately the audience, the listeners, should benefit and perhaps it will take this Communicorp challenge for RTE to recognise that being different and taking risks is what will confirm and defend its future.