The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has allocated €2.5 million in public funding to radio stations to support their provision of “reliable, trusted information on Covid-19”.

The cash comes from households that pay the TV licence fee.

Communications minister Richard Bruton (pictured), who directed the BAI to allocate the funds, welcomed the move.  “Trusted local information has never been more important," said Bruton. "This funding, in addition to the €1m saved from the waiving of the broadcasting levy, will support local radio stations in every community, as they manage these very challenging times.”

A total of 32 applications was received and every station got something. The assessment criteria included the public value of the proposals, their feasibility, the value for money, and the track record of the applicant. Music stations received less funding than talk stations.

There is no fairy godmother for national and provincial press, who have suffered the same adverse commercial impacts due to the government's lockdown. That's because unlike the radio sector press enterprises are not licensed and regulated by the state.

In Association with

Later this summer the BAI will operate a round specifically for the community radio sector, to be followed by yet another disbursement for commercial and community television broadcasters and public service broadcasters, including RTÉ radio.