BCI to launch new channel for the ‘middle-aged’

MIDDLE-AGED city dwellers — a new radio channel just for you is on its way.

For the first time, a multi-city licence has been offered on the Irish spectrum and those over the age of 45 will be its target audience.

The easy-listening “smooth service” will be licensed to cover Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.

But according to the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland the neighbouring counties will benefit as well.

A spokeswoman said the BCI had examined what gaps there were in the Irish broadcasting service and it decided middle-aged music lovers deserved their own channel.

“The BCI decided a couple of years ago that there was a some space left on the spectrum and it sought expressions of interests to see what was missing,” she said.

Never before has the BCI offered fractured licences in a break from the usual local or national options.

The BCI wedged the licence into different cities by using different frequencies which can be broadcast under the one umbrella easy-listening service.

This will mean taking the 104FM waveband in Clare, Limerick and Galway and the 94FM slot in Dublin and Cork.

Interested parties have two months to lay out their business plan outlining how much financial backing they have and what songs they intend to play.

The move comes during a time when BCI is trying to bring a more diverse range of channels to the market.

Recently it advertised for an all-religious channel on the AM band and on Monday three groups will go head-to-head for the right to hold a licence directed at young people in the Midlands and North-East.

This will be decided after an oral hearing in Tullamore with Red FM, SPIN FM and i 107 FM trying to win over the judging panel from the BCI. It is not being decided by auction so which ever company puts the best case forward in the Tullamore Court Hotel wins the right to reach 15 to 34-year-olds in north Leinster.