Talks radio station pledges real alternative to RTE
Talk radio station NewsTalk 106 today vowed to offer a real alternative to RTE if it is granted a national licence.
Insisting the public wanted more choice, multi-millionaire chairman of the Dublin-based station Denis O’Brien told the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland it would not mimic the state broadcaster.
“The plan for NewsTalk is realistic. The shareholders, the board, management and staff now have all the experience necessary to go national,” he said.
“No-one has any programming like NewsTalk. It is different, NewsTalk is ready to be an alternative radio broadcaster.”
NewsTalk hopes to take on an extra 15 new staff if it goes national, bringing the workforce up to 94, but management insisted it would not become a training ground for RTE, TV3 or other major broadcasters.
They told the BCI it would take a more flexible approach to broadcasting. The station said it was prepared to ditch planned schedules if breaking news stories demanded it, as happened during the Dublin riots in February and the London Tube bombings last summer.
The BCI was told NewsTalk has an advantage over big, cumbersome structures such as RTE and that there are no agendas being pushed, editorial independence is guaranteed and guests are questioned not assaulted.
NewsTalk, which began broadcasting four years ago and was the only bidder for the new quasi-national licence, expects to run at a loss until 2009 even if it wins the new licence. NewsTalk claimed 47% of people wanted to see a new talk-based station.
It offered a sample of shows due for broadcast if the application is successful. George Hook and Eamon Dunphy, two of NewsTalk’s most popular presenters, would remain central to the schedule while a daily phone-in show ‘Ireland’s Call’ would be given an evening slot.
Irish language will feature more strongly along with extra programming for immigrant communities, while new presenters being lined up include civil rights campaigner Senator David Norris.
There are plans to broadcast historical documentaries at the weekend along with a Sunday morning kid’s time slot and an array of objective, lively, non-judgmental current affairs shows.
NewsTalk bosses suggested magazine style shows hosted by Orla Barry and Sean Moncrieff would be allowed to play music, but limited to three tracks per hour.
And as BCI officials digested the statistics, the station offered the audience a tongue in cheek look ahead to the stories that would be making the news in 2007.
Headlines included a state visit by Queen Elizabeth, demands from Aer Lingus chief executive Michael O’Leary for a second terminal at Shannon Airport, criticisms of Taoiseach and leader of the Green Party Trevor Sargent, while George Hook recommended the still unopened Dublin Port Tunnel be used to store the Government’s unused e-voting machines.
A decision on whether to grant the licence is due to be taken by the BCI in May and NewsTalk hopes to be in a position to broadcast nationwide from October.
