Radio Kilkenny to fight loss of licence on 3 fronts

THE DIRECTORS of a community radio station ordered to go off the air next year have launched a three-pronged campaign to retain their licence.

Radio Kilkenny has vowed to use legal force, media campaigns and people power to stay on the air, despite a Broadcast Commission decision to award the new franchise licence to another consortium.

More than 1,000 supporters of the 12-year-old station packed into a city hotel on Tuesday night.

And yesterday, spurred by such support, Radio Kilkenny chairman Joe Reidy vowed to have the decision revoked.

"Every avenue that is open to us will be explored.

"We are requesting a meeting with the Dáil committee on broadcasting overseeing licences to set our stall. We are meeting with senior counsel on Monday and will follow his advice as to where we should take the campaign from here."

Democracy still works and people have to be listened to, according to other directors. They want everyone in Ireland to know that a community which fostered a local radio station has had their service withdrawn.

"How can anybody decide that 3,000 shareholders and all the other voluntary bodies associated with it can be taken off the air? I don't think its justifiable that anyone can do this," board member Jimmy Brett said.

By Friday the Broadcast Commission is to issue its reasons why the Kilkenny Carlow Local Radio consortium won the licence. The Commission stood over its decision, saying the process was open and transparent, to the point where an oral hearing was held.

And the 20% shareholder in the new station, John Purcell, said he won't hand back the licence, despite appeals at the public meeting for him to do so.

The new station serving counties Carlow and Kilkenny will be known as KCLR the Heart of The Two Counties.

KCLR will be a broad based local radio service with special emphasis on covering news, current affairs, sport, special interest and community access programming from the two counties.

"The licence was up for grabs and we applied for it. We have no beef with Radio Kilkenny and we do not want to get involved in any action they may be pursuing," chairman of CK Broadcasting Mr Purcell said.