Media regulators are facing 33 separate appeals from national and local radio stations against a €1 million hike in the annual broadcasting levy, after blocking their request for a collective appeal.
After a €471,126 rise in the statutory levy last year, the proposed €1 million increase for 2026 would bring the aggregate annual charge to €3.69 million.
Such increases have been described as “unsustainable” by Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), the representative body for commercial radio.
The combined levy was €2.18 million only two years ago, so the overall rise since then is in the region of 69 per cent.
RM Block
Coimisiún na Meán’s dismissal of IBI’s call for a joint appeal comes weeks after Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan said he had no role at all in the affair, citing the regulator’s independence.
“We believe that the principle of forcing stations to make individual appeals is unjust, because as it stands, if the regulator reduces the levy increase on some stations, it would appear they will then simply increase it on others, making the situation even worse,” said IBI chief executive Michael Kelly.
Coimisiún na Meán is the supervisor of broadcast and video-on-demand services, with responsibility for public service media, licensing and complaints. Replying to questions, the regulator said: “Lobby groups and collective interest groups do not pay a levy to Coimisiún na Meán and therefore cannot request a review of the levy.”
It went on to say “any regulated entity” can request a review of the levy applied to them.
IBI members include Newstalk, Today FM and 98FM – owned by Bauer Media of Germany – and FM104, Dublin’s Q102 and Cork’s 96, whose parent Onic is part of Rupert Murdoch’s News UK empire.
Kelly said each of the 33 independent radio stations in the State was now required to submit individual applications to Coimisiún na Meán to be allowed appeal the overall levy increases.
[ Levy on streaming platforms could raise about €20 million per year for sectorOpens in new window ]
The IBI sought to make a collective appeal for all stations after meeting Coimisiún na Meán in April, but was told that was not possible.
The regulator would not accept such an appeal as the representative body was not itself a licensed broadcaster, said Kelly. This was despite the fact that IBI had a mandate from members to represent them in significant regulatory and policy matters, such as the disputed levy.
“This position flies in the face of the recent Government position, when it stated its bottom-line preference for engagement on critical and urgent issues through industry representative organisations with a mandate from their members, rather than from individuals or unmandated organisations,” said Kelly.
IBI was a reputable and fully mandated representative organisation, he added.
“It is recognised as an industrial representative body allowed to nominate candidates in elections to the Seanad, or to participate in national or European regulatory consultations, or to appear at Oireachtas committee hearings on behalf of members.
“So it is regrettable that CnaM [Coimisiún na Meán] prefers not to engage with us on this major, time-bound, operational issue that affects every single member station, and where a broad industry-wide position is appropriate, equitable and far more efficient.”
