COMMUNITY RADIO and television groups have written to Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan to express concern about an alleged bias towards commercial broadcasting among the nominees to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).
The Community Television Association (CTA) and the Community Radio Forum of Ireland (Craol) said no BAI nominee represented their sectors despite the 2009 Broadcasting Act citing community broadcasting as a requisite area of expertise for members.
The CTA, which represents channels such as Dublin City TV and Cork Community TV, said a bias towards commercial broadcasting on the body governing broadcasting in the State would be highly undesirable. Craol said the nominees should be reviewed. It represents 30 licensed community radio stations.
The BAI will replace the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission and will, for the first time, regulate both commercial and public service broadcasting.
Mr Ryan appointed five members to the authority, including former RTÉ director general Bob Collins as chair, while the Joint Oireachtas Communications Committee selected four members whose appointments are still being considered by Mr Ryan.
The committee recommended Larry Bass of Screentime ShinAwiL, which produces The Apprentice; Siobhán Ní Ghadhra of the Telegael media company; Michael Moriarty who previously worked with Carlow-Kildare radio; and Prof Colum Kenny of Dublin City University.
In a letter to Mr Ryan, CTA chair Margaret Gillan said community broadcasting was premised on diversity and provides a balance to commercial media monopolies.
“Yet no BAI members – among either your nominees or those proposed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee – have any significant experience of community media ”
Craol chair Kevin Griffiths said, in a letter to Mr Ryan, that he did not feel community media would be “part of any decision-making process” in the new authority.
The National Union of Journalists has written to Mr Ryan expressing concern about potential conflicts of interest among members of the BAI. The Independent Broadcasters of Ireland and Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney have also questioned if Mr Collins, as a former RTÉ director, was an appropriate choice as chairman.
Other BAI members include Irish Times columnist John Waters; culture change consultant Paula Downey; Michelle McShortall, of Intuition e-learning; and Dr Maria Moloney, who sat on the UK’s Independent Television Commission.
