A proposal to launch a radio station specialising in country, Irish and MOR (middle of the road) music has been made by Senator Donie Cassidy, together with Daniel O'Donnell's management company and the managing director of Cork's 96 and 103 FM stations, Mr Colm O'Conaill. Senator Cassidy, the leader of the Seanad, who manages the singer Joe Dolan and the group, Foster & Allen, said the following for such singers as Garth Brooks and Kent Black was not reflected in the music content of existing radio stations.
"Neil Diamond comes into Dublin and can play 10 concerts, yet you never hear him on the radio," he said.
His consortium will make an application to the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) next month when the State body is expected to invite bidders for an FM licence for the Dublin city and county area. In advance of the licensing round, the IRTC has invited expressions of interest from interested parties.
Senator Cassidy's application for a station with £1.5 million start-up costs would be strengthened by the expertise his partners have in the area. Daniel O'Donnell's record label, Ritz Music Group, owns Country 1035, a London-wide country music station. Senator Cassidy said the greater Dublin area was the only place in the State without recourse to an alternative radio music output since local commercial radio stations were established. "Within 25 miles of Dublin you have 75 per cent of the advertising purchasing power in the country," he said.
He owns the "Celtic Note" Irish music operation in Nassau Street in Dublin, and runs a live country music dance in Barry's Hotel in Dublin four nights a week. "The people in the Dublin 4 area do not know what is happening in the world of country music and Irish recording artists," he said.
Foster & Allen had sold 17 million records in 22 years and were in the Guinness Book of Records for having had 15 consecutive albums in the British charts at Christmas time, a record which had only been equalled by The Rolling Stones.
"There are no outlets for Irish recording artists, for country artists or for middle of the road artists," he said.
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