Dublin could have at least three more radio stations, the Independent Radio and Television Commission chairman, Mr Niall Stokes, told an IRTC conference on broadcasting yesterday.
The IRTC's policy was to increase the amount of radio in Dublin over and above the present two, music-driven commercial stations, an Irish-language special-interest station and Anna Livia, the talk-based community station that is about to have its transmission hours extended.
Only lack of frequency space was holding back further stations, he said. The IRTC had identified three frequencies that could be used for special-interest radio stations, possibly offering minority music or radio for a younger audience.
The present IRTC members are due to leave office after the October meeting.
Mr Stokes said he also favoured controlled development and he opposed deregulation or a free-for-all. New Zealand was a case in point, where deregulation had led to a decline in standards and less diversity of ownership.
Mr Stokes was critical of broadcasting proposals from the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera. He said it seemed an enhanced IRTC would be asked to rubber-stamp decisions made by cable operators to put stations on air without any clear criteria on content.
The buzz-word used to rationalise this approach, he said, was regulation with a light touch. "It seems grossly inequitable to me that cable channels should be allowed to go on air in, say, Dublin, Cork, Limerick or Galway, cherry-picking key urban audiences and doing so without any of the obligations in relation to news and current affairs, Irish content and so on, which currently have to be met by independent local radio stations, by Today FM and by tv3 alike."
Legislation should clearly specify the obligations of RTE1, Network 2 and tv3 to local programming. It should specify a level of Irish music to be played. Any new stations coming on air and allowed to sell advertising in the Irish market should be subject to the same requirements, he said.
Mr Stokes said it was crucial to shift the balance to the broadcasters, the creative people and the programme-makers rather than the accountants. "The purpose of regulation is to enable broadcasters to get on with the real business of what they should be about, making great radio and television."