The BCI are supposed to create diversity that will serve the listener. We feel they have failed to do this. Look at our survey page and see what choices we have at certain times of the day.

All stations must do same thing
All stations must do 20% news and current affairs. ALL means they must
all do the same. This is not diversity. Diversity is when there is a
difference and a choice. Diversity is when a news and talk station should do 100% news and current affairs. A Rock music station should do perhaps 5% and a local full service station should do perhaps 15% news and current affairs.

Choice
Diversity is not all stations doing the same news delivered with the
same topics, usually in the same order at the same time. Diversity means
choice. Choice is when you have perhaps a choice between a talk station, a rock station a dance station and a pop station. Our airwaves are currently full of talk shows. Look at our survey page

Sport
Because of the 20% news and current affairs that stations are forced to do they end up all doing sport on A Saturday to "reach" the quota, so you often find ALL stations doing sports shows, live sport and endless sports bulletins all around the same time. This again proves the BCI's failure to provide diversity under the 20% news and current affairs requirement. Again here the BCI have shown a disregard for the listener in not allowing stations to provide music for people who do not want to hear sport and English premiership soccer news all day on a Saturday.

In relation to news and current affairs the 2001 act states in an amendment to the 1988 act: 62. —The following section is hereby substituted for section 15 of the Act of 1988:

“Derogation from requirements relating to news and current affairs
programming.15. Notwithstanding section 9(1)(c), the Commission may authorise a derogation from the requirement in question in whole or in part in the case of a sound broadcasting service which a sound broadcasting contract or contracts to provide in any area, but only if it is satisfied that the authorisation of such a derogation would be beneficial to the listeners of sound broadcasting services in that area.”

The BCI have shown complete disregard for the listener here as the act allows for a derogation yet stations can't do it even if they feel their listeners want it.

Here is an example of the latest decision by the BCI to try abd create diversity. They are currently in the process of licensing the only 2 quasi /national stations in Ireland and it seems they want both stations to do almost the same thing!

From BCI website:
BCI INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL AND QUASI-NATIONAL

SOUND BROADCASTING SERVICES
9th December 05

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has today (Friday, 9th December 2005) placed an advertisement in the national press seeking applications from interested persons / parties for the provision of the following sound broadcasting services on the FM Band:

1. National broad format sound broadcasting service
Applications are being sought for a broad format service which will comprise a minimum of 30% speech content with a strong emphasis on news and current affairs. The service should be of relevance to a core audience in the 20-44 age group.

2. Quasi-national news/speech sound broadcasting service
Applications are invited for the provision of a quasi-national sound
broadcasting service which will have a strong emphasis on news/speech
programming and target a 25+ audience. The service area will include a
large part of the State but will not provide universal coverage.

Successful applicants for these services will be awarded ten year contracts.