Name: Dave Ormond
Comments: I have stopped listening to Irish radio for this exact reason....far too much talk. Let me know if you achieve anything with your site but until then i will listen to web radio, my cds and my ipod

Name: Ron, IrishUnsigned
Comments: One of the major problems with the 20% News and Current Affairs quota, from our perspective in IrishUnsigned (where we deal totally with new grass-roots Irish musicians and singers) is that it puts the squeeze on those stations that *might* consider being a little more sympathetic to supporting the development of music in Irish society.

As we all know, the quota was a snobbery-induced knee-jerk reaction to the 'proliferation' of stations offering the listener what they want. I have no problem with Government (for that's who are ultimately responsible: our elected representatives) feeling they have a duty to look out for us poor mortals, but I still want to be able to drink too much every now and again, smoke a few John Players, run across the road instead of walking 500 yards to a traffic light and, god forbid, scan the dials for some proper music.

The worst thing is that when you find some, you damn well know it will be over soon and some over-paid waffle-monger will be prattlin

Name: Dereck O'Connor
Comments: I think this is a great site. I wish the radio station where I live would should up talking. I have to use my ipod during the day to listen to music I like here in Galway

Name: Mike
Comments: Personally I like listening to News/Current Affairs (My Favorite station is BBC Radio 4) but when I do put on a music station I want MUSIC

So no there is no contradiction between listening to talk radio and yet calling for the abolition of the 20% news quota.

Defenders of the quota sometimes point to the fact that some stations (particularly along the Western Seaboard) carry MORE than the 20% news requirement (some go as high as 35%) but surely this PROVES that the quota is unnecessary as stations will still do news/current affairs even in the absence of a quota (Just like many of the pre-1988 stations did) The quota is particularly unnecessary in multi-station markets (like Dublin) where it only leads to unnecessary duplication and where in any cast there is a news talk station

What exactly is so wrong with "wall-to-wall music stations" anyway ? I remember when Radio Ireland/Today FM changed to a (slightly) more music driven formay a lot of critics used the phrase "dumbing down"

Name: Jimbo
Comments: good to see somebody is pushing for more muisc on the radio at last. I can't stand all those talk shows

Name: TRSJ
Comments: good site