State broadcaster RTÉ has responded to claims by the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland which suggest 2fm is costing taxpayers millions and the company is wasting public money.
“There is a huge amount of confusion and uncertainty over how 2FM is funded and whether it is appropriate for RTÉ to use millions of euro of public money to prop up Irelands most expensive but least listened to music station,” said John Purcell, Chairman of IBI.
But RTÉ hit back saying 2fm was an integral part of its overall suite designed to meet the needs of a diverse audience, and that its financing had been approved by the Government.
It said that 2fm’s ability to generate money from advertising was “considerably less” than independent radio stations, since laws restrict it to playing four minutes and 30 seconds worth of ads per hour rather than the nine minutes afforded to other broadcasters.
RTÉ also said that it had reduced overall operating costs by 30 per cent since 2008.
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