Coimisiún na Meán has announced the allocation of €1.1m to fund 38 radio productions on radio in Ireland.
It’s part of Round 51 of the Broadcasting Funding Scheme, which will also see €6.7m allocated to 27 TV projects.
Media Development Commissioner, Rónán Ó Domhnaill said: “Sound & Vision remains a vital funding source for broadcasters and independent producers from all over Ireland and brings the total amount of funding allocated by the Scheme to over €70 million since 2020.
“Sound & Vision funding boosts Ireland’s creative sector, bringing to life television, radio and film content in both the Irish and English languages. I would like to thank Minister Catherine Martin for her continued support of the Scheme and all those applicants who submitted proposals, and we look forward to seeing the programmes hit our screens and airwaves.
“This latest allocation of €8.6 million will enable independent producers and broadcasters to create engaging and thought-provoking content that resonates with audiences across Ireland. The programming produced will celebrate our cultural and linguistic heritage, amplify voices from marginalised communities, and explore under-represented perspectives.”
A total of 165 applications seeking over €18.8m in funding were submitted for consideration under Round 51 of the Sound & Vision 4 scheme, with just over €7.9m in funding awarded. This Round includes additional exchequer funding secured by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media, Catherine Martin TD.
Round 51 will support the production of 65 TV and radio projects for audiences around the country, with €6.7m allocated to 27 TV projects, and over €1.1m for 38 radio productions. This Round focused on programming about gender equality, diversity, and inclusion of new Irish communities and voices.
Nearly 35% of the recommended funding (€2.7m) will support the production of Irish/bilingual projects, and 95% of the funding (€7.4m) goes directly to the independent production sector.
Some notable projects funded in Round 51 include:
- Irish Music Month: A radio production for Hot Press, operated by the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) which showcases and celebrates the best of new and upcoming musical talent, will be broadcast on 21 local commercial radio stations around Ireland.
- Echo Eco: This series of hour-long programmes by Newstalk will explore climate change and environmental issues and will be hosted by renowned environmental scientist Dr Tara Shine.
- Blúiríní Osnádúrtha: An Irish-language radio production for Raidió na Life which will see volunteers research and record Irish ghost stories from Dublin and beyond.
- Adam Loves Adventure: This comedy-themed quest show for pre-schoolers is set in space and stars real-life hero Adam King, a problem-solving space explorer whose prime directive is to use his big heart and space smarts to help aliens with their everyday problems. Produced by Kavaleer for broadcast on RTÉjnr.
In addition, Round 52 of the Sound & Vision 4 Scheme was a tailored Social Benefit Round and was informed by the Community Media Policy and Social Benefit Framework launched in 2021. The funding under this non-competitive round was allocated to community broadcasters who adequately demonstrated how they would better facilitate access to and representation of their respective communities and help increase the range of community participation in the production and distribution of broadcast content.
The funding round also had a particular focus on community broadcasters providing programming and quality training and development opportunities for station staff and volunteers.
The funding will support a range of activities across 19 stations, including the following activities:
- Ros FM will build on training previously funded by Sound & Vision and offer QQI level 4 training to approximately 20 volunteers.
- Athlone Community Radio will deliver QQI level 3 & 4 training to staff, volunteers, and community groups.
- Community Radio Youghal will use funding to undertake increased engagement with their local community service, St Raphael’s, a local facility for adults with disabilities.
- Funding for Community Radio Castlebar will be used to further develop their engagement with Spéire Nua, a group that works with ex-offenders and the Involve Youth Project, which works with Traveller youth.
- Funding will be used by Flirt FM to continue its successful ‘Community Takeover’ initiative, which has opened the airwaves to a range of community groups such as Foróige and Galway Autism Partnership by allowing them to produce and host their own programmes.
This is the fourth Social Benefit Round operated by the Scheme and brings the total amount of funding offered directly to community broadcasters through the Social Benefit Rounds to €2.5m.