Ireland

Coimisiún na Méan has launched a funding round under its Sectoral Learning and Development Programme.

Up to €550,000 in total is being made available to support industry networks and representative organisations deliver a range of training and development activities for the forthcoming year, 2025.
Funding can be sought by organisations that work in the media sector and undertake training and development initiatives that support the broadcasting and audiovisual industries and align with An Coimisiún’s aim to ensure a thriving, diverse, creative and safe media landscape.
Levels of funding available to successful applicants will vary depending on the nature of the activities proposed, and their relevance to An Coimisiún’s work.
Commenting, Coimisiún na Meán’s Media Development Commissioner Rónán Ó Domhnaill said: “An Coimisiún is delighted to launch this funding round under our Sector Learning and Development Programme. Ongoing training and skills development is critical to ensuring the sustainability of the media sector and enhancing its growth, diversity and creativity.
“We recognise the valuable role organisations and representative bodies in the industry play in providing training and learning opportunities to those in the sector. Supporting such quality projects is a key part of our work and we look forward to seeing a wide range of proposals aiming to enrich our media landscape and support its continued development.”
Previous recipients of funding under the Sectoral Learning and Development Programme include: Learning Waves’ Journalism Graduate Programme, Women in Film and Television, CRAOL- which represents community radio, the Writers Guild of Ireland, and Oireachtas na Gaeilge.
The closing date for receipt of applications to the Programme is noon on Thursday, 5th December 2024. Further details on eligibility and how to apply can be found in the guide and application form. […]

Today FM is introducing five new shows to its evening line-up, starting tonight.
Each new show will bring a new genre of music, from chilled out tunes to country classics and 90s bangers to movie soundtracks.
Commenting on the launch of the new shows, Fyona Smith, Managing Editor of Today FM, said: “We’re excited to introduce our dynamic range of specialty music shows.
“These shows celebrate a variety of genres, bringing listeners even closer to the music they love. Our goal is to not forget about our audience listening late and introduce you to some of Ireland’s new and familiar presenters each evening.”
Here’s how the station are promoting the new shows:
TODAY FM CHILLED – MONDAYS 10PM-12AMToday FM Chilled, presented by Ciara Revins. From 10PM to midnight, Ciara brings you the acoustic gems, mellow melodies and the music you know and love, but all chilled-out. Whether you’re winding down, studying, or trying to sleep – relax and breathe with the sound of Today FM Chilled.
TODAY FM SOUNDTRACKS – TUESDAYS 10PM-12AMDara Quilty takes you on a screen and stage music adventure. Playing iconic movie soundtracks, from classic anthems, power ballads and film scores. Today FM Soundtracks celebrates the music you love from the screen to the stage.
TODAY FM COUNTRY HITS – WEDNESDAYS 10PM-12AMThe fastest growing music genre in the world right now will live on Today FM every Wednesday night. From 10pm-Midnight, presented by one of Ireland’s rising country star’s – Clodagh Lawlor, tune in for the freshest country hits & those country classics you already know and love.
TODAY FM 90s – THURSDAYS 10PM-12AMClaire Beck will be reliving the ultimate era of unforgettable beats and iconic anthems with the 90’s music you love. Claire will have you dancing, singing, and vibing to the best music from the decade that brought you influential grunge, unforgettable RNB, boy bands, girl bands and amazing one-hit wonders.
TODAY FM 80s – FRIDAYS 10PM-12AMJoin Steve K for Today FM 80s, your ultimate mixtape. Celebrating the decade that gave us big hair, synth-pop, new wave and power ballads. Iconic anthems non-stop, all the songs you still love that once only played on old cassettes tapes.
YESTERDAY FM FLOOR FILLERS – SATURDAYS 9PM-12AMRemember when your favourite song played, and you rushed to the dance floor? Every Saturday night from 9pm, Barry Dunne delivers Ireland the biggest hits you love as you sing-along and dance your way through the decades with Yesterday FM Floor Fillers.
TODAY FM ROCKS – SUNDAYS 10PM-12AMJoin Paula MacSweeney every Sunday evening as she brings you the very best bands, ballads and air-guitar anthems of rock. So, turn the volume to 100 and get ready to rock! […]

Coimisiún na Meán has replaced the Broadcast Moratorium with an Additional Care Requirement for broadcasters.
It will be relevant during the Critical Election Period – 24-hours before the opening of polling stations and during the period when polling occurs.
This decision follows a review of the Moratorium conducted by Coimisiún na Meán which commenced in February this year. This review included an examination of electoral silence periods in other countries, a survey of attitudes conducted with Ipsos B&A and a public consultation.
The new Additional Care Requirement, which replaces the Broadcast Moratorium, requires broadcasters to show additional care during the Critical Election Period.
During the Critical Election Period, broadcasters should treat with extreme care information relating to the election that it believes, or has reason to believe, has been circulated with the intention of misleading or confusing voters or that is likely to mislead or confuse voters.
The implementation of this additional care requirement is at the editorial discretion of the broadcaster. This may include the Broadcasters rebutting or correcting misconceptions arising from misleading information.
Speaking about the publication of the Guidelines, Coimisiún na Meán’s Broadcasting and Video-on-Demand Commissioner Aoife MacEvilly said: “A media landscape that supports democracy and democratic values, underpins civic discourse and reduces the impact of disinformation is a priority for Coimisiún na Meán. During election periods, broadcasters across Ireland play a crucial role in informing the public about the issues and candidates involved in the election campaign.
The annual Reuters Digital News Report, which was published in June and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán, found that trust in news remains high in Ireland compared to other countries. We recognise the trust that Irish viewers and listeners place in broadcasters and our approach to the moratorium reflects Ireland’s changing media landscape.
Elections and electoral integrity are a key focus for us at Coimisiún na Meán this year. Alongside this new additional care approach for broadcasters, once the date of an election is confirmed, we will be publishing information for electoral candidates on our role in relation to broadcasting and online safety regulation, and how we can help them, alongside our guidelines for broadcasters. We will also engage with online platforms on their preparations for the elections, to ensure that they play their part in upholding electoral integrity and ensuring that people across Ireland can make free, fair and informed choices about where to cast their vote.’’
Broadcasters should also take additional care to ensure that opinions expressed by programme contributors do not interfere with the electoral process by making a false or misleading claim with respect to election procedures. Broadcasters are also asked not to report on opinion polls or exit polls during polling hours.
The new approach will be reflected in Coimisiún na Meán’s Guidelines in Respect of Broadcast Coverage of Elections, which will be published shortly after the date of the next election is announced. The Guidelines provide direction and advice to broadcasters as to how fairness, objectivity and impartiality can be achieved in their coverage of elections. […]

Former Virgin Media Television / TV3 News Southern Correspondent, Paul Byrne, is joining Cork’s 96FM.
Paul will be the new producer of the station’s daily talk show, The Opinion Line with P.J. Coogan.
The journalist will also present the show from time to time.
Father of two, Paul, is no stranger to radio as he started out in the medium at 14 years of age. He went on to work for Cork’s 96FM before moving into television.
Paul said he’s delighted to be returning to radio and joining the team at Cork’s 96FM: “Cork’s 96FMis part of Cork’s rich history and the station’s mix of local topics, news and music is what has made it the success it is today.”
Local Content Controller for Cork’s 96FM and C103, Brendan O’Driscoll said “Paul is bringing a wealth of experience to the team at Cork’s 96FM. His passion for human interest stories is unwavering and he is renowned for his ability to get the best from people who want to tell their story.”
Paul starts his new role on Monday 4th November 2024 and will join the team of Senior Producer, Fergal Barry and presenter P.J. Coogan. […]

Today FM has launched a new advertising campaign that will see the station promoted heavily on TV and online.
The campaign consists of a suite of 15 second vignette-style ads and features a mix of retro and contemporary visuals set against audio clips to showcase each show within Today FM’s prime time line-up.
Today FM says the audio within each ad reflects real life content from the respective shows from Ian Dempsey reacting to a hilarious Waffle contestant and Dave Moore sharing one of his best (or worst!) Dave’s Bad Jokes.
Louise Cantillon discusses the ‘travesty’ of not receiving a ‘surprise from the shop’ while Ray Foley admits to being an open-eyed kisser. Meanwhile, The Last Word with Matt Cooper, showcases the breadth of topics discussed on his Today FM drive-time show.

The AV campaign is supported by a nationwide brand-led out-of-home campaign, highlighting key tune in times throughout the day with clever copy pointing to morning, lunch and commuter listening.
Commenting on the brand campaign, Stephen Gorman, Today FM Marketing, said: “We are all really excited about our latest brand campaign here in Today FM. The motion graphics design does an excellent job of bringing our presenters stories to life in such a fun and engaging way.
“There’s something new to laugh at every time you watch. For this campaign, we wanted to showcase the variety of offerings each of our prime time shows has for our national audience and these videos do an excellent job of doing so.
“A huge thanks to Aidan Dowling and Una Herlihy in the Indie List for crafting the creative concept, Gavin Kelly and Emily Brady in Piranha Bar for the bringing the creative concept to life via vibrant animation and of course to our show teams for going through hours of audio files to highlight key moments of their respective shows that best show off their unique personalities.”

Una Herlihy, Co-founder of The Indie List said: “We are incredibly proud to have collaborated with such an exciting national brand like Today FM on this campaign. Roisin Reilly and Stephen Gorman were deeply involved in every step of the creative process which made it a very rewarding experience.
“The collaboration with the brilliant creative and production talents of Aidan Dowling, Gavin Kelly, and Emily Brady brought the vision to life seamlessly. The entire process was a joy – and a lot of fun – from start to finish.”
Emily Brady, Head of Production at Piranha Bar said: “We had a blast in Piranha Bar working with creative Aidan Dowling, the wonderful Una Herlihy and our old friends Today FM. It was lots of fun visualizing the controlled chaos and absurd anarchy from five of the station’s top presenters.
“We translated the on-air banter into crazy collaged visuals featuring butt-shaped fruit, dancing toothbrushes, a pyjama-suited horse from the seventies and a crazed demon in a hatchback to pick just a few. Hopefully people will find the visuals as entertaining as the Today FM shows which spawned them.”

Creative Director Aidan Dowling and The Indie List developed the creative concept while Piranha Bar produced the animated suite of ads and Mindshare managed media planning and buying.
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Bauer has launched its biggest ever search for new talent across Red FM, 98FM and the Spin stations.
‘On-Air – The Next Radio Star’ is a big effort by the group to increase diversity and representation across its music and entertainment stations.
The stations hosted open days locally to find the next round of talent.
98FM & SPIN1038 hosted an open day in Dublin’s Dundrum Town Centre, Red FM hosted one at the Mahon Point Shopping Centre, whilst SPIN Southwest’s was at Crescent Shopping Centre.
The individual stations have all chosen their six new interim presenters, who will host programmes on-air over the coming months.
The project is co-funded by Coimisiún na Meán under the Sound and Vision Scheme.
SPIN Southwest On-Air Group (L – R : Vanessa Rosa, Godswill Jonas, Sarah Mc Ternan, Tadgh Kennedy, Dara O Cinneide, Jack Lyons)
SPIN1038 On-Air Final Group Shot 1 (L-R: Nicola Ní Dháibhí, Ashley Makombe, Chloe King, Jade Buttle, Sean Carey, Thammy Gough)
98FM On-Air Final Group Shot Photo (L-R: Michaela Lopes, Emily McEvoy, Cian Griffin, Nathalie Lennon, Donna Lyons, Thabile Hlongwane)
Red FM – Eimear Hallihan, John Paul Peyton, Avril Murphy, Kestine Ugbodu, Sophie Kirby and Storm Keating […]