Two Irish radio stations breached contract on programming

The Irish Times reports that two radio stations, Today FM and Newstalk, have been notified of serious breaches of contract after they introduced programming changes without prior approval by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI). Both stations are owned by the same company, Communicorp.

Last November, it emerged that Today FM and Newstalk were to combine some of their resources by “pooling” the services of reporters in the two newsrooms. The BCI, which had been opposed to the idea of merging the newsrooms, then sought detail of the plan, to assess it against the stations’ commitments in their original contracts.

It is understood that Communicorp, in a submission to the BCI, then sought approval for dropping some Newstalk programmes and some sharing of news arrangements. As these changes had been introduced without prior approval from the commission, both Newstalk and Today FM were notified of serious breaches of contract.

• Read the full story in the Irish Times