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U2 manager beats Geldof to new regional radio licence
Posted on Tuesday, April 30 @ 05:47:12 CEST by Macphisto
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(Irish Independent) -- MULTIMILLIONAIRE Paul McGuinness, manager of rock band U2, was last night successful in his bid for the new radio licence for the south-east.
Beat 101, a consortium headed by Mr McGuinness and WLR (Waterford Local Radio) fm, saw off competition from Power FM, backed by Bob Geldof, Scandinavian Broadcasting and Barbara Nugent of the Sunday Business Post.
The new regional radio station will be aimed at the 15-24-year-old age group and will be primarily music-based with a small proportion of news and current affairs.
It is hoped that the station, which will be based in Waterford, will be up and running by summer 2003.
Nicky Fewer, chairperson of Strategy South East, the new body seeking to foster a united approach to securing growth across the region, welcomed the decision by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to award a regional radio licence to a youth-oriented station.
Mr Fewer believes the Commission's decision will foster a greater sense of "regional identity" among the young people it will target. "While current affairs and news will not be a major element of this new station's output, it will act as a unifying force among the region's 15 to 24-year-olds in particular," said Mr Fewer.
"If this age group begins to think along more regional lines, this has to contribute to a greater level of regional unity. It is more difficult to imagine a regional radio station succeeding if it catered solely for those aged 25 and over," he said.
Other shareholders in Beat 101 include Trevor Bowen, Redmond O'Donoghue of WLR fm, Vince Power of People Newspapers and John Purcell Communications, Kilkenny.
Sarah Murphy
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