Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

The release of the latest JNLR figures in Ireland highlighted the strength of regional radio stations. As technology improves and related costs fall, we will see an increase in local and relevant content throughout traditional media.

City Channel has received permission from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to offer its services in Galway and Waterford, following the launch of its Dublin service last year. Given the performance of regional radio stations, if the company can find the right editorial mix in each region we could see a similar growth in popularity of regional television.

One of the major barriers City Channel faces though is that it is only available to NTL and MMD platforms. While this is more of a barrier in Dublin than in regional areas, given the increased competition in the sector, City Channel is reliant on the popularity of NTL.

What will be interesting to watch is the transition of local media to the Internet. Bernie Goldbach has an interesting post on the matter and it’s a trend which I think could possibly triumph over City Channel’s strategy in the long term. Obviously there are a number of factors which would prevent this from happening in the short term such as lack of broadband access in many rural areas.

A move similar to ABC’s request for videos shot by the public for inclusion on their news programs would be an interesting way for traditional local media to leverage their existing relationship with their customers and move into the online world. This is especially relevant when you consider City Channel’s current strategy which revolves around selling cheap advertising to local businesses and churning out fifteen minute filler programming.

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