Is youth radio gonna rock?

Will whoever wins the licenses have the good sense to try and reach out to young people?

Radio services for 15-34 year olds are to get a huge shot in the arm, given the decision by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) to award youth radio licenses to 4 regions across Ireland. However, will such a plentiful amount of youth radio dilute the current choice to ridiculous proportions and, more crucially, will they be any good?

At the moment, all eyes are on the Southwest and Northwest, as their licenses are the first up for the winning, and the Northeast will soon follow. Including local youth stations, the current regional youth station, Beat 102/103 and the “Big Two” national stations, 2FM and Today FM, by 2007 there will be a myriad of choice for youth radio.

As it stands, there are problems in the service that the nationals provide, 2FM coming in for particular criticism with their aging roster of presenters and the general sense of depression that seems to be plaguing the station, arguably since Ryan Tubridy left for Radio One.

At the moment, 2FM is not remotely fashionable, with Today FM pinching listeners on a daily basis and, with the proliferation of these new regional stations they’ll be in deep trouble.

Given the impending crisis they face, RTÉ have two choices: Either ditch their youth onus once and for all and focus on becoming Ireland’s version of BBC Radio 2, or make a severe shake-up in their schedule, introducing a fresh batch of new talent and forming an RTE Radio Three to cater to older listeners. Either way, the national broadcaster will be in a critical position in the next months…

As it seems 2FM have lost their way, the lucky radio concerns that win these licenses have a golden opportunity to produce a meaningful, informative, entertaining service to the youth of Ireland, in whatever region.

Hopefully they’ll do just that, but as ever there is a deep concern that those who win the licenses will squander their opportunity, that it will be just another insipid, lowest-common-denominator station that provides nothing in the line of musical diversity or stimulating current affairs. It’s bland, it’s cynical, and it certainly won’t work on a regional level.

But unfortunately, that is about as good as local youth radio gets; DJ’s who talk as if they’re in a Harvey Norman advert blasting out “tunes”. In these cases, it’s easy to tell when a youth station is being run by people who haven’t been young for a very long time, anticipating what the youth will want without having any real notion. Hopefully whoever wins the license will have the good sense to actually try and reach out to young people in the country, making an adequate gauge of what is actually going on instead of sticking to age-old stereotypes that are no longer relevant.

Also, in a climate where a great deal of music DJ’s sound very samey, with little in the line of personality or individuality, this is a great chance to take some new talent and create an open atmosphere, where programmes are character driven rather than a glorified CD on continuous play with the odd intervention.

At a time when truly compelling radio personalities are thin on the ground, such an approach would be a much-needed gust of fresh air on the radio landscape.

By the end of 2007 we’ll have a litany of stations, local, regional and national, vying for the ears of Ireland’s young people.

Let’s hope the creation of the three new regional stations will be a much-needed catalyst in the way radio is presented, run and even listened to, and not just another cynical business exercise, an excuse to produce more of the same while making a few bob into the bargain. And I reckon there are a few thousand young people in the country who’d agree with me on that…

By: Paddy Duffy

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