Press Releases 2008
9th April 2008
BCI LAUNCHES 2008COMMUNITY RADIO SUPPORT SCHEME
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has today (April 9th) announced the launch of the 2008 Community Radio Support Scheme. The Scheme provides funding support for licensed community and community of interest radio stations to undertake evaluations that are designed to help overall performance and build capacity.
Since 1998, the BCI has been providing funding to community and community of interest radio stations to undertake both internal and external evaluations which can range from assessing key issues of organisational development to examining the relationship between a station and the community it serves.
The total fund for 2008 is €45,000, which will be made available through grants per station. A number of changes have been made to this year’s scheme in order to maximise the budget and extend its reach. Stations may only apply for a maximum of one evaluation and fixed funding limits for evaluations have not been set for this year’s Scheme. The application process will require greater preparation and planning on the part of stations and the timeframe for applying has been extended to accommodate this.
Commenting on the launch Michael O’Keeffe, Chief Executive, said: ‘The BCI is very pleased to continue its support of the community radio sector through the Community Radio Support Scheme. The scheme has made a significant contribution to the development of individual community stations and the community radio sector as a whole. We believe that the increased level of funds being provided in the current year will enhance the development of the sector even further.”
Community Radio Support Scheme 2008 brochures containing all information regarding the scheme as well as the application forms can be requested by emailing straynor@bci.ie , or can be downloaded from the BCI website, www.bci.ie.
Media Queries to:
Catherine Logan or Aoife Clabby
Q4 Public Relations BCI
01 4751444/086 8114785 01 6441200