LABOUR Party councillor Conor Sheehan has said that RTE management must not be allowed use the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to close Lyric FM in Limerick.
“I was shocked to read in last week’s Limerick Post that RTE Chairwoman Moya Doherty wrote to Communications Minister Richard Burton warning him that deferring a decision on the closure of Lyric FM could cause further problems for the national broadcaster,” the City North representative said this week.
“My fear is that RTE management who were all set to close Lyric until the backlash forced them to back off, will try and use the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to close the Limerick studio and downgrade Lyric to a zombie jukebox radio station.”
“Lyric cannot become collateral damage and I am now calling on the Minister to guarantee the future of Lyric in Limerick until the Commission on how to best deliver and fund public service broadcasting reports.
“If the Covid-19 crisis has taught us anything, its the value of a cultural resource like Lyric FM that serves as a lifeline for many people who are self-isolating and cocooning. I am also calling on the four newly elected TDs to pledge their support to keep Lyric in Limerick.”
“Lyric staff are working extremely hard in very challenging circumstances to bring listeners quality content and Moya Doherty and the RTE board’s letter to Minister Bruton is an insult to them,” he concluded.
