Radio and Television Act, 1988
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Determination of applications for award of sound broadcasting contracts. |
6.—(1) The Commission shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, consider every application for a sound broadcasting contract received by it pursuant to a notice under section 5 (5) for the purpose of determining the most suitable applicant, if any, to be awarded a sound broadcasting contract. | |
(2) In the consideration of applications received by it and in determining the most suitable applicant to be awarded a sound broadcasting contract, the Commission shall have regard to— | ||
(a) the character of the applicant or, if the applicant is a body corporate, the character of the body and its directors, manager, secretary or other similar officer and its members and the persons entitled to the beneficial ownership of its shares; | ||
(b) the adequacy of the expertise and experience and of the financial resources that will be available to each applicant and the extent to which the application accords with good economic principles; | ||
(c) the quality, range and type of the programmes proposed to be provided by each applicant or, if there is only one applicant, by that applicant; | ||
(d) the quantity, quality, range and type of programmes in the Irish language and the extent of programmes relating to Irish culture proposed to be provided; | ||
(e) the extent to which the applicant will create within the proposed sound broadcasting service new opportunities for Irish talent in music, drama and entertainment; | ||
(f) the desirability of having a diversity of services in the area specified in the notice under section 5 (5) catering for a wide range of tastes including those of minority interests; | ||
(g) the desirability of allowing any person, or group of persons, to have control of, or substantial interests in, an undue number of sound broadcasting services in respect of which a sound broadcasting contract has been awarded under this Act; | ||
(h) the desirability of allowing any person, or group of persons, to have control of, or substantial interests in, an undue amount of the communications media in the area specified in the notice under section 5 (5); | ||
(i) the extent to which the service proposed— | ||
(i) serves recognisably local communities and is supported by the various interests in the Community, or | ||
(ii) serves communities of interest, and | ||
(j) any other matters which the Commission considers to be necessary to secure the orderly development of sound broadcasting services. | ||
(3) In considering the suitability of any applicant for the award of a sound broadcasting contract to provide a sound broadcasting service in respect of an area which includes a Gaeltacht area, the Commission shall have particular regard to the preservation as a spoken language of the Irish language. |