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Newstalk Radio lodges EC complaint against RTE licence fee use printable version
13 Aug 2014 filed by editor - General Newstalk radio station has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission in which it claims the payment of TV licence fees to RTE is not compatible with European Union rules on state aid and argues that the payment of the fees to RTE is illegal.
In its complaint, Newstalk alleges that RTE consistently uses licence fee income in a manner contrary to the terms approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules.
Newstalk chief executive Gerard Whelan said: "It is both discriminatory and anti-competitive that RTE, which is funded by a national licence fee, can refuse advertising based on self-drafted guidelines.
"Commercial stations in Ireland do not receive any funding from the State and therefore RTE should not be allowed to abuse its position by refusing to accept revenue from Newstalk and other stations."
His comments followed RTE’s refusal earlier this year to screen an advertisement promoting the independent radio station which he said contravened its public sector broadcasting remit.
The station, owned by Communicorp, argued that the decision not to accept the 'Move the Dial' advertisement was "motivated solely by its determination to curb the listenership of a competitor".
"The national oversight mechanisms are not sufficient to ensure RTE’s respects market principals and their predatory pricing cannot be justified.
Newstalk intends to fight this abuse of a dominant position and will ensure that the European Commission is aware of RTE’s activities."
In 2012, RTE received up to €181m from licence fees and another €146m from additional advertising revenue.
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