The Irish Press and its owner Mr Eamon de Valera is among the groups who have expressed an interest in one of the four radio licences up for grabs for Dublin City and County.
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has received 61 expressions of interest after it sought applications for the provision of radio services in Dublin City and County; Dublin City and Part-County and two licences available for Dublin City (within the M50).
The largest interest expressed was for Dublin City and County area, with a total of 32 submissions.
TV3, Today FM and FM 104 are also among the well-known media organisations who have expressed an interest in the licences.
It is now seven years since the three Irish Press newspaper titles folded with debts of euro 26 million an a loss of some 600 jobs. But the parent company continues with a turnover of euro 1.3 million (for the nine months to end of last year) and a wages bill of euro 956,000.
If granted a licence the Irish Press is promising to provide "a popular music-based radio service supplemented by and mixed with talk elements of general interest and specific to Dublin".
2FM DJ Tony Fenton and Metro Eireann's editor Chinedu Onyejelum are also among those who have expressed an interest in a licence.
Mr Fenton is keen to provide "an up-tempo rock based music service playing music from the 60s to today" while Mr Onyejelum plans to offer "a unique blend of music, art, news and information for the rich multi-cultural make-up of Dublin".
The commission's chief executive, Mr Michael O'Keeffe, described the level of interest in the licences which were advertised in July as "phenomenal".
He added that there is a great diversity in the type of services proposed - which will make the commission's decision making "quite interesting" in the coming months.
A report on all expressions of interest received will be presented to the Board of the BCI in the coming months after which all expressions will be available for public inspection, either by appointment at the BCI's office at 2 — 5, Warrington Place, Dublin 2 or on its website, www.bci.ie.
