LOCAL radio stations want approval from the Independent Radio and Television Commission for a national radio news service for the State's 21 local stations.
The service is already recruiting and will use journalists working in local stations with its own staff to offer a national and international news service.
Talks with the IRTC open next week and it is hoped that the IRTC will approve the service, Independent National News, at its March meeting.
INN's managing director will be Mr Andrew Hanlon, who was head of Ireland Radio News, the service 98 FM sold to the local stations. The chairman of the new service is Mr Joe Yerkes.
Both 98 FM's service and that offered by FM 104, the other Dublin station, will cease, as both are committed to take the new service if approved.
INN will be funded from several 30-second advertising spots just before the national news on all local stations. The advertising will be national advertising, that can be distributed with the news service via satellite to the whole State at the same time.
Meanwhile, the Association of Independent Radio Stations has commissioned research into local radio listening. Conducted by Lansdowne Market Research, it showed radio had the highest share of media consumption, at 48 per cent compared to TV, with 41 per cent.
Those sampled showed that local news was the most popular item on local radio, with 60 per cent saying they had listened to it over the previous week. Music came next, with 37 per cent, followed by local death notices at 16 per cent.
Yesterday was the deadline for applications for the Limerick licence. This was withdrawn from Radio Limerick by the IRTC, a withdrawal upheld by the Supreme Court. The last application received was from the staff of Radio Limerick seeking to establish a co-op to run a station. It had to be brought to Dublin by helicopter to beat the 5 p.m. deadline for applications.