RTÉ has defended its decision to cease its medium wave (MW) radio transmission service on RTÉ Radio 1 from March, despite claims that this will have "real social consequences" for many rural, maritime and elderly listeners.
Announcing that it plans to close the service, which costs some €1.5 million a year to run, the State broadcaster said the technology offers "poor value for money, (and) is environmentally unsound and out of date, with poor quality reception and audio."
It added that more than 90 per cent of Radio 1 listening is currently done through FM, and that it has previously revealed in its strategic plan that it was considering the move.
However, Fine Gael's spokesman on communications, Simon Coveney TD, said he objected to the manner in which RTÉ had announced the cessation.
"You don't do it by just announcing that it's happening . . . I don't think it's good enough," he said. "One in 10 people listening to radio listen to medium wave.
RTÉ plans to launch a public information campaign in relation to the planned cessation of its MW service from next Friday.
This will include announcements, newsletters and press releases for listeners, representative bodies and "stakeholder groups" and an information number for assistance with tuning into FM.
It says it is in discussions with a number of charities about the introduction of a voucher scheme providing half-price FM/LW radios for those most in need.
According to the broadcaster, once the MW transmission service is switched off on March 24th, MW audiences can continue to listen to the same RTÉ Radio 1 programmes on FM.
It says those listeners who tune into MW specifically for additional RTÉ Radio 1 programming will find those programmes on LW 252, as well as several digital platforms.