Beat is delighted to announce Ours to Protect - a unique and exciting multiplatform project aimed at raising awareness of climate action across the South East of Ireland and beyond.
Beat, along with local and regional broadcasters from across the country have come together to create audio-visual content aimed squarely at tackling climate change, championing climate action, and informing and educating audiences all over Ireland about how they can make a difference.
Led by the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI), Ours to Protect will see 23 local and regional radio stations broadcast over 1,200 new and unique programmes over a year - all devoted to climate change and climate action. Programmes will air from the 5th of June 2023 and run until the end of May 2024.
This unique radio partnership between stations recognises the need for and importance of programmes that explore the reality of climate change for Irish audiences.
Local Independent radio stations are a trusted news source in Ireland and know that audiences rely on them to provide transparent, factual and honest reporting. The IBI believe that these programmes will help improve the climate literacy of audiences, create awareness around climate change issues and encourage and enable active engagement in climate action at a local level.
Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee, this is the largest-ever radio project funded under the Sound & Vision scheme. It represents a great belief in the trusted power of local radio to give accurate and factual information. It follows from previous projects such as the Irish Music Month IBI Hot Press initiative.
Each station will create bespoke programming every week and feature local community, voluntary, NGO and state organisation representatives discussing topics such as the climate impact of energy, travel, food, waste, the circular economy, and biodiversity, to name a few. In addition, local initiatives will be highlighted, and each radio station will explore the contributions being made to tackle climate change in their franchise areas.
Commenting ahead of the first batch of content, Beat CEO Gabrielle Cummins said that taking on such a substantial series “is a testament to Beat’s awareness of our role in communicating the complicated nature of the climate emergency in a relatable manner.”
She continued: “Our first 30-minute episode covers serious topics such as carbon footprint calculation and carbon neutral infrastructure. We’re under no illusion that this is a massive undertaking though one we feel is necessary not just to educate but also to inspire our younger listeners into taking climate action.”
This series will also see the creation of a new website for this project. This will house all the audio and resources created by each station and will be updated with further information and radio programmes weekly. It will provide a hub that will grow and develop with the project, a one-stop shop for audiences across the country to listen to and enjoy programming from all 23 stations.
