Heart FM, a new proposed radio station being funded by Mike and Noel Hogan that we first told you about here, gave an oral presentation on Monday to the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The Hogan brothers and Fergal Lawler are among a small group of investors who are competing to win a 10-year broadcasting license in Limerick.

In order to win approval for the station, the Heart FM backers will need to wrestle the city’s radio franchise away from the incumbent broadcaster, Live 95FM.

The Heart FM group told the BCI that if approved, the station would make a profit of €15-€20 million over 10 years. The station would also employ 36 full-time and 33 part-time staff, more than Live 95, and would open a new 5,000-sq ft office in downtown Limerick.

Live 95FM argued that it should be able to keep its existing license because of its strong track record, especially after being bought by UTV in 2002. (Coincidentally, Dolores’s brother P.J. O’Riordan was one of the previous owners of Live 95FM.)

The BCI will decide on January 22, 2007 which group will receive the new license.

You can check out some attractively designed proposal PDF documents at the BCI website. Of special interest to Cranberries fans are sections 3 and 4, which have short up-to-date biographies on Noel, Mike, and Fergal.

Sources: Irish Times, Irish Independent