The chief executive of Scottish Radio Holdings, the company lining up a £47.5m buyout of Today FM, says Ireland must change its 1950s attitude to media ownership.
Richard Findlay's comments come as he tries to put pressure on the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) to change its rules, which currently allow existing media companies to own only a 27% stake in another media group.
The IRTC is expected to announce a change in its policy at the end of September.
Leading figures in the independent radio sector believe that the IRTC must at least bring policy in line with the exception it made which allowed UTV to purchase 60% of County Media in Cork.
But SRH's Findlay told OnBusiness it would be a 'head in the sand' mentality to believe that allowing 60% ownership was any different from full control. He also said Irish rules on media ownership were out of step with the rest of the world.
SRH owns a number of Irish newspapers including Ireland on Sunday and the Kilkenny People, but Findlay would not comment on whether the company would be prepared to dispose of these to make its move on Today FM more palatable.
