Ocean FM Radio, a consortium which is bidding for the radio franchise in Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal, should apologise to the listeners of North West Radio, said Connacht-Ulster MEP Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon.
Ms Scallon said she was horrified by some of the comments and conclusions in the consortium's submission for the franchise. In its submission Ocean FM had dubbed listeners of NWR as "old, lacking aspiration, conservative, retired, unemployed and coming from a lower social class".
"On what scientific grounds could they infer a relationship between listening to country music and coming from a lower social class," said Ms Scallon. "I would be very interested to know what parameters were used for their study."
Ocean FM Radio, one of three applicants for the renewal of a local radio franchise held for the past 14 years by North West Radio, commissioned Interactions Market Research Ltd, to carry out over 300 face-to-face interviews in Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal to inform its submission.
"The broadcasting commission requires a very specific format for all its applications," said businessman Mr Tim Collins, a member of the Ocean consortium. "The research results were reproduced faithfully in the submission by the market research company we employed.
"Interactions is one of the leading radio market research companies in the country and, whilst we stand over their survey, we are naturally upset by the furore it has caused. The fact that the predominant coverage of the controversy has been by a local newspaper which is a shareholder in North West Radio, in my opinion, begs certain questions," he said.
"I am certain that the members of this consortium are very decent people and are probably embarrassed by aspects of the submission," said Ms Scallon.