The problem is that the present FM signal is so weak, particularly in Northern Ireland, that many listeners rely on medium wave to receive the signal. If medium wave is abandoned, they are concerned that they will lose what is a valuable channel of communication.

There is no doubt that RTE radio - and television - provide another dimension for people in Northern Ireland, both nationalist and unionist. The station's documentaries and news programmes often explore issues and give perspectives which are of interest to people here.

Indeed, the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 made reference to the need for Irish television programmes to be made more widely available in Northern Ireland. UTV already transmits widely in the Republic but more action is needed to extend RTE television's reach to terrestrial viewers in Belfast and beyond.

As Trevor Ringland of the One Small Step campaign argues, many benefits would flow from giving people in Northern Ireland wider access to RTE broadcasts - radio and television. He says that a shared future means understanding and respecting other views and cultures - and RTE can inform people in the province about issues in the Republic which BBC or UTV may not cover.

Although RTE is discomfited by the negative publicity over the ending of medium wave radio transmissions, the company must be privately pleased that so many of its listeners are concerned. The station admits the move is related to cost-saving, but says it is carrying out a review to see if it can broaden the range of the FM signal.

This initiative, plus the fact that RTE Radio can be picked up on long wave, will be of some reassurance to listeners. But RTE's approach is decidedly hamfisted. Before any proposals were tabled to dispense with medium wave, the FM signal should have been strengthened.

Even so, there will still be concerns over the future of programmes such as sports commentaries and religious services, some of which are available only on the medium waveband. If RTE does phase out medium wave, it must ensure that as much of this coverage as possible is made available either on FM or long wave.

Whatever happens, RTE must not leave listeners in Northern Ireland in the lurch. The broadcaster should pay heed to the representations that have been made - and ensure that the RTE signal becomes stronger, not weaker.