A number of factors can be seen as responsible for this - the lack of an appropriate legal framework until 1988 (though there were discussions of the possibilities of educational broadcasting as far back as the 1970s), the fact that the initial round of licensing concentrated on broad-based, and generally explicitly commercial, stations.

In contrast, the launch of the Radio Society coincided with the start of Michael D. Higgins' tenure as Minister with responsibility for broadcasting.

The Radio Society responded, and later that year the IRTC advertised for applications to operate a student-based station in either Dublin, Cork, Limerick or Galway.

Brief Description of Programme Service:[7] Flirt FM will [continue to] serve primarily the 25,000 strong student populations of Galway city and its immediate environs.

We aim to provide Galway students with an entertaining, topical engaging and informative alternative to mainstream commercial radio.

This has been supplemented by additional part-time employees in recent years, leading up to the creation of a full-time production manager role in 2007.