RTE News - Ireland

There was an excellent special report this evening from RTE's Europe Correspondent Paul Cunningham about the 20th Anniversary of The War in Sarajevo. It was covering the arrests of the two masterminds Radovan Karadic and Ratko Moladic. It also showed a clip of an old war mine which is now used as a tourist attraction.

There was also a Serbian woman who fled to Ireland during the Conflict which gives a interesting account of how Sarajevo in her opinion how it reclaimed itself.

Here is the link to the video report here: http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2012/0404/media-3248451.html#

Indeed, apparently they now intend to cover UK affairs from Dublin and Belfast which really isn't good enough. I wonder what will happen to Brian O'Connell, he might remain London Editor but without any support staff or facilities or else be moved back to Ireland. I once saw him present the RTÉ One O'Clock News while he was London Editor - that was well over a decade ago, though and I have no idea why it happened in that instance.

Meanwhile bigger changes at RTÉ News, Head of News and Current Affairs Ed Mulhall has retired and the Prime Time Investigates strand has been cancelled, though no doubt it will resurface with a new name at some point.

The BAI had released a report earlier this evening which said that RTE has made a serious breach in creating the Mission to Prey programme by Prime Time Investigates.

RTE's Mission to Prey programme has now been deemed 'Not Fair' by the authority. The 34 page report has said that the programme had made serious breaches in Section 39 of the Broadcasting Act. The Report also said that RTE have made significant failures at the managerial and editorial controls. RTE will been fined a total of €200,000 for the breach.

The Reporter of Mission to Prey; Aoife Kavanagh has announced this evening that she has resigned from RTE and has apologised to Fr Kevin Reynolds. She said she acted in good faith while in the making of the programme.

Article Link: http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0504/rte-bai.html

BAI (Anna Carragher) Report Link: http://www.bai.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/20120404_S53Report_vFin_SO.pdf

The Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has said that the RTE board is to give a detailed account of the steps it will take to address shortcomings in the BAI Investigation within a week. A quarterly report also needs to be submitted on the issues raised by the BAI.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0508/the-minister-for-communications-to-meet-rte-board.html

He also said that the members of The RTE Board should not resign in light of the investigation.

The chairman of the board Mr. Tom Savage has said this morning that another internal investigation will be set up by RTE which wiil be headed by a new editorial and output committee.

A statement by the RTE Board was given this evening and can be accessed here with this link. http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0508/rtestatement.pdf

Anyway, Moving on to other things.

Saturday's Six-one News was presented by Ray Kennedy for a change even though I seen present that bulletin for only a second time. The opening music on my TV was brilliant I have to say.

Oh BTW, does anyone here use a RTE News Player on the RTE website. It shows all the news bulletins as well as the current affairs. Does anyone know does that work outside of Ireland? I know the RTE player itself which show the other programme is does not work outside of Ireland.

http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2012/0508/6news.html#

The RTE Player does work outside of Ireland, it is a special international version. This includes all the usual RTE News bulletins, and current affairs output plus The Late Late Show, Craig Doyle Live, Shortscreen, Storyland, Kitchen Hero, Super Garden and plenty of other material, including a lot of the current TV50 stuff

But yes, the RTE News player also works outside of the Republic.

Just a reminder that the results for the referendum on the Fiscal Compact Treaty will begin on Friday 1st June at 10am on RTE One. The coverage will be presented by Brian Dobson and Miriam O'Callaghan.

There is a website already set up by RTE to provide coverage in the lead up to the referendum.

http://www.rte.ie/news/fiscal-treaty.html

RTE got in trouble yesterday after the logo on the TV3 microphone, reporting on Jedward's homecoming from the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan; got accidently airbrushed while being aired on Sunday's 9 O'Clock News.

The newsreader for the bulletin was Aengus Mac Grianna. The airbrushing was done by someone in RTE who was a non editorial member of staff that was not instructed to do such a thing.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0529/1224316867715.html

Even the smallest of troubles can get RTE in hot water. It is just unbearable to watch.

It must be a tough time for everyone on RTÉ at the moment. Ive heard reports that the morale is on the floor at the minute. There would have been no attention paid to this minor slip by RTÉ a couple of years ago but everything they do at the minute is under the magnifying glass. Apart from 2 mistakes I thing the output is fantastic by RTÉ and presentationally it is superb on the news, Prime Time, The Frontline and other programmes.

Indeed you have to remember that their only English language domestic rivals do not do any news between 6:00pm (before most people have arrived home from work) and 11:00pm (after most people have gone to bed). And apparently nothing happens in Ireland between 6:00pm on Friday and 7:00am on Monday morning...

Not strictly true, they do have a short update on Saturdays and Sundays, but it's only one update a day, compared to RTE having three bulletins on both Saturdays and Sundays.

rdd's point is right though. TV3 aren't even bothering doing any extra coverage for the referendum. All we'll get is a report and possibly an interview in their half an hour news bulletin at 5:30 that contains to 5 minute commercial breaks in the half hour. TV3's news coverage is far inferior to that offered by RTÉ

The set for RTE's Referendum coverage today had a great effortless look to it I have to say. The set (which was a mix of blue and yellow) I felt had the best design out of all the different sets that were used so far. The music and some of the graphics for the coverage was the same as in other major election/Presidential or Referendum.

Here are three examples of some of the graphics (not including the set) that were used by RTE today.

http://s3.jrnl.ie/media/2012/06/returning-officer-speech.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRlwm19EvO7Pie7vDrH-Wqfuv9m4KOsAjQfMUI_mDouXlo3xfdNFA

http://s0.jrnl.ie/media/2012/06/Little-Brothers-and-Big-brothers1.png