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(RTÉ) (;
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the
national broadcaster
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
headquartered in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
,
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
and
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. RTÉ also publishes a weekly listings and lifestyle magazine, the ''
RTÉ Guide
The ''RTÉ Guide'' is a television and radio listings magazine in Ireland published by RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd, a subsidiary of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
The magazine offers detailed programme listings for RTÉ channels, as w ...
''.
RTÉ is a statutory body, overseen by a board appointed by the
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
, with general management in the hands of the
Executive Board
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
, headed by the Director-General. RTÉ is regulated by the
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
. RTÉ is financed by
television licence fee
A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of Television broadcasting, television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or ...
and through
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
, with some of its services funded solely by advertising, while others are funded solely by the licence fee.
Radio Éireann, RTÉ's predecessor and at the time a section of the
Department of Posts and Telegraphs
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs ( ga, Aire Poist agus Telegrafa) was the holder of a position in the Government of Ireland (and, earlier, in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State). From 1924 until 1984 – when it was abolished ...
, was one of 23 founding organisations of the
European Broadcasting Union in 1950.
History
Establishment and name
Broadcasting in Ireland began in 1926 with
2RN in Dublin. From that date until June 1960 the broadcasting service (2RN, later Radio Éireann) operated as a section of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, and those working for the service were directly employed by the
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
and regarded as
civil servants.
RTÉ was established on 1 June 1960 (as ''Radio Éireann'') under the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960, the principal legislation under which it still operates. The existing Radio Éireann service was transferred to the new authority, which was also made responsible for the new television service (''Telefís Éireann''). The television service started broadcasting on 31 December 1961, from the
Kippure
Kippure () at , is the 56th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 72nd-highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Colli ...
transmitter site near
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
.
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
was the first Chairman of Radio Éireann, the first director-general was Edward Roth. The name of the authority was changed, at the suggestion of
Áine Ní Cheanainn, to ''Radio Telefís Éireann'' by the Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Act 1966, and both the radio and television services became known as RTÉ in that year.
Section 113 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 changed the name of the organisation from "Radio Telefís Éireann" to "
Raidió Teilifís Éireann", to reflect the current standard spelling of the name in Irish.
The "É" in RTÉ is incorrectly said as the English letter "E". "É" in Irish is pronounced like "ay". (Example:
NCI/CNÉ)
Broadcasting ban
Under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960 the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs of the day could direct RTÉ "not to broadcast any matter, or any matter of any particular class". In 1971 the first such directive was issued by
Gerry Collins, directing RTÉ not to broadcast "any matter that could be calculated to promote the aims or activities of any organisation which engages in, promotes, encourages or advocates the attaining of any particular objective by violent means". A year later Collins dismissed the entire RTÉ Authority over a report of an interview with
Seán Mac Stíofáin
Seán Mac Stíofáin (born John Edward Drayton Stephenson; 17 February 1928 – 18 May 2001) was an English-born chief of staff of the Provisional IRA, a position he held between 1969 and 1972.
Childhood
Although he used the Gaelicised ver ...
, the
chief of staff of the
Provisional IRA
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
. RTÉ reporter Kevin O'Kelly had reported, not broadcast, his taped interview with Mac Stiofáin. He was jailed briefly for contempt in a court case arising out of the interview when Mac Stiofáin was charged with IRA membership. O'Kelly refused to identify Mac Stiofáin's as the voice on his unbroadcast interview. The tape had been seized from his house by the
Garda Síochána (police).
In 1976, Section 31 was amended by
Conor Cruise O'Brien
Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...
as 1973-77 Minister for Posts & Telegraphs. He issued a new annually-based directive to the RTÉ authority, prohibiting the broadcast of interviews or reports of interviews with spokespersons for, or representatives of,
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...
, the
IRA
Ira or IRA may refer to:
*Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name
*Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name
*Iran, UNDP code IRA
Law
*Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
and other named organisations. RTÉ was also banned from broadcasting interviews or reports of interviews with spokespersons for any organisation banned in Northern Ireland under the
UK's
Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973
The Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which abolished the death penalty for murder in Northern Ireland, and established the Diplock courts in which terrorist offences were tried by ...
. The directives were reissued on an annual basis, up to January 1993.
During the late 1970s, RTÉ was accused of extending the censorship rules into a system of self-censorship. A small minority of programme-makers also emerged who approved of Section 31, particularly supporters of the
Workers' Party (formerly Sinn Féin the Workers' Party), including
Eoghan Harris
Eoghan Harris (born 13 March 1943) is an Irish journalist, columnist, director, and former politician. He has held posts in various and diverse political parties. He was a leading theoretician in the Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party of Ireland, p ...
, and Gerry Gregg who opposed that party's official policy. Opponents of censorship were portrayed as secret IRA sympathizers, including then reporter, later Irish President, Mary McAleese. She described the experience as, "the most difficult, the darkest, the worst time of my life".
The effect of the Section 31 ban was more severe than the
censorship provision introduced in 1988 in the United Kingdom. The UK ban prevented the direct speech of censored individuals. Broadcasters then used actors' voices to dub the recorded speech of censored persons. This was not permissible on RTÉ, which was prevented from broadcasting 'reports' of interviews. British broadcasters interpreted the term 'spokesperson' more loosely than RTÉ, which banned all Sinn Féin members whether or not they were speaking on behalf of the party. The BBC interviewed Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams as MP for West
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
on 1 October 1990, speaking on unemployment in his constituency. Larry O'Toole, then an ordinary Sinn Féin member, mentioned this in a letter to RTÉ Director of News Joe Mulhollend on 30 October 1990, after O'Toole was banned by RTÉ as a spokesperson for striking bakery workers. O'Toole then challenged the RTÉ ban in the High Court. In 1992–93, in ''O'Toole vs RTÉ'', RTÉ was found by the
High Court and
Supreme Court to have illegally and unconstitutionally extended the censorship ban to Sinn Féin members who were not speaking on behalf of Sinn Féin. The RTÉ ban did not affect UK stations broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland as, until 1988 at least, viewers in the Republic were still able to hear the voices of Sinn Féin representatives.
21st century
In 2004, RTÉ and the
Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources agreed that in future, RTÉ would operate under a Public Service Broadcasting Charter.
On 29 June 2005 the Minister appointed the members of a new RTÉ Authority, replacing the previous one appointed in June 2000. Fintan Drury, chairman of Platinum sports management, and also chairman of
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is an Irish gambling company founded in 1988. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK Ireland (UKI) and International. UKI operations ...
plc, was appointed chairman of RTÉ. The other members of the Authority are Maria Killian, Patricia King, Ian Malcolm, Patrick Marron, Una Ní Chonaire, Emer Finnan, Stephen O'Byrnes and Joe O'Brien. The new Authority would hold office for not more than three years. On 11 January 2006, Fintan Drury resigned as chairman of RTÉ, citing a potential conflict of interest in his role as an advisor to the organisers of the
Ryder Cup golf tournament and as chairman of a broadcaster involved in a row over broadcasting rights. This occurred after Irish government proposals to add the tournament to the list of sports events which must be broadcast on free-to-air terrestrial television, to which
British Sky Broadcasting
Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
, the rights holders, were objecting. On 22 February 2006,
Mary Finan
Mary Finan (born 2 August 1944) is an Irish businesswoman who worked in public relations. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and served as the last chair of the RTÉ Authority.
Life
Finan was born o ...
was appointed Chairperson of the RTÉ Authority.
In September 2006, the Government published the proposed text of th
Broadcasting Bill 2006 It proposed that RTÉ and TG4 would become separate
companies limited by guarantee
In British, Australian, Bermudian, Hong Kong and Irish company law (and previously New Zealand), a company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of corporation used primarily (but not exclusively) for non-profit organisations that require legal pe ...
, with the Minister as sole member of both companies (CLGs do not have shareholders). RTÉ would be legally obliged to agree a charter every five years and publish a statement of commitments every year, and be under the jurisdiction of the proposed
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
. The bill was delayed, but was finally introduced into Dáil Éireann on 14 April 2008. The Broadcasting Act 2009 retains RTÉ as a statutory corporation, but renamed the RTÉ Authority as the RTÉ Board and made changes to the way it is appointed. It also renamed the corporation ''Raidió Teilifís Éireann''. with the ''
Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' noting that this thereby fixed a "spelling error that lasted 40 years". In the meantime, the ''Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2007'' awarded RTÉ control of one multiplex for
digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial television in which land-based (terrestrial) television stations broadcast television content by radio waves to televisions in consumers' ...
and giving it responsibilities in relation to broadcasting outside the state. In line with this, RTÉ and the government were currently in discussions with regard to a new channel proposed for to launch outside the Republic, which initially had the working titles of ''Diaspora TV'', and later
RTÉ International
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
. In April 2007,
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
became an independent statutory corporation, having previously been a
wholly owned subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of RTÉ since its inception. RTÉ continues to contribute programmes to the channel, including
Nuacht TG4
''Nuacht TG4'' (; Irish for ''TG4 News'') is a daily half-hour Irish TV news programme. It is broadcast on weekday evenings at 7pm, live from the studios of TG4 in Baile na hAbhann, County Galway. A shortened edition of the programme is broadc ...
.
In July 2007, RTÉ began participating in a HD trial in Dublin, showing programmes such as
Planet Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...
and
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...
matches. RTÉ announced its plan to launch two further television channels; one general entertainment channel – ''
RTÉ Three'' (working name) – and a timeshift service for
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
– ''RTÉ One +1'' (working name).
On 24 February 2009 the Minister for Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources, appointed the members of a new RTÉ Authority, replacing the previous one appointed in June 2006.
Tom Savage of the Communications Clinic was appointed chairman of RTÉ. The other members of the Authority were Patricia Quinn,
Karlin Lillington, Fergus Armstrong,
Alan Gilsenan
Alan Gilsenan is an Irish writer, filmmaker and theatre director.
His most recent work include the cinema documentary ''Meetings with Ivor'', the feature film ''Unless'', based on a novel by Carol Shields and ''The Meeting,'' which he wrote and ...
, Seán O'Sullivan, Emer Finnan. Cathal Goan then Director General, RTÉ as an ex-officio member of the Authority. The new Authority held office for not more than six months, due to changes planned under the
Broadcasting Act 2009 which became law on 12 July 2009, dissolving the authority, and replacing it with an RTÉ Board. Under Section 179 (3) of the Act, any person who was a member of the Authority when the Act was signed into law continues as a member of the Board until the end of their term of office on 24 August 2009. Unlike the RTÉ Authority, the RTÉ Board has not the self-regulatory function over RTÉ, as this was transferred to a newly appointed Broadcasting Authority of Ireland that replaces the
Broadcasting Commission of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
regulating commercial TV and radio. This helps assuage any concerns of the potential for bias that could be perceived under previous self-regulation by having a single regulator of public service and commercial Irish broadcasters into the future.
On 1 June 2009, the ''
Sunday Independent'' reported that RTÉ was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Such reports are denied by RTÉ, though the organisation acknowledges how under the current financial structure there is "serious financial difficulty" and a review of its financial procedures is underway and to be completed by 2010. On 11 June 2009 the Director General of RTÉ
Cathal Goan
Cathal Séamus Goan (born 5 May 1954) was Director-General of RTÉ from 2003 to 2011. He also played a leading role in the launch of TG4.
Goan was born in Ardoyne, Belfast. He is an Irish language speaker. He studied Celtic studies at Universit ...
reported to the
Oireachtas that RTÉ was not bankrupt and that it would break even by year end On 3 July 2009, the RTÉ 2008 Annual Report was published. The organisation
broke even in 2008. On 29 September 2009, RTÉ revealed a proposal for the regeneration of its existing building estimated to cost €350 million. If approved, the project would see the gradual replacement over a 10- to 15-year period of most of the current 1960s and 1970s buildings on the Donnybrook site. The new building would accommodate the switch over to high-definition, additional channels and new studios. RTÉ has since received planning consent from Dublin City Council for an application for the redevelopment of the station's Donnybrook site.The proposal for redevelopment of the site was accepted by local councillors last November 2009.The next stage of the planning process involves all parties having an opportunity to lodge appeals with An Bord Pleanála over the coming four weeks (by May 2010). The proposal would also involve building a new entrance onto the N11 Stillorgan dual carriageway.
Noel Curran
Noel Curran (born 13 November 1967) is an Irish radio and television producer and journalist who has been the Director-General of the European Broadcasting Union since October 2017. He previously served as the Director-General of RTÉ (Ireland's ...
was appointed
Director-General of RTÉ
The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The current director-general is Dee Forbes, who replaced Noel Curran in the role in 2016.
Appointment and role
The RT ...
from 1 February 2011 on 9 November 2010 for five years, replacing
Cathal Goan
Cathal Séamus Goan (born 5 May 1954) was Director-General of RTÉ from 2003 to 2011. He also played a leading role in the launch of TG4.
Goan was born in Ardoyne, Belfast. He is an Irish language speaker. He studied Celtic studies at Universit ...
who had decided not to seek an extension to the seven-year term which ended at end of January 2011.
It was announced on 1 April 2016 that
Dee Forbes
Deirdre Anne "Dee" Forbes (born 1 February 1967) has been the Director-General of RTÉ since April 2016. She is the first woman to hold the role, and the first external appointment in almost 50 years. Prior to joining RTÉ, she was President & M ...
would be the new Director General.
In 2012, RTÉ broadcast advertisements on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
in a break with tradition.
On 19 September 2022, Ray Kennedy and Kate Egan presented RTÉ's coverage of the funeral of
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
from London.
Income and expenditure
Budget
The following figures were issued by RTÉ as part of their annual report in 2012. In 2012 RTÉ received in total €180,894,000 in public funding from the licence fee, it also received €127,100,000 in commercial revenue. RTÉ total expenditure in 2012 was €327,023,000. They had restructuring costs of €46,161,000 in 2012. Losses for the year came to €65,147,000.
Profit and Loss across radio, television and online services.
![Divisional Results by IBD for RTÉ 2008 Ireland Profit Loss](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Divisional_Results_by_IBD_for_RT%C3%89_2008_Ireland_Profit_Loss.png)
RTÉ receives income from two main sources:
* The television
licence fee
A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or in part by the licence f ...
. Within the State, it is necessary to pay a fee of €160 ''per annum'' to legally possess any piece of equipment capable of receiving television signals (not necessarily those of RTÉ). This money is collected by
An Post on behalf of the
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ( ga, An tAire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Tourism, Cult ...
. The state pays for TV Licence Inspectors who have the power to obtain and execute search warrants of private houses. Failure to possess a valid television licence can result in a fine and a criminal record.
* Commercial revenue including the sale of advertising and
sponsorship
Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...
. In the early 1990s Minister
Ray Burke imposed commercial revenue quotas to limit the amount of revenue that RTÉ could procure through advertising, in view of the corporation's licence fee income. While such quotas were later removed RTÉ Radio and Television is still limited to 6 minutes of advertising per hour. The commercial division owned 0.086% of the
Intelsat satellite firm, which it sold in 2005.
Even though commercial quotas have been removed, commercial revenue and the license fee each contribute roughly half of the organization's income. The licence fee does not fund
RTÉ 2fm
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...
,
RTÉ Aertel, ''
RTÉ Guide
The ''RTÉ Guide'' is a television and radio listings magazine in Ireland published by RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd, a subsidiary of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
The magazine offers detailed programme listings for RTÉ channels, as w ...
'' or the website
RTÉ.ie
RTÉ.ie is the brand name and home of Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ)'s online activities, located at the URL https://www.rte.ie/. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. According to RTÉ, it operates on an entirely com ...
,
however, each of these brands are indirectly funded by the licence fee through the use of content that is funded by the licence fee, such as News and Current Affairs.
Breakdown of the licence fee
RTÉ personality salaries
RTÉ's Director General in October 2009 said there was "no question that by today's standards" the salaries paid to its top presenters in 2008 "were excessive. I have to repeat that they were set at a different time in a different competitive reality where some of this talent might be up for poaching by other organisations and in RTÉ's view at the time, they delivered value for money ".
Fine Gael
Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil ...
said the high salaries were "rubbing salt in the wounds" for people who had lost their jobs or taken significant pay cuts. Labour criticised RTÉ for not releasing the data sooner and said "This information should be easily available and there should be no question of concealing it or making it in any way inaccessible ". Many of the highest-paid stars are not technically members of staff but are paid through separate companies, enabling them and the station to avoid paying tax on their salaries.
In January 2021, RTÉ published the list of salaries paid to its top 10 personalities in 2019:
#
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy (born 28 May 1973), nicknamed 'Tubs
' is an Irish broadcaster. He presents ''The Ryan Tubridy Show'' and '' The Late Late Show''.
Tubridy previously presented RTÉ 2fm breakfast radio show ''The Full Irish'', which at its end was ...
: €495,000
#
Ray D'Arcy: €450,000
#
Joe Duffy
Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on R ...
: €392,494
#
Marian Finucane
Marian Finucane ( ; 21 May 1950 – 2 January 2020) was an Irish broadcaster with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). She began working with the national broadcaster in 1974, starting as a continuity announcer. She was the first presenter of '' ...
: €358,013
#
Sean O'Rourke
Sean O'Rourke (born 22 May 1955) is an Irish journalist and broadcaster who works for the Irish public broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). From September 2013 until his retirement in May 2020, he presented the ''Today with Seán O'Ro ...
: €327,988
#
Miriam O'Callaghan
Miriam O'Callaghan (born 6 January 1960) is an Irish television current affairs presenter with RTÉ.
O'Callaghan has presented '' Prime Time'' since 1996, and her own summer talk show, ''Saturday Night with Miriam'', from 2005 onwards. In th ...
: €320,000
#
Claire Byrne
Claire Byrne (born 11 August 1975) is an Irish journalist and television presenter.
Byrne presented ''The Daily Show'' from September 2010 to March 2012. In 2013, she became an anchor on RTÉ's flagship current affairs programme ''Prime Time''. ...
: €250,000
#
Brendan O'Connor: €220,000
#
Bryan Dobson: €209,282
#
Mary Wilson: €196,961
Organisation
RTÉ Board and Executive Board
RTÉ is a statutory corporation. Under its original governance arrangements (under the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960) its board was known as the RTÉ Authority. The members of the RTÉ Authority were appointed by the Cabinet upon the recommendation of the
Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The RTÉ Authority was both the legal owner of RTÉ (under the 1960 Act, it ''was'' RTÉ) and was also its regulator.
Under the
Broadcasting Act 2009, RTÉ's governance arrangements have changed. The statutory corporation form has been retained, but the new Act no longer refers to the board of RTÉ as an "Authority" and it is now simply known as the Board. Of the 12 members of the Board which replaced the RTÉ Authority, the Minister appoints six, the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Climate and Communications decides on four names to present to the Minister for appointment, one member is elected by the staff of RTÉ, and the Director General sits on the Board ''ex officio''. The final members of the RTÉ Authority were reappointed to the new Board in the interim. The provisions of the Act relating to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland were commenced on 1 October 2009 (under
Statutory Instrument 389 of 2009 of the
Broadcasting Act 2009), RTÉ is externally regulated by the
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
.
The RTÉ organisation is divided into six integrated business divisions (termed "IBDs" within RTÉ):
RTÉ Television
RTÉ Television is a department of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Republic of Ireland's state controlled national broadcaster. Its first channel was Teilifís Éireann, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. Since the 1960s, RT ...
,
RTÉ Radio
RTÉ Radio is a division of the Irish national broadcasting organisation Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Radio broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels nationwide.
Founded in January 1926 as 2RN, the first broadcaster in t ...
,
RTÉ News and Current Affairs
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
,
RTÉ Network,
RTÉ Digital and
RTÉ Orchestras Quartet & Choirs, together with Centrally Incurred Shared Services (Group Communications, Legal & Treasury, Central HR & IT Support, Group Insurance & Pension, Property and Site Facilities, ''RTÉ Guide'' Production, Publication & Advertising Sales) and a Corporate Headquarters. The Irish-language channel,
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
, was operated as a subsidiary of RTÉ (Serbhisí Telefís na Gaeilge Teoranta) prior to its separation from RTÉ on 1 April 2007.
The RTÉ Board appoints the
Director-General of RTÉ
The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The current director-general is Dee Forbes, who replaced Noel Curran in the role in 2016.
Appointment and role
The RT ...
who in effect fulfils the dual role of chief executive and of Editor in Chief. The Director-General heads the executive board of RTÉ, which comprises the company's top management and includes the chief financial officer, the Director of Communications and the managing directors of the television, radio, and news divisions.
Broadcasting
Radio
The first voice broadcast of
2RN, the original radio
callsign for Radio 1, took place on 14 November 1925 when Seamus Clandillon, the 2RN station director said, 'Seo Raidió 2RN, Baile Átha Cliath ag tástáil', Irish for 'This is Radio 2RN, Dublin calling'. Regular Irish radio-broadcasting began on 1 January 1926. Unfortunately, most Irish people could not receive 2RN's (1.5 kilowatt) signal. When faced with numerous complaints from Cork regarding the writers' inability to tune to the signal, Clandillon remarked in ''The Irish Radio Review'', a magazine dedicated to the service, that they did not know how to operate their sets. 6CK was established in
Cork in 1927; much of 6CK's output was simply a relay of the national service but it also had a significant input into the programmes of 2RN until it was closed down in the 1950s.
![Montrose Studios Donnybrook](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Montrose_Studios_Donnybrook.jpg)
A high-power (initially 60 kW) station was established in
Athlone, in 1932, to coincide with the staging of the
Eucharistic Congress. 2RN, 6CK and Athlone became known as "Radio Athlone" ( ga, Raidió Áth Luain, links=no) and were receivable across virtually the entire country. Radio Athlone became known as "Radio Éireann" in 1938.
Radio Éireann tried to satisfy all tastes on a single channel (with very limited programming hours). However, this resulted in a rather conservative programming policy. It was barely tolerated by most Irish listeners, and usually trounced (particularly on the east coast and along the Northern Ireland border) by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and later
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
. This did not really change until Radio Éireann became free of direct government control in the 1960s.
In 1973 the radio service moved from the GPO in the centre of Dublin, where it had been housed since 1928, into a new purpose-built
Radio Centre beside the existing
Television Centre on the Donnybrook campus.
![RTÉ clock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/RT%C3%89_clock.jpg)
Now, RTÉ has a nationwide communications network with an increasing emphasis on regional news-gathering and input. Broadcasting on
Radio 1 provides comprehensive coverage of news, current affairs, music, drama and variety features, agriculture, education, religion and sport, mostly in English but also some Irish.
RTÉ 2fm
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...
is a popular music and chat channel which commenced broadcasting as RTÉ Radio 2 on 31 May 1979, Brendan Balfe being the first voice to be heard on the station at midday when he introduced the first presenter, Larry Gogan.
RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ Lyric FM (stylised as RTÉ lyric fm) is an Irish classical-music and arts radio station, owned and operated by RTÉ. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on FM throughout Ireland (in some areas ...
serves the interests of classical music and the arts, coming on air in May 1999, and replacing FM3 Classical Music, which had catered for the same target audience and time-shared with
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (; "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is an Irish language radio station owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Inter ...
, an exclusively Irish language service, which first began broadcasting on Easter Sunday, 2 April 1972.
Formerly RTÉ operated
RTÉ Radio Cork (previously 'Cork 89FM' and 'RTÉ Cork Local Radio'), a local radio service in Cork, but this closed down in 2000.
A slightly adapted version of Radio 1 is broadcast as RTÉ Europe on
Eurobird
Eurobird was a series of satellites owned and operated by Eutelsat. The Eurobird satellites provided broadcasting and telecommunication services primarily to the Western and Central European region from orbital positions of 9, 25.5 and 33 degrees ...
; the main difference between this and the main FM feed is the inclusion of several programmes taken from RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. RTE Radio is available on the UK
Freesat
Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Digital UK. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Free ...
service.
DAB test broadcasts of RTÉ's four stations began on 1 January 2006, along the east coast of Ireland, also carrying the private
Today FM
Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a l ...
and
World Radio Network, to which RTÉ is a contributing broadcaster. DAB was launched to the public in late 2006, and now contains six RTÉ digital-only stations –
RTÉ 2XM
RTÉ 2XM is a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). RTÉ 2XM is a sister station to RTÉ 2fm and focuses on alternative and indie music. The station is available nationally on Saor ...
,
RTÉ Chill,
RTÉ Gold
RTÉ Gold is an Irish radio station broadcasting on Saorview, online, and Virgin Media. RTE Gold is also available on Eir TV (eirtv /eir vision) eir
Background
The station plays music from the 1950s to the 2000s.
Weekday programming has pre ...
,
RTÉ Junior,
RTÉ Pulse
RTÉ Pulse is an electronic dance music station from Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland's national broadcaster. It plays a varied mix of dance music, with a small number of shows covering RnB. It started broadcasting in April 2008, but ...
and
RTÉ Radio 1 Extra
RTÉ Radio 1 Extra is a digital radio station produced by the Irish public-service broadcasting service Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
History
Initially launched on 1 December 2008 as RTÉ Choice alongside five other new digital channels ...
– as well as the four terrestrial services. There were also two other DAB Services,
RTÉ Digital Radio News and
RTÉ Choice
RTÉ Choice was a digital radio station of the Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), made specifically for talk-radio. RTÉ realigned their digital radio services in 2013 and much of the content on RTÉ Choice b ...
, both of which have been shut down. RTÉ's radio stations are also carried on digital cable and satellite platforms in Ireland, as well as on
digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial television in which land-based (terrestrial) television stations broadcast television content by radio waves to televisions in consumers' ...
, and RTÉ Radio 1 has been carried on shortwave in
DRM
DRM may refer to:
Government, military and politics
* Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd
* Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar
* Direction du renseignement milita ...
during specific events, including the
All Ireland finals.
A survey carried out by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs showed that demand for an Irish-language radio station aimed at a younger audience than
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (; "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is an Irish language radio station owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Inter ...
was high. This means that RTÉ might have plans to launch such a radio station.
In August 2009, faced with falling audience listening figures, a media analyst, David Quinn, organiser of the religiously motivated
Iona Institute
The Iona Institute is a socially conservative, Christian, advocacy group, frequently described as a Catholic pressure group based in Ireland. Founded by columnist David Quinn, it was launched publicly in 2007.
Iona promotes conservative Christ ...
pressure group, advised that RTÉ has "alienated some of the audience it ought to be going after" and should "try to be more even-handed in its treatment of the issues of the day instead of pushing every PC cause going."
With the closure of Saor Raidió Chonamara ("Free Radio Connemara"), it showed the importance and it showed awareness for the Irish language. With this in mind, it forced RTÉ to agree to join with Raidió na Gaeltachta, which is still present today.
Television
In Ireland,
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
and
RTÉ2
RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel.
History
In the 1970s, the Iri ...
are RTÉ's flagship channels and are broadcast on
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
(Ireland's digital television system) along with,
RTÉ News Now
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
,
RTÉjr
RTÉjr is an Irish free-to-air children's television channel operated by state-owned broadcaster RTÉ. The channel mainly targets a demographic of 2- to 7-year-olds, but some cartoons for older children also air. The channel is part of RTÉ K ...
and timeshift services, RTÉ One +1, and RTÉ2+1. RTÉ Television also offers two further services: RTÉ Live, where viewers can watch RTÉ as it broadcasts live on the internet, using programming from both RTÉ One and RTÉ2 and
RTÉ Player
RTÉ Player is an on demand video service provided by Irish public media broadcaster RTÉ.
The service provides live and recorded RTÉ television programmes, and content exclusive to the player as well as content from other international broad ...
an on-demand video service. Both of these services are available on a national and international basis.
Timeline
=1920s
=
Ireland was one of the first countries in Europe to embrace the medium of radio, but was a relative latecomer to television. Unlike its European counterparts, the Government of Ireland did not use the medium of television until 31 December 1961. Countries such as the United Kingdom (1929), France (1935) and Italy (1954) embraced television long before Ireland. Prior to the launch of RTÉ as the national broadcaster, television services were available, though limited, from Northern Ireland through
BBC Northern Ireland (1955) and
UTV (1959) . The development of the
Divis
Divis (; ) is a hill and area of sprawling moorland north-west of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. With a height of 1,568 ft (478 m), it is the highest of the Belfast Hills. It is joined with the neighbouring Black Mountain, a ...
transmitter in Northern Ireland in July 1955 allowed overspill of these services into the Republic.
=1950s
=
In the late 1950s, a ''Television Committee'' was formed; its goal was to set up an Irish television service with as little financial support as possible from the government. It initially recommended setting up a service along the lines of
ITV, using five mountain tops as transmission sites, which were also equipped for
FM radio transmission. However, since
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...
was somewhat wary of television, nothing more of consequence was done until
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass (born John Francis Lemass; 15 July 1899 – 11 May 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966. He also served as Tánaiste from 1957 to 1959, 1951 to 1954 ...
succeeded him as
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
in 1959. A year later, Radio Éireann was converted from an arm of the
Department of Posts and Telegraphs
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs ( ga, Aire Poist agus Telegrafa) was the holder of a position in the Government of Ireland (and, earlier, in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State). From 1924 until 1984 – when it was abolished ...
into a
semi-state body and given responsibility for television.
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
was appointed as the new chairman. A site for a new
Television Production Centre had been found in 1959, and its construction started in October 1960.
=1960s
=
Telefís Éireann began broadcasting at 19:00 on New Year's Eve, 1961. The channel was launched with opening address by the then
President de Valera. There were other messages from
Cardinal d'Alton and Lemass; following this, a live concert was broadcast from the Gresham Hotel in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. The show, which was a countdown to the New Year, was hosted by Andrews, with appearances by tenor Patrick O'Hagan (father of
Johnny Logan), the
Artane Boys' Band and
Michael O'Hehir
Michael James Hehir (also known as Michael O'Hehir and ga, Mícheál Ó hEithir; 2 June 1920 – 24 November 1996) was an Irish hurling, football and horse racing commentator and journalist. Between 1938 and 1985 his enthusiasm and memor ...
. Television became an important force within Irish culture as it helped to explore topics often deemed controversial such as
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
and contraception. The development of entertainment show ''
The Late Late Show'', began in July 1962 and is still broadcasting today. Such programming helped to influence in the changing social structure of Ireland. Telefís Éireann began to explore children's television at this point producing the groundbreaking show
Wanderly Wagon
''Wanderly Wagon'' is an Irish children's television series which aired on RTÉ from Saturday 30 September 1967Hourihane, Anne Marie''Sunday Tribune'' 11 August 2002. until 1982.
Plot
''Wanderly Wagon'' followed human and puppet characters as t ...
which inspired a generation with characters like Judge and Mr Crow.
=1970s
=
In 1978, the Government of Ireland approved the launch of a second public service channel to be operated by RTÉ.
RTÉ2
RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel.
History
In the 1970s, the Iri ...
(later rebranded as Network 2 in 1988 and renamed RTÉ Two in 2004) had a public service remit providing Irish-language services, while also offering alternative services – mainly programming from the US and UK.
=1990s
=
During the 1990s similar to other European broadcasters RTÉ began to expand its services to provide regional variations. RTÉ developed its only major studio complex outside Dublin in
Cork.
RTÉ Cork
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
, opened in 1995 and became a huge success. It also became a large contributor to network output on both Radio One and RTÉ One. Also in 1995, RTÉ opened a regional broadcasting studio in Limerick for broadcasts in the Limerick area. In 1996, an Irish-language television service was launched
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
(previously Teilifís na Gaeilge) was launched from
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
. While RTÉ provided Irish-language services such as news bulletins (''Nuacht'') and the long-running documentary series ''Léargas''.
=2000s
=
RTÉ Television began to expand its output through the development of digital television. RTÉ Television services became widely available in Northern Ireland via terrestrial overspill or on
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
(coverage and inclusion on cable systems varies). Since 23 April 2002 (18 April 2005 in Northern Ireland) the channels have also been available via satellite on Sky; however, some sports programmes are blocked to Northern Ireland viewers due to rights issues that conflict with the UK.
In January 2007, RTÉ announced plans to launch a channel, with the working title of
RTÉ International
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
, which would offer programmes from RTÉ One and Two as well as TG4. however this service has still to materialise.
=2010s
=
On 26 May 2011, RTÉ television launched the public service
mux for digital terrestrial television known as
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
and
Saorsat. RTÉ also launched
RTÉ Two
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
HD,
RTÉjr
RTÉjr is an Irish free-to-air children's television channel operated by state-owned broadcaster RTÉ. The channel mainly targets a demographic of 2- to 7-year-olds, but some cartoons for older children also air. The channel is part of RTÉ K ...
,
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
+1 and
RTÉ News Now
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
on Saorview on the same day.
For the 50th anniversary of the start of RTÉ television
John Bowman produced a history of RTÉ Television titled: ''Window and Mirror. RTÉ Television: 1961–2011'', which was launched by
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
at the National Museum in Dublin on 23 November 2011.
At 10:00 am on 24 October 2012 all analogue television transmissions ended in Ireland, and RTÉ's television channels are now only available digitally on
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
, satellite, and cable. Also on 24 October 2012, for the first time RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2 were broadcast from transmitters within Northern Ireland on the UK
Freeview Freeview may refer to:
* Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia
* Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand
*Freeview (UK), ...
system.
In December 2014, RTÉ made
television advertising
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
history by airing the first-ever native HD advert in the UK and Ireland. The commercial was part of the
3 Mobile Christmas campaign. It was created by Dublin
creative agency
An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...
Boys & Girls and was delivered by global delivery specialists IMD.
News
![RTÉ Outside Broadcast Unit December 2009 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/RT%C3%89_Outside_Broadcast_Unit_December_2009_2.jpg)
''RTÉ News and Current Affairs'', or ''Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ'' in Irish, is a major division of Raidió Teilifís Éireann responsible for news programming on television, radio and online within Ireland. It is, by far, the largest and most popular news source in Ireland – with 77% of the Irish public regarding it as their main source of both Irish and international news.
It broadcasts in both the Irish and English languages, as well as
Irish Sign Language
Irish Sign Language (ISL, ga, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is ...
.
RTÉ News and Current Affairs provides a range of national and international news and current affairs programming in Ireland. The organisation is also a source of commentary on current affairs. RTÉ News is based at the RTÉ Television Complex at Montrose in
Donnybrook, Dublin
Donnybrook () is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It was once part of the Pemb ...
, Ireland. However, the station also operates regional bureaux across Ireland and the world.
RTÉ News faces competition from within Ireland and abroad. Within Ireland, competition is provided by
3News and
Nuacht TG4
''Nuacht TG4'' (; Irish for ''TG4 News'') is a daily half-hour Irish TV news programme. It is broadcast on weekday evenings at 7pm, live from the studios of TG4 in Baile na hAbhann, County Galway. A shortened edition of the programme is broadc ...
in the television sector and
Communicorp
Bauer Media Audio Ireland (formerly Communicorp Group) is a media holding company based in Ireland, owned by Bauer Media Group
Heinrich Bauer Publishing (german: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG), trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia ...
in the radio sector.
BBC Newsline and
UTV Live provide alternative news services from Northern Ireland, whilst global news channels are widely available, such as
Euronews,
CNN International
CNN International (CNNI, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel that is owned by CNN Global. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and inte ...
,
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
,
France 24
France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market.
Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Mo ...
,
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and m ...
,
BBC World News
BBC World News is an international English-language pay television network, operated under the ''BBC Global News Limited'' division of the BBC, which is a public corporation of the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and ...
and
Sky News among many others.
RTÉ News and Current Affairs produces over 1,000 hours of television programming and 2,000 hours of radio programming a year.
In the 1970s, Sinn Féin the Workers Party, (the political wing of the Official IRA), were said to have progressively infiltrated RTÉ's Current Affairs Department, through the Ned Stapleton Cumman, which was organised by
Eoghan Harris
Eoghan Harris (born 13 March 1943) is an Irish journalist, columnist, director, and former politician. He has held posts in various and diverse political parties. He was a leading theoretician in the Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party of Ireland, p ...
.
RTÉ's gaffe in January 2009 over the need for IMF intervention in the Republic was picked up by news wires. Bloomberg noted how German stocks fell sharply, while Reuters reported that the euro dipped by a cent against the dollar before it stabilised following a strong denial.
RTÉ's producers and researchers were accused by journalist
Kevin Myers
Kevin Myers (born 30 March 1947) is an English-born Irish journalist and writer. He has contributed to the ''Irish Independent'', the Irish edition of ''The Sunday Times'', and ''The Irish Times''s column "An Irishman's Diary".
Myers is kn ...
of imposing a liberal agenda, firstly on one another, and later on the airwaves, but without consciously intending to do so. RTÉ News has also been described by him as behaving like a press officer for public sector unions.
Sport
RTÉ is a major broadcaster of sports programming in Ireland.
Gaelic football,
hurling, football and rugby are all broadcast live on radio and television and increasingly online. The broadcaster also transmits live golf, boxing, athletics, horse-racing and show-jumping and other minority sports, usually when there is a significant Irish participant(s), or the event is in Ireland. The broadcaster has secured many events,
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscripti ...
which might otherwise become pay-per-view. They also have the broadcasting rights to broadcast the
FIFA World Cup 2022
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first Worl ...
.
Weather
Weather forecasts are provided at the end of most news on radio and television.
Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, whe ...
have been providing the forecasts since 1948 to Radio Éireann and from 1962 on television broadcasts.
Internet
The
URL is the brand name and home of RTÉ's online activities. The site began publishing on 26 May 1996. It operates on an entirely commercial basis, receiving none of the licence fee which funds much of RTÉ's activity. The site is funded by advertising and section sponsorship. , it is among the top 5,000 most visited websites globally, by
Alexa
Alexa may refer to: Technology
*Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon
* Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service
* Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera
People
* Alexa (name), a given name a ...
rankings and among the top 20 sites in Ireland, with certified impressions of almost 40 million per month and more than 1.5 million unique users. The most recent revamp of the website took place on 30 January 2007.
In recent years RTÉ has been expanding its web broadcasting capabilities. With improved access to online material and better methods of delivery, there is now a comprehensive range of services online. RTÉ streams all of its radio stations online, including digital, and there is a web-only TV channel,
RTÉ News Now
(RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...
as well as the availability to watch live programmes, subject to copyright.
RTÉ Player
On Tuesday 21 April 2009, RTÉ launched its on-demand service the
RTÉ Player
RTÉ Player is an on demand video service provided by Irish public media broadcaster RTÉ.
The service provides live and recorded RTÉ television programmes, and content exclusive to the player as well as content from other international broad ...
. The service allows broadband users in Ireland to view some of RTÉ's top rated homegrown (i.e.
RTÉ News, ''
The Late Late Show'') and international (i.e. ''
Home and Away'', ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...
'') TV series for free up to 21 days after its initial broadcast. A cut-down version is available outside Ireland.
RTÉ and Netflix
On Thursday, 13 September 2012: RTÉ Digital confirmed that it has signed a deal with
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
to host its programming. Episodes of RTÉ television dramas and comedies, including ''
The Clinic'', ''Trivia'', ''
Killinaskully
''Killinaskully'' is an Irish television comedy series which details the bizarre goings-on in a fictitious Irish village called Killinaskully located in the hills of Ireland. It was actually filmed on location in the villages of Killoscully an ...
'', and ''Mattie'', will be added to Netflix and available outside Ireland under a new deal between the broadcaster and the online subscription service.
Other activities
Digital
''RTÉ Digital'' division replaced the RTÉ Publishing division in 2012 and operates six media services
* – providing online news, sport, and entertainment services
* ''RTÉ Player/RTÉ Radio Player'' – on demand and live streams of all of RTÉ's national radio and TV networks
* ''RTÉ Aertel'' – teletext service which has news, sport, and programme support information
* ''RTÉ News App'' – live/catch-up news service, online and on mobile
* ''RTÉ Archives'' – central repository for all RTÉ broadcast (Television and Radio) and stills material collected and preserved by RTÉ
Areas of responsibility
*Sale of music copyright
*Maintenance of Television channel archives and news library
*Sale of library and archive material
*Maintenance of Radio channel archive and library
*Provision of RTÉ Aertel teletext services
*Provision of a range of free to public, public service web-based Online services
*Operation of the RTÉ Player to domestic and international audiences
*Sale of online banner advertising and sponsorship
*Sale of teletext advertising and sponsorship
*Commercial Telecoms revenue
*Incubation and development of new media technologies
*Administration of RTÉ Digital IBD
*Provision of additional opportunities to access RTÉ's public service news content via RTÉ News Now Online
Orchestras Quartet & Choirs
![RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/RT%C3%89_National_Symphony_Orchestra_Image.png)
''RTÉ Orchestras Quartet & Choirs'' supports two full-time orchestras—the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra—as well as the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir, and RTÉ Cór na nÓg. These groups perform regularly in the
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...
and
The Helix in Dublin. The five groups present over 250 events annually, including live performances and work in education. The RTÉ NSO and the RTÉ CO employ 134 professional musicians. The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and the children's choir RTÉ Cór na nÓg are for singers at an amateur level. Currently, approximately 200 adults and children are involved in the choirs.
* Performing Groups
**
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO; previously known as RTÉ Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra) is the largest professional orchestra in Ireland. Housed at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, since January 2022, it used ...
**
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full-time professional radio orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestr ...
**
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
**
RTÉ Cór na nÓg
**
RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet
Infrastructure
''
RTÉ Networks'' (branded as 2RN) is operated through a wholly owned subsidiary company,
RTÉ Network Transmission Limited, and provides transmission services for all of RTÉ's own channels and also for competing stations such as
TV3 Ireland
Virgin Media One, also called Virgin One, is an Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland (part of Liberty Global), operated through its subsidiary Virgin Media Television. The channel was known until 30 August 20 ...
,
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
and
Today FM
Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a l ...
.
Saorview
''Saorview'', founded by
2RN, is the name for the Irish FTA DTT. The service was launched as a trial service on 31 October 2010 to 90% of the population and it was officially launched on 26 May 2011. Set-top boxes for the service are available By legislation it must be available nationwide by December 2011. The service is free although a MPEG-4 DVB-T box and a UHF aerial will be needed although some newer TV sets have MPEG-4 DVB-T decoders built into the TV set which do not need a separate box. 2RN can provide for commercial DTT capacity on its network for any
pay TV service that can agree terms with it and the BAI. However that is likely until 2013 according to the BAI following on from a de-briefing exercise the BAI held with the three consortia involved in the 2008 failed license process. The BAI said "the Authority now considers that it will not be feasible to introduce commercial DTT as originally intended until after Analogue Switch Off (ASO) at the earliest. The position will be reviewed towards the end of 2011 and the Authority may seek expressions of interest in the provision of commercial DTT at that point. A competition could potentially be held during 2012 with a view to commercial DTT being operational in 2013." It continued "it is the considered view of the Authority that as part of the preparation for the successful launch of commercial DTT in the future, legislative change will be necessary to enable the Authority to have formal relationships with the applicants, as obtains at present, and with RTÉNL."
Analogue television transmission was ended on 24 October 2012 and Saorview became the primary source of Irish terrestrial television.
Saorsat
''
Saorsat'' is the proposed name for the
free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscripti ...
digital satellite television service in Ireland is expected that RTÉ will use a new satellite service to broadcast to homes in more remote areas of Ireland with the possibility of broadband provision by June 2011. On 14 July 2010 RTÉ NL outlined detailed plans for the
digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial television in which land-based (terrestrial) television stations broadcast television content by radio waves to televisions in consumers' ...
(DTT) infrastructure project and digital satellite television (DST) using
Ka narrowband, which will see the shut-down of the existing analogue system and launch of a domestic-only satellite service for the first time since establishment of RTÉ covering the area not possible due to terrain issues by DTT.
Library
Logo
In 1995, the logo dropped the Brigid's cross, and for the first time placed an accent () on the letter E. RTÉ also formal branded Network Two on screen as part of RTÉ until 1997, when the channel was once more re-branded on screen as N2. The three letters are a modern take on
Celtic scripting. The Brigid's cross was seen on many RTÉ One television idents until 2003 and remains on the
headed paper
A letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper (stationery). It consists of a name, address, logo or trademark, and sometimes a background pattern.
Overview
Many companies and individuals prefer to create a letterhead template ...
of RTÉ, while a variation of the 1966 cross is used by RTÉ's Graphic Design Department. Since 2004 all RTÉ service use the 1996 logo as part of their Identity.
In September 2014, RTÉ re-branded its network following a tending process introduced in February 2014. In 2015 RTÉ Archives launched a new logo which incorporated the 1969 branding for the word "Archive".
RTÉ logo (1961–1966).svg, 1961–1966
RTÉ logo (1966–1969).svg, 1966–1969
RTÉ logo (1969–1978).svg, 1969–1978
RTE logo (1978–1985).png, 1978–1985
RTÉ logo (1985–1995).svg, 1985–1995
RTÉ logo.svg, 1995–2014
RTÉ logo (2014).svg, 2014–present
Flag of RTÉ.svg, Boxed variant of the current logo
Controversies involving RTÉ
Competition cases
In 2006, RTÉ was involved in a
High Court case relating to
referential bidding in relation to sponsoring weather forecasts: ''Smart Telecom PLC trading as ''Smart Telecom'' v Raidió Teilifís Éireann and by order Glanbia PLC''.
In October 2011, RTÉ was forced to stop a "share deal" scheme it had offered advertisers when TV3 complained to the
Competition Authority.
Death of Gerry Ryan
The
death of RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan led to controversy for RTÉ when it emerged that traces of cocaine were the "likely trigger" of the star's sudden death on 30 April 2010.
Drugs Minister Pat Carey
Pat Carey (born 9 November 1947) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs from 201 ...
said he was "a bit taken aback, first of all, by the whole attitude of RTÉ over the last while" concerning the circumstances of Ryan's death. Comparing Ryan's cocaine use to the 2007 death of model
Katy French, Carey said that the media were "very judgmental" when French died but it had now "come home to roost in their own case".
Defamation cases
In 2011, RTÉ was sued for defamation after making false allegations about a priest. On 23 May 2011, RTÉ had aired a ''
Prime Time Investigates'' programme called ''
Mission to Prey
"Mission to Prey" is the title of an episode of the RTÉ programme '' Prime Time Investigates'' broadcast in May 2011. It told of how an Irish catholic priest in Kenya of having fathered a child by engaging in child sexual abuse. It was describe ...
'', which falsely claimed that the priest had raped a woman and fathered her child while working as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
. In October 2011, RTÉ issued a public apology, stating that the allegations were baseless and should never have been broadcast. The priest said he had been "living a nightmare" after the broadcaster made the allegations. The issue was serious enough to be discussed in both houses of the
Oireachtas. In November 2011, the priest concerned reached an out-of-court settlement with RTÉ, in which RTÉ agreed that it had seriously
libelled him, and paid the priest a significant amount of money in damages. As a consequence, managing director of news Ed Mulhall retired, current affairs editor Ken O'Shea was moved to another department, and reporter
Aoife Kavanagh
Aoife Kavanagh (born 1969) is an Irish independent journalist and documentary producer. She was previously a reporter and presenter for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), working on both radio and television, with a particular interest in foreig ...
resigned. The affair was described as "one of the gravest editorial mistakes ever made" in RTÉ's history.
Moral controversies
''
The Late Late Show'' has been involved in a number of controversies since first being broadcast on TV in July 1962, particularly during
Gay Byrne's tenure, with the "Bishop and the Nightie Affair" in 1966 and a 1985 interview with a pair of lesbian former nuns which led to protesters picketing the studio with hymns and rosary beads after a
High Court case during which there were calls for the chat show to be outlawed over fears it would "greatly undermine Christian moral values" and "the respect of the general public for nuns".
[ Notorious incidents during ]Pat Kenny
Patrick Kenny (born 29 January 1948) is an Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show ''The Pat Kenny Show'' on Newstalk and the current affairs show ''Pat Kenny Tonight'' on Virgin Media One.
Prior to this, Kenny had a 41-yea ...
's tenure included a satanic dance troupe performance and the tearing up of two tickets for ''The Late Late Toy Show
''The Late Late Toy Show'' is an annual, special edition of the Irish chat show '' The Late Late Show''. Airing annually on RTÉ One near the end of November or early December to coincide with the holiday shopping season, the ''Toy Show'' showc ...
'' live on air.
The first sex scandal on Irish TV surrounded a sketch-drawing advert for Bri-Nylon underwear, involving a "lewd and lascivious" cartoon of Antony and Cleopatra.[
Wesley Burroughs received a dressing down from RTÉ authorities after it became apparent actress Biddy White Lennon, who portrayed the character Maggie Riordan, was becoming increasingly more pregnant looking every week on '']The Riordans
''The Riordans'' was the second Irish television drama serial made by Raidio Telefís Éireann (then called ''Telefís Éireann''). It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny. Its location fi ...
'', an RTÉ soap opera he wrote for. Maggie Riordan was an unmarried woman. Burroughs was forced to consult medical texts to provide Maggie with an alternative illness.[
The TV drama series '' The Spike'', broadcast on RTÉ in 1978, was involved in a sex scandal.]
In 1986, Mandy Smith
Amanda Louise Smith (born 17 July 1970) is an English former pop singer and model. She became known in the mid-1980s for her romantic relationship with, and subsequent marriage to, Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who is 33 years her senior.
...
was to be interviewed on TV's ''Saturday Live'' until RTÉ decided she should be downgraded to being a mere member of the audience. She was axed entirely when her manager disagreed, with RTÉ saying she was "not important enough" and that she might "give a bad example to young teenage girls". The story appeared in the international media.[
In 2017, RTÉ sports producer Kieran Creaven was convicted on multiple counts of ]child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
in the UK. He had worked with RTÉ since 2002.
Political controversies
In 2009, RTÉ apologised to the then Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
Brian Cowen
Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011.
Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1984, for the constituency of Laois–Offaly and served in a ...
for its role in the Brian Cowen nude portraits controversy. Future Taoiseach Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
and Charles Flanagan
Charlie Flanagan (born 1 November 1956) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Laois–Offaly constituency since 2020, and previously from 1987 to 2002, 2007 to 2016 and from 2016 to 2020 for the Laois const ...
called RTÉ's backtracking a restriction on freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...
, and Liz McManus of the Labour Party criticised RTÉ for "bow ngto political pressure".
In September 2010, RTÉ broadcast a controversial nine-minute radio interview with Taoiseach Brian Cowen
Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011.
Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1984, for the constituency of Laois–Offaly and served in a ...
from a Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
think-in in Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
. The interview led to increased pressure for Cowen to resign in the days that followed after it was thought he had been drunk on the radio.
On 24 October 2011, three days before the 2011 Irish presidential election
The 2011 Irish presidential election was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary ...
, RTÉ hosted the final presidential debate on Pat Kenny
Patrick Kenny (born 29 January 1948) is an Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show ''The Pat Kenny Show'' on Newstalk and the current affairs show ''Pat Kenny Tonight'' on Virgin Media One.
Prior to this, Kenny had a 41-yea ...
's ''The Frontline
The Frontline is an American rap duo from Richmond, California, consisting of Left and Locksmith, also known as Lock.Hildebrand, Lee (2005)RICHMOND VIOLENCE FUELS HIP-HOP DUO, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', June 26, 2005, retrieved 2010-07-06 T ...
'', in which it controversially broadcast an unverified tweet mid-debate which was widely seen as damaging to the frontrunner candidate Seán Gallagher. Gallagher had been the frontrunner in an opinion poll at this point. On election day, Gallagher received 28.5% of first preference votes in the election, leaving him in second place behind Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...
. ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', chronicling the reasons for Gallagher's fall in support, reported that a final RTÉ poll showed that 28% of Irish voters had changed their mind in the last week of the campaign, with 58% of those switching from Gallagher. On 7 March 2012, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
upheld Gallagher's complaint about unfair treatment regarding how RTÉ handled the unverified tweet on the final Pat Kenny debate. On 19 December 2017, it was reported that RTÉ had agreed to pay Gallagher a sum of €130,000 as part of a confidential legal settlement arising from the debate.
See also
* List of programmes broadcast by RTÉ
* Television in Ireland
Television in the Republic of Ireland is available through a variety of platforms. The digital terrestrial television service is known as Saorview and is the primary source of broadcast television since analogue transmissions ended on 24 Octob ...
Further reading
* Jack Dowling, Lelia Doolan
Lelia Doolan (born 1934) is an Irish television producer.
Doolan was born in Cork in 1934. She studied French and German at University College Dublin, where she won a scholarship to study at the Brecht Theatre in Germany.
She presented and act ...
, Bob Quinn, ''Sit Down and be Counted: the cultural evolution of a television station'', Wellington Publishers Ltd., Dublin, 1969.
References
External links
*
A website showing the history of Irish TV
{{Authority control
Publicly funded broadcasters
State-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland
Television networks in Ireland
European Broadcasting Union members
Multilingual broadcasters
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Mass media companies established in 1960
Television channels and stations established in 1960
Radio stations established in 1926
Peabody Award winners
1960 establishments in Ireland