RTE News - Ireland

Watching a bit of Morning Edition on the RTÉ Player, and I can't help but feel this is a strange oddity. On the one hand it feels like the type of breakfast show I always hoped RTÉ would one day make, far more BBC Breakfast than Daybreak. On the other hand, it feels ike a breakfast show - with its top and bottom of the hour news bulletins, business, sport, paper reviews etc - and definitely not like daytime TV. So what's it doing airing at 9:00am, two hours too late? The only reason I can think of, aside from the well-documented at this stage union issues, is that RTÉ is dead scared of hurting Morning Ireland.

Pres-wise, its not too different from regular RTÉ News, a different title sequence obviously (and why no "RTÉ News" branding????), but a different (softer) arrangement of the usual theme and the normal astons with a bit of an orange thinge. The breakfast time feel isn't helped by the on-screen clock and (animated!) DOG.

Overall, it seems to be the breakfast show we've always been waiting for from RTÉ, but airing two hours too late.

Indeed. I've been watching Morning Edition for this first time this morning, and I really can't get my head around it. It really does appear to be a pretty bland breakfast programme airing two hours late. I'd say its more 'BBC Breakfast News' than 'BBC Breakfast'.

Who exactly is watching this on RTE One? Its perfectly respectable morning fayre for RTE News Now, but its hardly catering to a daytime audience on the main channel.

Perfectly respectable for a 7am-9am show with a news agenda. Far too stuffy for a 9am-11am slot.

But I suppose we should give it time. Keelin Shanley is an incredibly competent presenter. It'll be interesting to see how the show copes with big breaking news. I certainly hope that Leaders' Questions, which is still listed as a separate programme at 10.25am on Thursday and Friday, is incorporated into Morning Edition. It would certainly add a bit of 'purpose' to the programme.

A few reviews from the Irish media:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/kim-bielenberg-a-promising-start-for-rtes-morning-edition-but-why-is-it-not-on-earlier-3368452.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0128/breaking28.html

Never realised that the radio show 'Morning Ireland' was sort of broadcast on a webcam on News Now, perhaps there's scope to dress it up a bit better and turn it into a proper TV show while still similcasting to Radio 1

I dunno, its compelling radio (and essential listening among the "chattering classes" over here) but to put it in comparison, it would be as if the BBC had just put the Today programme on TV instead of creating Breakfast Time. I don't think it suits.

Just watched Mondays (on DVR) and notice they've dropped the RTÉ 1 DOG during the show.

Presumably that's to make the simulcast easier?

That's somewhat of a miracle considering RTÉ insist on the DOG been present even during sports, where there is a *second* RTÉ logo on the score bar!

http://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/

Logo of the new look Prime Time which launches tommorow. Judging from the trailer the theme tune's also had a re-arrangement. Looks like this could be quite the improvement, but we'll see tommorow....

The new look Prime Time (behind the scenes)
http://www.rte.ie/news/player/2013/0204/3480769-preparations-for-the-new-look-prime-time/

That set looks very Newsnight-esque! The traditional desk seems to be gone in favour of the coffee table style.

Edit...On air now...they really want to be Newsnight!!!

Wow, the new intro is like something from Casualty!

Yeah the intro is the weak link. The lower thirds are nice but remind me of ITV News from 2006-9.

But overall the general plan seems to have been to turn Prime Time into as close a carbon copy of Newsnight as can be, or at least the Monday (and presumably Thursday) editions. Be interesting to see what the Tuesday edition, which will have a live studio audience, will be like.