TV3 have never ever provided a proper election coverage. I wonder why?
At least in UK, ITV1 gives viewers a choice in the election coverage.
TV3 News has just god rid of their 6:30pm bulletin on weeknights, and a long time overdue. What a waste of time it was.
RTE News is good at election coverage but more money is needed to be put into it, at least to bring it inline with the quality of the BBC election coverage. As a state television provider, RTE should do this, but they don't. Why?
There are election-tailored news programmes starting over the next few days on RTÉ and TV3.
From tomorrow, the hour-long Campaign Daily will take viewers through the latest election news weekdays at noon. It coincides with the launch of the RTÉ News Election website.
TV3 starts its short series featuring Matt Cooper and Eddie Hobbs on Monday at 8pm in their weekly slot.
On an aside, the CA on RTÉ Two apologised tonight for a graphic which appeared earlier in the evening showing the incorrect numbers for the Lotto Plus 2. The correct numbers were featured along with the apology. Indeed I was wondering what was going on at first - I don't think I've ever seen Two do Lotto updates in-between programmes. They'd better hope someone didn't see it and think they'd won €250,000!
EDIT:
Each morning on www.rte.ie/live, surfers can watch party press conferences live:
9:45-10:15 Fine Gael
11:00-11:30 Fianna Fáil
At 11:15, McDowell has a go at Charlie Bird, while Bertie Ahern's interview with Sky News is shown at 14:16. Unusually for an RTÉ News programme, this one contains strong language - Tom Parlon drops a cuss word at 29:40
Probably a
Prime Time
special (but it will probably be called "
Election 2007
") and extended
TV3 News
. I doubt they'd put
The Political Party
up against
Prime Time
.
It won't technically be a Prime Time special as normally several presenters not on the Prime Time roster are drafted in. I'm thinking especially John Bowman here who will almost certainly be used. Brian Farrell is now retired, but it wouldn't be an election without him so I hope he'll turn up somewhere. Miriam O'Callaghan and Mark Little will however almost certainly anchor much of the coverage.
TV3 have only done one election so far (2002), and all they did was an 1 1/2 hour TV3 News special. Don't expect much more this time.
I heard Brian Farrell on the radio saying he was for the first time viewing the election rather than presenting it. Brian Dobson will also be used as he was the last time. He really has a high profile with the public.
John, Miriam, Mark and Dobbie will probably all take turns.
As regards TV3, last time the election count was on a Saturday and I think they had a one hour special at 530. I think there will be some extended coverage at 530.
In addition, the One is scheduled to run longer than usual, from 13:00-13:35.
TG4
Vota 2007 will run straight through from 14:00-02:00 and will be presented by Cathal MacCoille (as Gaelige, of course!). RTÉ RnaG meanwhile running coverage from 11:00-13:00, 14:15-18:00 and 19:30-midnight.
TV3
TV3 News @ 5:30 will run for one hour. There's also a ten minute bulitten at 12:45 and a five minute one at 15:30.
RTÉ RADIO 1.
They have the longest coverage of all - it will run straight through from 12 noon to 03:00 with Sean O'Rourke and Rachel English anchoring.
