RTÉ News

Why? There are only 4 million people in Ireland, smaller than your average ITV or BBC region. The Six One news is almost an hour long and often has stories from around the country. Also, news on TG4 is almost entirely regionally-based, sometimes too much.

I'd tend to agree. We're by and large too small to require regions.
Six One has a decent roundup, both in terms of stories from around the country as well as the 'stories from some of our correspondents around the country' section.

Even a Cork/Souhtern opt-out isn't really required, though I would be open-minded in that respect.
As anyone can tell you, local radio is king in Ireland. Given the limited resources that television has, I think it best that they be put to the most efficient use by way of a decent national service, rather than spreading the butter thinly about the place.

The Nationwide opt-out didn't last long indeed, and other moves mentioned have thus far proved unsuccessful. I'm not sure there's real need for regional television in Ireland, though the 1999/2000 Act did make provision for local/community television services which is a different kettle of fish...


In the Newsroom, everything is operating as usual at the moment, so no changes this week anyway! (bar the astonishing addition of what looked like clumps of clay on the studio floor for One today )

well to be honest RTE lossing a news set for less then 4 years is kinda normal. 4 is the limit usually

Yes, in theory there's a good bit to go yet - just the introduction of 16:9 is throwing things a bit...

We were provided with a bit of entertainment tonight on the Nine - at last Una O'Hagan has been ruffled!
There was a muck up in the programme's running order - it only ever happens exceptionally rarely, but when it does it can be very messy to resolve.

Tonight the autocue and the presenter's papers displayed a certain story for before the break, while the report VT and picture window lined up were prepared for another!

So when Una came on to deliver her link, she began reading one story while the picture window showed another. Then she began to realise something was wrong about halfway through, probably due to a gallery prompt and she glanced at the floor monitor. Then she stopped and flustered about with her pages trying to find the correct story - most entertaining!
Meanwhile the autocue was being rolled on to the correct story so it all came together in the end - unfortunately

You can watch it all at the link below - just scroll to about 10.40 or 10.45 minutes or so into the bulletin and the story on school inspection reports.

http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2069147.smil

Fantastic cock-up there!

While we're on the subject of cock-ups and shoddy shanannigans above in RTÉ (surprise surprise), I thought I'd mention the european weather today just before six. Every single one of the weather maps was in the wrong aspect ratio ie: 4:3 stretched to 16:9. It looks absolutely terrible . Whats wrong with them? Perhaps the info supplied was the cause of it but the least they could do is crop the maps. Anything is better than something stretched. They clearly have the ability to produce proper maps but it baffles me how they manage to stretch them like they do. Its just unacceptable in this day and age that the state broadcaster is happy to broadcast such an unprofessional-looking weather bulletin. The BBC's graphics, brown as they are, are millions of light-years ahead of RTÉ's and even TV3, IMO, do a better job. Its farsical.

I fully agree - the amount of aspect ratio cock-ups with the weather in particular is a complete joke.
I know exactly what you mean about the stretched graphics behind the otherwise 'normal' presenter - how can they get away with this?!
And more to the point, how is it even possible to make such a clunky error?! I've already seen this happen twice in the past couple of weeks, so this is a third at least?!

How does the Presentation director let this sort or crap be out-putted?!
Likewise the pictures submitted by the public for use at the very start of the bulletins are all stretched in this 16:9 fashion all of the time - as standard practice!!
It beggars belief when you see buildings or streetscapes or lighthouses with the arses stretched out of them!
Really and truly - you'd wonder about RTÉ, you really would.

And only tonight Jean Byrne had her mic clipped onto the wrong lapel resulting in her being off-mic for much of the bulletin, and her echoing voice bouncing around the studio. This is always happening with the weather, and a variety of other errors like the presenter being too much off camera etc.
And the nasty shimmering line at the top of the summary chart at the end still hasn't been resolved since the switch to 16:9!

Arrgh!!!

Well its the return of regular service to RTÉ today... and as of the One, there have been no pres changes to RTÉ News (unless something makes its debut on Six-One), which is still in 4:3, despite RTÉ having taken up widescreen broadcasting (they now even have a widescreen website, http://www.rte.ie/tv/widescreen.html . Though to be fair, there's no mention of news on that site.

In fact the only part of RTÉ known to be getting a pres revamp for Autumn is the Den, which gets a complete relaunch on September 19th.

Lets see if TV3 have any changes lined up at 5:30pm, though I don't think they do, their Autumn schedule doesn't seem to contain any hints of pres changes...

Yes there have been no changes at all - crucially the TV Room mentions that RTÉ News is going widescreen in 'early 2006', so perhaps they're going to change the entire pres package including the intro of 16:9, when they return on the 1st of January.
As was being said on, eh, another site , this way they'd get more than two years out of the current package which is required really, whilst being able to launch 16:9 with a completely tailored brand new scheme.
This could last them 3-4 years, perfect for any digital plans to come to fruition (maybe that should be 30-40 years )

I'd love to know TV Room's source on this 2006 date - if you're around...hint hint

It is a huge undertaking all the same - every single field camera must be converted both in Dublin and the regions, all studio cameras, gallery and editing suites in Montrose, all cameras and facilities in the regional studios, the London and NI branches, and the equipment used in Brussels/Europe.

Strangely enough, Una O'Hagan was dumped onto Radio 1 this evening, while Doyle took over Six One and Nine.
Doyle's only doing three days a week of late is throwing the scheduling into disarray (even if tonight's may not have been the result of it) - I'm sure management are not amused by her decision. Other newsreaders would not have got away with it, but she has the clout.

Although I am disappointed at the fact we'll have to put up with the current look for the next few months, in the long run I suppose it's better to pull out all the stops in Jan. TV3 claims in its press release that RTÉ is "awash with money" so fingers crossed they'll plough it into a proper news package next year.

Ronan:
"In fact the only part of RTÉ known to be getting a pres revamp for Autumn is the Den, which gets a complete relaunch on September 19th."

Off-topic, but only part of what is now the Den will keep the name the Den (pre-school programmes), programmes for older kids and teens will go under the strand name "The Club".

The current ID TWO strand will also be renamed TTV.

The plans for the breakfast and after-school slots on that strand seem to change by the day. RTÉ's Autumn schedule release (see www.rte.ie/tv/ ) called them "Wakey Wakey" and "Chilling Out". Daft names. The show previously called "Dustin's Daily" has now apparently been renamed DDN also. And they still haven't announced a main presenter.

Maybe we should start a general Irish TV presentation thread over in the main forum, lest this be considered off topic for here.

Yes I've been reading their press content too - for a big guns revamp of children's programming everything seems decidedly up in the air...


Was watching the Nine News tonight - for some very strange reason they opened the programme with an MCU of Eileen Dunne rather than the wide with the nasty picture alongside, then cut to the headlines and intro as normal, but then cur back to a standard MS with picture window, again without the headline timber unit in shot.
Clearly they were having problmes with the chromakey or whatever they use as the wide shot of the studio after the headlines very deliberately excluded the timber unit too - very strange.

Also later on, cringe of all cringes, Tommie Gorman gave a live link-up from the Belfast studio only the chromakey up there didn't seem to be working either as believe it or not he delivered his link sitting in front of the green curtain!
Frankly I doubt there was any problem as they've done this a few times before. It is so embarrassing to see it cannot be put into words - there he was sitting in front of a creased green sheet of fabric and a big poley desk mic as per usual shoved up infront of him.

This is what RTÉ deem to be acceptable production values in 2005.

As much as one would like to say otherwise - what a bunch of idiots.

And this is not even taking into account the fact that a Northern Irish story was being delivered infront of a patently green backdrop - whatever about the impartiality of it, these are also the very drapes that the flippin IRA often in used video material released to the media!