RTÉ News

80% owned by what is now UPC Broadband (the same company which has apparently spent this week clearing out the top management of NTL Ireland and Chorus, which it is to combine to produce a single cable operator in Ireland). From what I remember from the time RTÉ was getting no money out of Tara and basically put the station into liquidation by withdrawing its programme rights.

Yes, essentially along those lines.

It was a shame it folded - I'd contend that there's still a market for some sort of Irish service in the UK, especially considering Tara was pre-digital (in high saturation terms anyway), and there are also probably more multichannel households subscribing to services in the UK now than there was even four-five years ago.
The efficiency of digital coupled with the recent increase in output of Irish content from RTÉ, and more stable market conditions will hopefully will help make some sort of Irish service viable in the UK in the future. It is a shame that so much quality output (even if comparitively small), of which much being relevant to a UK audience is never seen by them.

On another News-unrelated topic, I see RTÉ pulled out all the usual stops for Stardust last night, knowing the guts of an entire nation would be watching. In a perhaps rather cynical move, they played a plain ident with no announcement directly after the drama before cutting to ads - a rather clunky nudge nudge just-to-remind-you-who-you're-watching ploy.
Hmmmmmmm........

And rounded off at the end of the ad break with a nice public service broadcasting staple - a promo for next week's Disability Awards, and in turn followed by an ad for licence fee payment
Masters of subtlety they are, masters I tell ya.....

Yes, I clearly heard my own tongue going *tcchh* when I saw that. Mind, at least the programme itself was good. However, the turd shown for ten minutes before it was... turd.

lol - a clever move though. I would have done it

Ah You're An Pawn, probably got its highest viewership this season thanks to Stardust. Not that it can't stand on its own two feet, unfortunately - it's one of the most watched programmes in Ireland in its latter stages

Is RTE news about to get a new look, or are the promos for it on the RTE channels just that, promos.

If you're talking about the promo that starts in the radio studio and ends with Charlie Bird, that promo has been around a good while - about a year. Its just they've started showing it again over the past few months. RTÉ News probably won't have a new look until September.

Dont go assuming about new looks just yet...iti didnt do any good a while back did now

I really like the promo and the end cap of it would work very well if it was a logo or opening titles I think

Unless you're referring to the 'new season' promos for March?
They've got a distinctive pinky, flowery theme which is rather strange - but fun.

On the subject of new looks..... keep an eye on one of rte's competitors who'll be getting a new look early march, and from what i've been reliably told flicking that widescreen switch.

Oh thank god. I can't believe they are still in 4:3. March 6th I believe too!

Not exactly a secret that TV3 are going to have a big relaunch March 6th. A new logo featuring 3 circles is going to be unvieled (sounds similar to C4 1997 if you ask me). There'll have to be a new look news if the current "tvthree" logotype is being dumped (which it probably will be) but given the last relaunch wasn't long ago I can't see big changes...

Channel 6 launch at the end of March, they're not doing news though...