Sky News Ireland are closing. It'll just leave a reporter and other essential reporting staff for Sky News UK meaning the Irish opt news programming will soon come to end.
No idea on timescales yet, just found out. Seemingly someone came from Sky HQ to break the news to staff.
I'm dissapointed at this, Sky News Ireland was actually good. Ray Kennedy and Brian Daly have really come on since the TV3 days. But understandable why it was axed, Sky News isn't available to the whole country so the viewership must have been extremely low.
The Irish operation will close on the 30th November. From the 1st Dec, the Dublin and Belfast operations will be streamlined.
Apparently the average audience from Jan - Sept 2006 for the 6.30pm bulletin is 8,000 and 17,000 for the 10pm bulletin.
Here's the press release...
Quote:
Sky News to refocus Irish news coverage
Sky News is looking to refocus its coverage of Irish news by integrating the output of its Dublin and Belfast bureaus into the main news channel and its new media platforms. The change in approach means that the two nightly 30 minute bulletins would cease broadcasting with effect from Thursday, 30 November.
The proposal follows a review which concluded that Sky News could serve the needs of Irish viewers and maintain a high level of efficiency by focusing on the availability of Irish news on the main channel and also across a number of its different media platforms such as Sky News online, Sky by Mobile and Sky News Active. From Friday 1 December, it is planned that the Dublin and Belfast bureaus' operations will be streamlined to a level which supports the continuing provision of high-quality reports and breaking news to Sky News audiences across the island of Ireland.
John Ryley, Head of Sky News, said,
"The talented and dedicated Sky News Ireland team has produced a high quality product, some outstanding journalism and attracted a loyal audience. I would like to thank them for their commitment and professionalism to date. The decision to change direction is a difficult one but our commitment to choice and innovation means that we will always take risks and try new ideas. Irish stories remain an integral part of the main channel as well as new media outlets as Sky News refocuses its resources in a way that continues to meet the needs of consumers in the broadband age."
RTE are reporting 4 staff only to be left in Dublin and one in Belfast. It'll be like the thing for there to be a major breaking story here during December....
To be honest, I'd much rather they'd spent all that money on opening a few new bureaux around the world... i.e. South America and somewhere else in Europe and Africa.
Think it actually makes more sense for them to have 4 in Belfast and 1 in Dublin, to be honest.
I do feel sorry for the 25 or so staff that are losing their jobs - remember these are people with families, mortgages, etc.
It is also a big pity as it leaves boring RTE and so so tabloid TV3 with no competition in the Irish market.
Sad day all around.
It is a shame Sky is pulling out of the Ireland opt-out, and again, it seems a bit insane that they are basing more of their reporters in Dublin than Belfast. Especially when by the time SNI comes to an end, the news agenda up North will be a media circus once again.
There's also BBC Newsline and UTV Live - although I think Dublin based correspondent Patricia Danaher has left UTV.
No surprises here either. It was too small scale. Most the day it just simulcast Sky News UK, and as we all know it's news is more UK orientated then Ireland.
...understandable why it was axed, Sky News isn't available to the whole country so the viewership must have been extremely low.
Sky News UK's audience is generally very low, so goodness knows what Sky News Ireland must have been like! Clearly, even the understandably loss-making venture that is Sky News couldn't stomach the cash being lost through the Ireland channel. A sad day for those losing jobs, though.
Sky originally took the decision as more than three quarters of Irish TV viewers have access to multi channel TV - a far higher percentage than the UK. Unfortunately, as has been said here, that still didn't mean there were lots of viewers to be had. I think this has been on the cards for a while now. The programme quality was slipping a little and Grainne's shuffling around London and latterly her departure to RTE was a clear sign that something was up.
