Blog roundup: RTE medium wave move
Monday, February 11th, 2008The controversy over RTE’s decision to shut down medium wave – a move that will affect Irish emigrants in Britain and beyond, as well as people in the North – has been reflected in a variety of blog postings around the Internet. Here are some of them, from a variety of sources, including political parties, media commentators and others.
- Alliance backs bid to save RTE medium wave broadcast – Alliance Party
- Is RTE medium wave cessation premature?
- Discussion board on An Fear Rua
- Contacting RTE about medium wave
- Probe over RTE medium wave axe?
- Labour criticises RTÉ over MW plans
- Closure of RTE’s medium wave service will have a negative effect (Labour Party)
- RTE plans to switchoff medium wave on March 24th
- Medium-wave customers must be accommodated – Cregan (Fianna Fail)
- PJ Bradley urges RTE to increase access across whole of Ireland (SDLP)
- Sinn Fein seek urgent meeting with RTE Director General
- Closing Down Medium Wave 567Khz – A Grave Error
- RTE Lundys
- RTE Religious Services Move to Longwave
- Radio Telefís Éireann
- Wave of protest engulfs RTÉ
- RTE abandons Medium Wave Band
- Call to keep RTE medium wave
- RTÉ to abandon Medium-wave
- Concerns are aired again (Irish Times reports GAA concern)
- Medium Wave… So, Is FM Radio Dead?
- Anger as RTE to switch off medium wave band
- Medium Wave switch off not without its problems – Coveney(Fine Gael)
- A Public Service Broadcaster?
- Bye bye Tullamore
RTE move affects emigrants in Britain, beyond
Friday, February 8th, 2008RTE has announced that it will shut down its medium wave service on March 24th. This means that those who listen to RTE Radio 1 on the AM dial will no longer have that option. RTE suggests that listeners can turn to FM or longwave.
RTE says that less than 10% of their listeners listen on medium wave, and suggests that those who do listen “largely based on habit rather than necessity”. Presumably this 10% figure is based on listenership figures for the Republic of Ireland, and does not take into account those who listen in the North and in Britain, where the FM option does not exist.
Ean is concerned about the effect of this move on emigrants, particularly those in Britain, where the most vulnerable elderly are likely to be disproportionately affected. The medium wave signal also reaches Northern France and the Benelux countries, and interference on the long-wave signal means that for some people, Radio 1 comes in better on the AM dial.
RTE has pledged to assist the vulnerable elderly in Ireland who may have been depending on the AM service all their lives with vouchers to reduce the cost. They are not, however, offering similar assistance to the vulnerable among the emigrant communities, who are likely to be disproportionately affected by the move.
Will the loss of Radio 1 on medium wave affect you? Do you have an opinion on this issue? Ean is eager to hear it. Drop a line to Noreen Bowden at noreen@ean.ie, or use the comment feature below.
Free travel a no-go, says Minister
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008Extending free public transport to elderly emigrant visitors to Ireland is not currently possible, according to Social and Family Affairs Minister Martin Cullen. The Irish Independent has reported that the Minister said that despite a Government pledge to work toward free travel for emigrant pensioners, the minister said:
“Legal advice indicates that it would not be possible to extend entitlement to free travel to Irish-born people living abroad, as to do so would be contrary to European legislation, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of nationality”.
Labour Party chief whip Emmet Stagg, however, says the Government is actually opposing a complaint made to the European committee on Social Rights, investigating whether the current denial of free travel breaches the EU’s social charter. “The Government have fought against that tooth and nail to prevent them having to grant free travel. This flies in the face of their statements in the Dail, where they are saying the EU won’t allow them to do this”.
See the report by Michael Brennan in the Irish Independent.
Emigrant film dominates Irish awards
Friday, January 11th, 2008The emigrant-themed film Kings has dominated the nomination for the Irish Film and Television Awards. The film, which tells its story mostly through Irish, depicts the troubled lives of a group of Irish emigrants who left Galway for London in the 1970s. It received 14 nominations, including the categories of best Irish film, best actor (Colm Meaney), best supporting actor (Donal O’Kelly and Brendan Conroy) and best screenplay (Tom Collins). The awards ceremony will be held on 17 February.
The film, based on Jimmy Murphy’s play “Kings of the Kilburn High Road”, has also been put forward by Ireland to the Oscars for consideration for the best foreign language-film. The film is getting mixed reviews in the US, however. Several commentators have noted their opinion that the film is too confined by its theatrical roots.
Visit the IFTA website.
Read the reviews on the Reuters and Boston Globe websites.