Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I also wish to thank all the RTE representatives for their excellent presentations and for the question and answer session so far.

This is the first opportunity I have had to thank RTE collectively for the decision it took to defer closure of the 252 long-wave transmitter. That important decision was warmly welcomed, as the witnesses will know, both by the reaction within this committee and also from the Irish diaspora in the United Kingdom. I understand, however, that in recent weeks the channel was off the air for three days. In addition, an Algerian station that has been interfering with reception, particularly in the south of England, has strengthened and increased its transmissions.I ask the witnesses to talk to their technical people about the possibility of shifting long-wave 252 to a now free frequency at 261, which has been vacated by Radio Bulgaria. I have received this information from technical people who are monitoring these matters. I understand that the interference is quite significant, which will of course completely upset the decisions that RTE has wisely taken. I therefore ask the witnesses to look into that particular aspect.

The advice that Ms McCarthy has given to politicians is probably the best piece of advice they will hear today. I am glad she mentioned it because she is absolutely right in that to take part in a panel discussion, one is most definitely disconnected. There have been a number of instances down through the years whereby politicians at regional level taking part in panel discussions have come out at the wrong end. It is the best piece of advice ever and, as somebody involved in the media, I would strongly endorse it. If a person is appearing on a one-to-one basis that is fine, but if a person is going on a panel they should think twice about doing it from a regional location.

In the context of the regional locations, I endorse and echo everything that has been said and asked here about regional coverage. Over the past two to three years in particular there has been a growing movement - I use that word in a loose sense - that rural Ireland is losing out and disappearing fast. The witnesses will be aware of it because RTE has covered the closure of post offices and Garda stations, as well as one and two-teacher schools. I know the Government has gone some way to try to address these issues, but they are very real. Wind farms constitute another major issue across the country, as well as the extension of electricity by overhead lines. All of these issues are affecting rural communities. From a Dublin 4 perspective, they may not seem to be that important. Perhaps they are seen as too bitty and not straightforward enough to be grabbed as new items. In the context of regional coverage, however, all I ask is for RTE to become more aware that these are real quality-of-life issues for people who wish to live and remain in rural Ireland.

Despite all the other great programmes on RTE, the "Nine O'Clock News" is the flagship one. The witnesses spoke about the trust that people have in RTE and to a large extent that is based on the way the "Nine O'Clock News" covers events. It is the one that most people watch, apart from "Six One". What are RTE's criteria for deciding on the manner in which the Dáil is covered? RTE covers Dáil proceedings daily when the House is sitting. There is a perception that the old order has gone when there were two and a half parties. It was easy when one had Fine Gael and the Labour Party in government, followed by the main opposition party Fianna Fáil. Independents did not really get much of a look in unless they happened to be like Jackie Healy-Rae, God rest him, and were having an effect or impact on the Government. Over the decades, it seemed to be an easier choice to make. Now, however, it is much more diverse, particularly since the 2011 election.

I was pleased by the statistics Mr. Nally showed, which are quite revealing, on the pro ratacoverage for each party. I was surprised because perception is all, particularly in politics. I am curious about the "Nine O'Clock News" because there have been occasions - I am speaking from a party point of view - where Fianna Fáil is officially the main opposition party and Micheál Martin is the leader of the Opposition, although he is not always referred to as such. It seems to me that sometimes on the "Nine O'Clock News" RTE gets it jumbled up a bit. Is that to do with the impact of the contributions that the Independents or others are making? I would like to know what are the criteria.

There used to be a book of contacts in news and current affairs of people who could be called upon to appear on various panel programmes. Perhaps it was specific to women, but I have it at the back of my memory from my time in RTE. Are the witnesses happy with the diversity of opinion they are getting? Do they have any way of updating that, which would bring in more people not necessarily from Dublin but from other parts of the country?

As regards RTE's international coverage, I appreciate what Mr. Bakhurst said about resources. Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that most of RTE's feed of international coverage comes from the European Broadcasting Union. At a recent exchange in this House with the Chinese ambassador, I was surprised to learn from a number of questions I put to him about my perception of where China stood in the world. It was specifically about their humanitarian contributions on the Ebola crisis in Africa. I was amazed to discover that they have a very proactive approach to what is going on not just in the African Ebola crisis, but also in other international areas. Yet it seems to me that in Europe generally, and I am not referring specifically to RTE, there is a Western view that is perhaps dominating news coverage. Since international issues were raised, I am curious to know if the witnesses have a view on that. Does it concern resources or are there other ways of accessing a broader international view?