An Bealach ar Aghaidh A Proposed Strategy for RTÉ’s Irish Language Output Stillwater Communications, January 2012 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Section 1: The Irish language public service broadcasting landscape .................................................... 5 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Context ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Legal Obligation .................................................................................................................................. 8 Clarity of Interpretation ...................................................................................................................... 9 RTÉ’s Irish language policy ................................................................................................................ 11 RTÉ Public Service Broadcasting Charter ...................................................................................... 11 Public Service Statement (2010) ................................................................................................... 11 Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 ....................................................................................... 12 RTÉ’s role outlined in 20-Year Strategy ........................................................................................ 13 Normalisation ................................................................................................................................ 14 Moving towards creating an Irish language strategy ........................................................................ 15 Section 2: The benevolent tolerance of the Irish language in RTÉ ....................................................... 16 RTÉ Television ................................................................................................................................... 16 Management Views ...................................................................................................................... 17 Ratings vs public service remit ...................................................................................................... 18 Radio 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Irish language content .................................................................................................................. 18 Bilingual flexibility ......................................................................................................................... 19 Provision of programming to TG4 ..................................................................................................... 20 Nuacht RTÉ/Nuacht TG4 ................................................................................................................... 20 Nuacht RTÉ .................................................................................................................................... 20 Nuacht TG4 ................................................................................................................................... 21 Raidió na Gaeltachta ......................................................................................................................... 21 RnaG’s true value .......................................................................................................................... 22 Audience ....................................................................................................................................... 22 A national or local audience? ........................................................................................................ 23 Importance of the Gaeltacht............................................................................................................. 23 The RTÉ RnaG schedule ................................................................................................................. 24 Listenership ................................................................................................................................... 25 The challenges ahead for RnaG .................................................................................................... 25 Facebook ....................................................................................................................................... 26 RnaG’s relationship with RTÉ ........................................................................................................ 27 2 Further Findings ................................................................................................................................ 27 Only public funding ensures broadcast of Irish language ............................................................. 27 The impact of budgets on quality and future audiences .............................................................. 28 Criteria for resource allocation ..................................................................................................... 28 Criteria for what constitutes an Irish language programme ......................................................... 28 Broadcasters as teachers? ............................................................................................................ 29 Section 3: Recommendations for RTÉ ................................................................................................... 30 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Key Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 30 Building internal buy-in ..................................................................................................................... 31 Recommendations for RTÉ RnaG ...................................................................................................... 32 Implement development plan ...................................................................................................... 32 Target new audiences ................................................................................................................... 32 Working together .......................................................................................................................... 33 Staff development......................................................................................................................... 33 Recommendations for RTÉ TV .......................................................................................................... 33 Normalisation and the promotion of bilingualism ........................................................................ 33 Use of TG4 programming .............................................................................................................. 34 External funding ............................................................................................................................ 34 Irish Language Unit ....................................................................................................................... 34 Use of commissioning model ........................................................................................................ 35 Recommendations for RTÉ Radio ..................................................................................................... 35 External funding ............................................................................................................................ 35 Existing slot ................................................................................................................................... 35 Recommendations for Nuacht .......................................................................................................... 36 Streamline availability ................................................................................................................... 36 Develop an online news service .................................................................................................... 36 Review personnel resources ......................................................................................................... 37 A complete news service on TG4 .................................................................................................. 37 Develop an Irish language news agency ....................................................................................... 37 Recommendations relating to provision of programmes to TG4 ..................................................... 37 Outline proposal of RnaG’s three-year strategy ............................................................................... 38 Online Service ............................................................................................................................... 39 3 Introduction RTÉ, as Ireland’s Public Service Broadcaster plays a leading national role in the provision and broadcasting of Irish language content to the