RADIO TELEFÍS ÉIREANNOperational ReviewRTÉ Radio continuedRTÉ 2fmFor RTÉ 2fm the most importantprogramming changes were at breakfasttime (The Colm and Jim-Jim BreakfastShow) and late afternoon (The Will LeahyShow). With the two ends of the prime timeschedule renewed and The Gerry RyanShow recording audience growth, RTÉ2fm ended the year with a strong weekdayperformance but also with losses in share atthe weekend, a challenge to be addressedin 2008. As well as refocusing to facethe competition, RTÉ 2fm has increasedits output of live music to 240 broadcasthours and supplied 77 hours to the EBUradio network – a significant showcase forIrish talent around Europe. 40 new bandswere recorded for broadcast and TransitionYear (TY) Radio completed its fourthyear of workshops in programme-makingfor second-level students. The summerfestivals, Oxegen and the Electric Picnic,are among the biggest in Europe and therewas increased and enhanced coverage ofthese events on RTÉ 2fm and its digitalextension RTÉ 2XM.RTÉ Raidió na GaeltachtaRTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta marked 35 yearson air in 2007. Among its highlights werecoverage of the Northern Ireland AssemblyElections and the General Election.There were changes to main strands ofprogramming from all regions with a notableexpansion of output from Dublin and theeast. Hundreds of hours of programmeswere broadcast from An Ródaí, the newmobile studio, which made an especiallystrong contribution with its output fromvarious Coláistí Samhraidh around thecountry and its coverage of the openingsession of the Assembly at Stormont. RTÉRaidió na Gaeltachta played a central roleat Oireachtas na Cásca (Letterkenny), andat Oireachtas na Samhna (Westport) whereformer winners of the Corn Uí Riada reunitedto celebrate this competition whichwas established in 1972 and is maintainedby the station. iClub is a new weeklymagazine for teenagers which comes fromCasla, with reporters in Donegal and Kerry,and features live music with texts, emailsand calls shared on air. A selection of RTÉRaidió na Gaeltachta programmes is nowavailable as podcasts, a service which willbe expanded in 2008.RTÉ lyric fmRTÉ lyric fm continued to broaden therange of its music and to develop newstrands of talk programmes. The mostimportant broadcast platform for theRTÉ Performing Groups, RTÉ lyric fmhas strengthened its links with culturalchannels throughout Europe and increasedits participation in exchanges of concerts.With Radio 1 and Raidió na Gaeltachta,lyric was joint host of the EBU TraditionalMusic Festival in Cork, the first time thatthe festival came to Ireland. The autumnschedule brought a rotation of presenters,a season of opera produced and performedin Ireland, and a weekly programmeabout landmarks in genres of music newto RTÉ lyric fm, including rock, reggae,and fusion. A twice-daily bulletin of artsnews was introduced, and in spoken arts,RTÉ lyric fm premiered the broadcast offour conversations with great performersoriginally recorded by Harry Blech in the1970s. RTÉ lyric fm published three newCDs and has two more in preparation forearly 2008. Outside broadcasts on RTÉ lyricfm included programmes from the BloomGarden Festival in the Phoenix Park, theNational Ploughing Championships, the newCork Institute of Technology’s School ofMusic, the Celebrity and Orchestral seriesin the National Concert Hall and other livebroadcasts from venues all around Ireland.The Big Science Debate exploredthe ethics of science through publicdiscussions from venues around thecountry.RTÉ 2fm new breakfast timeprogramme The Colm and Jim-JimBreakfast Show.16
ANNUAL REPORT & GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2007With RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Raidió naGaeltachta, RTÉ lyric fm was joint hostof the EBU Traditional Music Festival inCork, the first time that the festival cameto Ireland. DigitalInnovation is the life force of communicationsand Radio has to look to its future as oneamong many digital technologies. In 2007RTÉ Radio and RTÉNL continued tests ofdigital audio broadcasting (DAB) on a singlefrequencynetwork with coverage in Leinster(along the east coast between Dundalk andDublin). The LW 252 transmitter has alsobeen updated to a dual-purpose (analogueand digital) installation. As part of these trials,four new radio services have been developedand put to air by a team of three programmemakers and schedule compilers. This exercisein launching and maintaining digital serviceshas tried and tested the skills of managingprogrammes, rights and archive holdings. Thelessons learned will apply to whatever form ofdigital radio Ireland adopts in the future.Source: Joint National Listenership Research SurveysJan-Dec 2007 (TNS mrbi)In the Spring new mobile studios took tothe road for RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachtaand RTÉ 2fm.Commercial RevenueThe commercial radio landscapeshifted significantly in 2007. Ownershipis consolidating, as evidenced byCommunicorp’s purchase of EMAP’s Irishstations and UTV’s subsequent acquisitionof FM104. The Broadcasting Commissionof Ireland (BCI) has completed phase oneof its licensing plan, and in regional radio,new licences were awarded and there aremore in prospect. Against this background,RTÉ Radio’s commercial revenue exceededthe impressive results of 2006 in all sectors– airtime, promotions, sponsorship and crossmediasolutions. New revenue came fromOnline commercial opportunities and therewas substantially increased activity for theRoadcasters and also for the Dundrum andTallaght studios. The positive audience figures(JNLRs) reported in August and Novemberaided this strong commercial performance,and the last four months of the year saw arecovery from a slow summer that followedthe heated activity leading up to the GeneralElection.17
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