Annual Reports - RTÉ

ANNUAL REPORT & GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2007IRISH LANGUAGE COMMITMENTS (continued)CommitmentsResultsPUBLISHING• Redesign the RTÉ Radió na Gaeltachta website to improvethe service to audiences at home and abroad.Commitment achieved.Redesign implemented in February 2007.• Aggregate Irish language output across all services ona common portal to include audio/video content such asNuacht, Pobal etc.In progress. Pilot site to launch text, live and on demandaudio/video by year end.• RTÉ Guide: One Irish language column per week.Commitment achieved.RTÉ PERFORMING GROUPS• RTÉ Performing Groups & RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachtawill explore and develop proposals for Irish languagepresentation of live and/or broadcast music programming,appropriate to RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta schedules andaudiences, and featuring RTÉ Performing Groups.• RTÉ Cór na nÓg will feature Irish language song settingsin its live and/or broadcast output.In progress. The Executive Director RTÉ Performing Groupsand the Ceannasaí RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta met to considerways of systematically disseminating recordings of worksin the Irish language and to ensure, in particular, that theseworks are made available for transmission on RTÉ Raidióna Gaeltachta. Actions agreed for implementation include astudio recording of Irish language settings performed by RTÉCór na nÓg in the 2007/2008 season, along with initiativesfor improved liaison in general between the RTÉ PerformingGroups, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.Cór na nÓg performed works in Irish at the Navan Arts CentreConcert; Amnesty International Carol Service; Annual CarolService, St Anne’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin 2 and aconcert in the National Gallery of Ireland.They also performed works in Irish at St Patrick’s Day PressLaunch, Dublin Castle and National Children’s Day event inChildren’s Ombudsman’s Office.RTÉ RADIORTÉ Radio 1:• 12 additional hours of Irish language programming to bebroadcast in 2007• Presenters with Irish to be encouraged to use Irishthroughout their shows in a natural way• In the event of the recruitment of producers in 2007,ensure a certain number have competence in the IrishlanguageRTÉ 2fm:• Identify one DJ who would be comfortable presentingbilinguallyRTÉ Radio 1 delivered in excess of 12 hours of extra Irishlanguage programming in 2007. This was achieved with theintroduction of a 52 week schedule of Programmes in Irish onSaturday nights, combined with substantial use of Irish in ourmusic output throughout the year (weekly Rolling Wave strand).We have encouraged the use of Irish in our mainstreamprogrammes. Ronan Collins uses Irish regularly and embracesNuacht as part of his show – as does Derek Mooney. In hisrole as stand-in presenter on Mooney, Aonghus McAnallypeppered the show with Irish. Irish is integral to programmessuch as South Wind Blows and Céilí House.No new producers were recruited during 2007. A numberof producers have been identified internally who have thecompetence to make Irish Language programmes. Theirskills range across a variety of programme genres and wehope to organise a “Meitheal Oibre” in 2008 to explore newprogramme concepts.RTÉ 2fm currently has one presenter who is comfortablepresenting bilingually – Evelyn O’Rourke.89