RTÉ News and Current Affairs Logo |
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| Type | Independent Business Division (IBD) of RTÉ |
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| Industry | Media |
| Headquarters | RTÉ Television Centre, Donnybrook Dublin 4, Ireland |
| Area served | Specific services for Ireland including Northern Ireland |
| Key people | Ed Mulhall (Managing Director)[1] |
| Services | Radio and television broadcasts |
| Owner(s) | RTÉ |
| Website | RTÉ News |
RTÉ News and Current Affairs (Irish: Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ), is a major division of Raidió Teilifís Éireann responsible for news programming on television, radio and online within the Republic of Ireland. It is, by far, the largest and most popular news source in Ireland - with 77% of the Irish public regarding it as their main source of both Irish and international news.[2] It broadcasts in English, Irish and Irish Sign Language.
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On January 1, 1926, 2RN started broadcasting. It was Ireland's first radio station. On May 24, 1926, there was the first advertised news bulletin on 2RN. Then on February 26, 1927, the first ever daily news report was broadcast on the station.[3]
During the Second World War, referred to in Ireland as The Emergency, because of the Emergency Powers Act 1939, media censorship of radio broadcasts effected news bulletins. Before all news bulletins were broadcast, the scripts of the bulletins were read over the phone to Head of the Government Information Bureau, Frank Gallagher. Censorship brought in under the Act was lifted on May 11, 1945.[4]
In December 1961, when Telefís Éireann moved into the new Montrose studios, the News Service was the first to move in. The studios were still being completed, so construction work was heard during news bulletins. When Telefís Éireann opened on December 31, 1961, Charles Mitchel read his first news bulletin on television.[5]
In April 1966, Telefís Éireann's first flagship news programme was broadcast. Seven Days had a production team with people such as Eoghan Harris, Brian Cleeve, Brian Farrell and John O'Donoghue. In 1967 the programme merged with another television programme, Division, and became 7 days.[6]
When Radio Éireann and Telefís Éireann merged, RTÉ News was expanded, providing coverage to new stations RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and RTÉ Radio 2.[7]
In the early 1980s, in the space of two years, there were three general elections. This demanded a larger schedule of current affairs. New programmes Morning Ireland and Today Tonight were launched.[8]
In 1991, RTE News appointed its first legal affairs correspondent, Kieron Wood.[9] Also in the 1990s, the first Washington DC correspondent Mark Little was appointed, and Teilifís na Gaeilge, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ.ie were established.[10]
As a major division Ireland's National Broadcaster, RTÉ News and Current Affairs provides a range of national and international news and current affairs programming in Ireland. The station is also a source of definitive commentary on current affairs. RTÉ News is based at the RTÉ Television Complex in Donnybrook, Dublin, Ireland. However, the station also operates regional centres across Ireland and the world.[11]
RTÉ News faces competition from within Ireland and abroad. For local news TV3 News provides competition in the television sector; as do Independent Network News, Newstalk, Today FM and 4fm in the radio sector. As Ireland is a predominantly English-speaking nation, international news channels (CNBC Europe, CNN International, EuroNews, France 24, BBC News, Sky News, etc.) compete with RTÉ with regards television news coverage of international events. Despite this competition however, RTÉ News remains the most popular source of news in Ireland.
In September 2003 "RTÉ News" was merged with "RTÉ Current Affairs" to form "RTÉ News and Current Affairs". RTÉ News continues as the brand on regular TV and radio news programming. Also in September 2003, all RTÉ news reports in English on all networks were rebranded to RTÉ News, ending the separate branding of News 2 and 2FM News.[12]
RTÉ News and Current Affairs produces over 1000 hours of television programming and 2,000 hours of radio programming a year.[2]
In December 2008, RTÉ News moved out of their usual Studio Three[13] in RTÉ Studios in Donnybrook, Dublin and moved into a temporary studio, while work was carried out Studio Three for the relaunch. The new look was unveiled at the One O'Clock news programme on Monday 9 February 2009.[14]
In March 2009, RTÉ was involved in controversy over a report about the placing of naked paintings of Taoiseach Brian Cowen in two Dublin Art Galleries. Initially, the station carried a television news report that displayed the pictures and treated the topic in a humorous light. However, after complaints from within the governing Fianna Fáil party, the station aired an apology to the Taoiseach.[15]
Due to RTÉ cutbacks, instead of using satellite, reporters on foreign assignments were asked to send reports by internet link. RTÉ's Beijing bureau was closed in June 2009.[16]
RTÉ News and Current Affairs is responsible for all the news bulletins on RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TG4, RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, and RTÉ Europe. The division also provides written news updates on RTÉ's teletext service, Aertel, RTÉ Mobile and RTÉ.ie.[17]
RTÉ News and Current Affairs television programmes include: English-language
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Irish-language
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Irish Sign Language
The department also broadcasts numerous special programmes such as election coverage and breaking news bulletins.
RTÉ News and Current Affairs radio programmes include: English-language
Irish-language
RTÉ News content is also available worldwide on the internet. In addition to written content, virtually all of RTÉ's radio and television news programming since 1998 is subsequently made available in the form of RealPlayer audio and video clips which can be streamed, also, live news programming can be received live via streaming media in both Real Player and Windows Media Player formats. All television news content is available on the Ireland-only RTÉ player for 21 days.[21]
See RTÉ News Now for further details.
Since June 12, 2008, RTÉ News is served by RTÉ News Now. The channel airs commercial free 24 hours a day with the latest live news. The station was initially made available on mobile phones and online at rte.ie/news. The channel broadcast in the Irish, English and ISL languages. The channel is also available on Saorview, mobile phone service providers such as O2 Ireland, Vodafone Ireland and Android. The channel also provides a free service to users of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The channel will become more widely available upon the official launch of Saorview in May 2011. The channel is also available in on train services within Dublin city and surrounding regions under a special agreement between Irish Rail, Transvision and RTÉ.[22] Previously, Sky News provided such a service.
RTÉ have studios and offices in the following locations:[11]
Regional
International
| Newsreaders | Sportsreaders | |
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| Bryan Dobson | Eileen Whelan | |
| Eileen Dunne | Brian Jennings | Éamon Horan |
| Anthony Murnane | Susan Jackson | Joe Stack |
| Sharon Ní Bheoláin | Niall Carroll | Evanne Ní Chuilinn |
| John Finnerty | Siún Nic Gearailt | Paul O'Flynn |
| Aengus Mac Grianna | Michael Murphy | Hugh Cahill |
| Úna O'Hagan | Flor McCarthy | Marty Morrissey |
| Anne Cassin | Kate Egan | Clare McNamara |
| Gareth O'Connor | Susan Byrne | Justin Treacy |
| Clodagh Walsh | Christopher McKevitt | Jacqui Hurley |
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Northern Ireland
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North-East
North-West
South
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West
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Dublin
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Midlands
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Politics
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Industry and Employment
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