Lots happens in the radio industry each week so here’s a summary of the week we just enjoyed.
Here’s What Happened
So, we officially know how RTÉ will be funded, and they know what they’re getting.
725 million over the course of three years. this will mostly be made up by the existing Licence fee, but any shortfall will be made up by the exchequer.
In 2025 RTÉ will get €225 million, in 2026 they will see €240 million, and the final year of the deal will see RTE funded with €260 million. Let’s say in a wild world that the licence fee brings in €200 million in 2025, the exchequer will then add on the missing €25 million RTÉ needs. This should hopefully give them enough funding to evolve the services and remain relevant.
While RTE seemed mostly happy, some were not. RTÉ’s biggest competitor Virgin Media weren’t happy that they didn’t get a slice, while the NUJ didn’t like that the licence fee was retained. You’ll never please everyone when spending public money, so this is all just to be expected.
The NUJ do have a fair point, but the deal is done now and should hopefully result in some boosts for journalism even if it’s not perfect.
The press conference after all of this was extremely heated, with the Irish Independants Ireland Editor Fionnán Sheahan raising his voice towards the minister and officials. The minister called him on it, and the whole thing was kind of ugly. The Journal had an excellent recap of the incident here that’s well worth a read.
Hopefully now we can start moving on. I hope to see RTÉ and other broadcasters doing cool stuff rather than fighting for funding, and For a few years at least there’s some clarity.
The IBI have launched a new equality strategy for independent broadcasters, following the recent publication of guidelines by Coimisiún na Meán.
I don’t talk about it too much here, but I personally have a disability. I think anything we can do to help improve inclusion both on air and in media workplaces is very welcome.
This is definitely a step in the right direction, and I just hope we see genuine action over the next few years in this area.
It’s not just minorities either. We’ve heard calls from Why Not Her to better playlist female artists, so I definitely think stuff like that should be worked on over the next few years.
Radio is a great industry, but strategy documents like this can help make it better. I’d love if more stations started including accessibility alt text on social media as an example, as it’s such an easy win.
Well done to everyone behind this, it really is great to see.
Read about the new strategy here
And finally for now, defamation law is getting much needed reform.
It’s not a sexy topic by any stretch, but reforms to Irelands defamation legislation is something journalists have wanted for a long time. Let’s take a look at some of the changes and see what it’s all about.
The key points include…
- The end of Jury’s in defamation cases. Now a judge will decide if a defendant had been defamed, and will also set the damages to be paid.
- New mechanisms to defend against SLAPP suits, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. This can help if a journalist is sued to stop legitimate reporting for example.
- Measures to protect broadcasters from what guests might say on live shows. There are strict rules on this but it all seems reasonable.
This is all good stuff, but not everyone is happy. Understandably some in the justice system argued this week that Jury’s should still be involved, but many in media will argue that just raises costs for everyone.
Time will tell how this plays out, but it will likely come as a relief for many journalists and producers.
Quick Bits
RTÉ will audition 150 people for 2FM
John Bennett who co launched BBC Radio Ulster has passed away
Adrian Flannelly who was a huge voice on Irish radio in the states has passed away
Louise Cantillon is becoming a style icon
And that’s the summary for this week. Come back to radio land next week for more radio news📻 and be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for more fun from the world of radio.