A new online news site and a restructured radio news service are just two of the changes at RTÉ this week.
The broadcaster says a ‘new era for Irish-language news in RTÉ’ is coming, with the advent of a comprehensive online news service in Irish for the first time, and a restructured news service on radio, which will see all bulletins as Gaeilge delivered from RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta in Casla, Connemara, in the heart of the Gaeltacht.
From today the RTÉ.ie news website, and the RTÉ News Now App, will feature national, international and regional news in Irish for the first time. A joint initiative between Nuacht RTÉ and the RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta newsrooms, online operations will be based in Nuacht RTÉ’s centre in Baile na hAbhann, Connemara, with content produced by both Nuacht RTÉ and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta journalists. The new online news as Gaeilge will be live today.
“The expansion of online output will provide an enhanced service to the Gaeltacht and Irish-language communities and should also be welcomed by the diaspora and students of the Irish-language across the world,” RTÉ says.
“In line with the on-going drive to reduce costs, the new structure will allow for better and more efficient use of resources within the organisation.”
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta in Casla will be the main production centre for national and international Irish-language news on radio, and henceforth the station will provide all 32 Irish-language bulletins across RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ 2fm, in addition to their own news service currently provided throughout the day.
Director General of RTÉ Noel Curran welcomed the restructuring, saying: “This is an exciting new development, creating Ireland’s first multimedia Irish Language operation across two sites. Achieved by the reallocation of existing resources, audiences will benefit from an improved service. This demonstrates RTÉ’s commitment to the Irish-language, as does the recent introduction of the additional Nuacht TV bulletin on RTÉ News Now which resulted in an extra 26 hours of Irish-language news coverage annually.
“Regions other than Dublin are central to RTÉ’s public service remit, and this announcement comes on foot of the recent opening of the new regional studio in Athlone IT, following similar openings in Waterford and Dundalk. I’d like to pay tribute to all staff involved, whose cooperation in all these initiatives has allowed RTÉ to maintain and even enhance Irish-language and regional coverage at a time of exceptional pressure on resources.”
The restructured Irish-language radio news, and the new online service, will be officially launched by the Director-General of RTÉ, Noel Curran, in RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta in Casla, Co. Galway on Wednesday 17 September.
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