Sky News Ireland starts May 10th

mickeyboymel

Any word of the nightly opt out from Sky News which is due to start early this year,
When is it due to start or have they recruited presenters, found studios etc yet.

Mossy Monk

i believe it will be sometime in January when it begins

Lisa Burke will be involved from London and they have studios a few minutes from the Dáil

not a whole lot has been released about it

thejuggler

Just read this headline on Ireland.com. Don't have subscription so can't reprint full story but if someone else does it would be most helpful.

Big loss for TV3 if its true

aodh_rua

TV3 news anchor Ms Gráinne Seoige has been named as the presenter of the nightly bulletins on Sky News Ireland when it begins later this year.


Ms Seoige, from Spiddal, Co Galway, has been one of TV3's main newsreaders since the station's inception in 1998.


A former TG4 news anchor, she has also presented the breakfast show Ireland AM and the weekly current affairs programme 20/20.

The Sky News Ireland service will be available to the two-thirds of Irish households who receive their TV through cable or satellite, while the 300,000 Sky digital subscribers will be able to see a continuous loop of the programme throughout the night on Sky News Active.

[from ireland.com]

DMC

!

thejuggler

Thanks aodh_rua!

GerardKeating

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
i believe it will be sometime in January when it begins

Lisa Burke will be involved from London and they have studios a few minutes from the Dᩬ

not a whole lot has been released about it

Well, they just announced Grainne Seoige will present it

carryo

Originally posted by mickeyboymel
Any word of the nightly opt out from Sky News which is due to start early this year,
When is it due to start or have they recruited presenters, found studios etc yet.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is this nightly opt-out and how could I get it?

speedfreak

Ireland's main news presenter eh...?!

Sky News recruits Ireland’s top news anchor

Sky News today (Thursday 8 January, 2004) announced that it has recruited Ireland’s main news anchor, Gráinne Seoige. Gráinne will present the nightly bulletins on Sky News Ireland, Sky News’ Irish news service, when it launches in Spring 2004.

One of Ireland’s highest-profile news presenters with more than eight years experience in broadcasting news, Gráinne will join Sky News from TV3 where she currently anchors its nightly bulletins as well as producing, writing and presenting updates throughout the day. Gráinne has also presented Ireland’s only breakfast programme, Ireland AM, and the weekly current affairs programme 20/20.


Prior to TV3 News, Gráinne anchored Teilifís na Gaeilge’s (now TG4) nightly news bulletin from its launch in 1996 through to 1998.


Nick Pollard, Head of Sky News, said: “Gráinne is a first class journalist and anchor. Her authority and experience presenting nightly news bulletins made her the perfect choice to launch Sky News’ new Irish service. We are delighted to have her on board.”


Mark Deering, Director, Sky Ireland, added: "Recruiting Gráinne underlines Sky Ireland's commitment to offering quality programming and choice to Irish viewers."


Sky News Ireland’s nightly bulletins, to be presented by Gráinne, will start in the Spring. Over two-thirds of all households in Ireland will receive the new Sky News service via cable/MMDS or satellite.


In addition, the 300,000 Sky digital subscribers in Ireland - as well as seven million subscribers in the UK - will be able to see a continuous loop of the programme throughout the night through Sky News Active by pressing the red button on the remote control.

Ends


Note to editors:

Sky News is continuing to recruit for its Irish news bureau. These appointments, as well as the timing of Sky News Ireland’s nightly news bulletins, and the launch date, will be announced over the coming months. Gráinne’s biography is below.

For further information please contact:

Stella Tooth 020 7800 4289/07802 754877

Justine Bower 020 7800 4341

07801 678382



Gráinne Seoige

Sky News Ireland Anchor


Gráinne Seoige will join Sky News as the launch anchor for its Irish news service from TV3, where she currently anchors the evening bulletins.


One of Ireland’s highest-profile and most well respected news personalities, Gráinne has more than eight years experience anchoring nightly news programmes as well as reporting, producing and editing bulletins.


Gráinne joined TV3 in 1998, when it launched. She anchors TV3 News’ bulletins at 5.30pm, 6.30pm and News Tonight, as well as producing, writing and presenting news updates throughout the day. She has also presented Ireland's only breakfast programme, Ireland AM.


Prior to TV3 News Gráinne anchored Teilifís na Gaeilge’s (now TG4) nightly 10pm news bulletin from 1996, when it launched, until 1998.


Gráinne is the only news anchor to have presented the first news bulletins on two terrestrial stations – TV3 and TG4. She was named the Most Stylish Person at this year's Irish Film and Television awards and was a nominee for the Best TV Personality of the Year award 2003.


Educated at Mercy Convent, Spiddal, County Galway, Gráinne graduated with honours in English, Sociology and Political Science from University College Galway before completing a Higher Diploma in Applied Communications for Television and Radio.


In her spare time Gráinne follows Premiership Football and GAA, runs regularly and practices Pilates. She is also involved in fundraising for four charities that provide cancer and hospice care as well as services for the homeless. Gráinne is married and has a ten year-old son.

celticfc

Originally posted by carryo
Excuse my ignorance, but what is this nightly opt-out and how could I get it?

Here's the thread about it from a few months ago & here's the news story about it from the ICDG site.

LegacyUser

Not a bad move, rumoured to be 100k per annum (well, she was getting 75k from TV3).

icdg

Already a thread about this in the Broadcasting forum...

Thread closed.

DMC

Um... I have merged it with the existing one..

spongebob

Rumour has is that TV3 are headhunting in TG4 again.......

Capt'n Midnight

Finally SKY are providing Irish content, BBC going FTA must be getting to them

sceptre

Originally posted by Muck
Rumour has is that TV3 are headhunting in TG4 again.......

Apart from The Other Seoige, who else is there that they might poach?

Mind you they'll need someone to do the voiceover on their tiny daily Irish-language output (noimead amhain, probably lasts a minute, I've never timed it) now.

carryo

Thank you celticfc for the link.

patrickmooney

According to the Sunday Independent, SKY are no longer going head to head with the RTÉ 9PM news, instead opting for a TV3 style, 30min broadcast at 8:30pm and 9:30pm.

SKY TV is planning all-out war on RTE this year when it launches a news service aimed at beating the State broadcaster's often moribund coverage of Irish affairs.

The challenge to RTE's news service, regularly criticised for ideological bias, is not being underestimated at Montrose. Sky plans to launch two half-hour Irish news bulletins from its new studios off St Stephen's Green in Dublin, the Sunday Independent has learned.

However, Sky has astutely decided against a head-to-head confrontation with RTE's main news bulletin. Sky's bulletins, which will be anchored by glamorous news professional Grainne Ni Seoige, will be broadcast before and after RTE's staidflagship Nine O'Clock News.In the process, Sky hopes to take a substantial slice of advertising revenue from State-subsidised Montrose.

Sky and the commercial station TV3 believe that RTE is keeping its advertising revenues artificially low to make the Irish market unprofitable for competitors.

Because it receives nearly €100m from TV licence fees - increased again this year - RTE can afford to keep its rates at about half those charged for certain slots by British commercial stations.

However, Sky, along with TV3, pitches its advertising rates at a percentage below RTE to attract new business for its "opt out" slots, slots which are broadcast only to Irish subscribers.

DMC

Originally posted by patrickmooney
"RTE's news service, regularly criticised for ideological bias"

Roffle, only by the Sindo themselves.

The Sunday Independent, always looking for an broadcasting story so it can have a shot at RTÉ.

rlogue

Actually RTÉ's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is absolutely biased in favour of the Palestinians.

An example - A palestinian suicide bomber struck in Israel just before Christmas with the usual carnage. RTÉ devoted something like 40 seconds to reporting that incident. However in the same bulletin they sent Richard Crowley to do a lengthy piece in Bethlehem showing how Palestinian traders were suffering under Israeli occupation.

I'm not denegrating how much the ordinary Palestinians are suffering, and they are suffering - however Israelis are not given nearly the same amount of coverage on RTÉ.

The BBC (although the Israelis complain of Bias from them) are much fairer in their coverage and actually speak to Israelis on camera, something rarely done by RTÉ.

DMC

Good points, but I think here, this is more a case of RTÉ having a pre-recorded piece by their own reporter and a story that had occured earlier in the day and had to use Eurovision feeds to report from Dublin on that news.

Worthy of a line to the news editor?

Genghis

Grainne Seoige has a 10 year old son???? I thought she only married last year, and that she was only about 27.

Am looking forward to the Sky news service - and two bulletins each side of 9pm makes better sense. 8.30 is a good time for news, after the soaps etc, 9.30 good if you missed RTE, and both slots break the gap in news shows between TV3's 6.30 to 7pm slot and the nine o'clock news, and the nine o'clock news and TV3s / Network 2s offerings later in the evening. Also, going against RTE direct would not have made a lot of sense - apparently one particular edition of it was the fourth most watched programme last year.

Anyone any idea of how much resources Sky will put in to this on the ground - I hear there will be a staff of 20, how would this compare to (say) TV3? I guess they will be putting an Irish spin on some of their UK / Northern Ireland / world reports, but I wonder will any of the Irish reports ever make it on to the UK version - particularly in the hour long bulletins.

Mossy Monk

maybe not on the main programmes unless it is something major. but another good thing is that it will be available all night on SNA

icdg

Don't know if those 8:30pm and 9:30pm slots should be taken as set in stone, wait for a Sky press release... offically, the word is still 9pm, but unoffically that seems to have been ruled out for now. I would think they would want at least one of the opt-outs at top of the hour anyway rather than at a half-past slot, but anyways...

There is confusion as to whether or not there will be a second anchor as previously announced. Also as to whether it will come from Dublin, Millbank, or (unlikely)Iselworth. There was talk of it being a double header between Dublin and Millbank, but that's unlikely if Seoige is sole anchor. The weather (and sports?) will come from Iselworth, as Lisa Burke is already selected as weather presenter and she is based there.

sceptre

Originally posted by Genghis
Grainne Seoige has a 10 year old son???? I thought she only married last year, and that she was only about 27.

Correct on all of those, age must be roughly correct.

LegacyUser

Think she's closer to 30, she was a year behind my 31 year old friend in school.

Her son is from a previous relationship.

carryo

Sky News Eire is now available. This can be added to Other Channels by:
Services -> 4. System Setup -> 4. Add Channels
Enter 12.207 for Frequency
Enter V for Polarisation
Enter 27500 for Symbol Rate
Enter 2/3 for FEC
-> Press Find Channels
-> Select Sky News (Eire)
-> Press the Yellow button to store the channel
-> Press Select to save selection

I have not watched the channel much yet so I don't now if they are already broadcasting customised news. (Probably not or they would be promoting it heavily.)

Sky News Active does not work on this channel yet either.

mickeyboymel

This has always been there and is used by cable operaters as it does not carry the interactive stuff and has the original Sky analog text......its exactly the same otherwise as what you get on 501 on an Irish subscription.

celticfc

Looks like Sky have been doing yet more recruiting from TV3, but haven't stopped there this time, they've also got RTÉ's Ray Kennedy, TG4's Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile & Jonathan Healy from FM104.


From Sky News Centre :

SKY News has moved more clouds on to TV3’s horizon after poaching another two well-known faces from its rival to join Grainne Seoige on its new Irish news service.

The latest pair to defect from TV3 are early morning news anchor Brian Daly, currently hosting the station’s breakfast TV programme, Ireland AM, and roving reporter Jerome Hughes.

Other new signings announced by Sky yesterday are RTÉ reporter Ray Kennedy who was also a former TV3 anchor; TG4 news mainstay, Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile, and a new face to television, Jonathan Healy, currently head of news at Dublin radio station, FM104.

mickeyboymel

According to the Skynewscentre website ( quoting from the Evening Hearld) it looks set for a launch on May 8, broadcasting halfhourly bulletins between 7-10 pm nightly initially.

This site however has been wrong in the past, also Sat seems an odd day to launch?

patrickmooney

Well here we are; the date is set!!

From Monday, 10 May 2004, Sky News Ireland will broadcast twice-nightly bulletins at 7pm and 10pm.

The half-hour bulletins, anchored by Gráinne Seoige, will cover news, sport and weather across the country. At weekends a ‘Review of the Week’ will be shown at 7pm and 10pm.

Sky New Ireland has assembled a team of high-profile journalists to deliver the bulletins, including correspondents Ray Kennedy and Brian Daly, as well as West of Ireland bureau chief Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile and video-journalists Jerome Hughes and Jonathan Healy. The team will work closely with Sky News’ bureau in Northern Ireland, staffed by David Blevins and Gary Honeyford.

Gráinne Seogie said: “This is an extremely exciting time for the team. Everyone on board is very talented and dedicated to delivering a first-rate news service to our viewers.”

Sky News Ireland’s first bulletin will be at 7pm on Monday 10 May. Over two-thirds of all households in Ireland will receive the new Sky News service via cable/MMDS or satellite.

Sky digital viewers - nearly a quarter of all homes in Ireland as well as seven million subscribers in the UK - will be able to see a continuous loop of the programme from 7.30pm (updated at 10.30pm) throughout the night via Sky News Active by pressing the red button on the remote control.

· Sky News Ireland launches 10 May 2004 · The bulletins will be at 7pm and 10pm · Sky News Active will show the bulletins daily at 7.30pm and 10.30pm through to 6am the following day. The ‘Review of the Week’ will also be available via Sky News Active Sky News Ireland will be holding a pre-launch press conference, and unveiling the set, on Thursday 6 May.

Go Figure!

Great News, Where did you get this article from?

patrickmooney

From the Sky Publicity site http://www.skypublicity.co.uk/press_n.asp?rel=660

celticfc

Great news, lookin' forward to it.

mickeyboymel

Sounds good, wounder what the set will look like.

Genghis

This stoy gets a mention in todays Times, along with a photoshoot of the non-male members of the team. I am looking forward to the occassion, I must say.

They'll give TV3 a run for their money with those times, directly up against their 7pm slot, and beating them with the late evening news (with the added bonus that it will be at a fixed time every night - not like TV3 where it can start anytime between 10.00 and 11.15).

icdg

TV3 moved their 7pm slot to 6:30pm a long time ago, so 7pm is a good time to go out. Those of us in late could do with an Irish news bulliten at that time...

Elmo

TV3 moved their 7pm slot to 6:30pm a long time ago, so 7pm is a good time to go out. Those of us in late could do with an Irish news bulliten at that time...

Yes indeed but I still feel that TV3's news bullets look like they are pre recorded for the 6:30 and 11pm slots with edits from the 5:30 news. I hope I am wrong about this.

Also Nuacht tg4 Ag a 7 gach la.

Will it be available on NTL/Chours Analogue?

Originally posted by Elmo

Will it be available on NTL/Chours Analogue?

I would say so yes as they use the Sky "Éire" feed ie the one with the Irish adds.
It's possible that it might have a sky news active screen of it's own, but dunno about that.
If it did , it would save the ex pats the bother of tuning it in under other channels on their digiboxes.

father_ted9t9

Originally posted by Elmo
Yes indeed but I still feel that TV3's news bullets look like they are pre recorded for the 6:30 and 11pm slots with edits from the 5:30 news. I hope I am wrong about this.

TV3's 3 Bulletins are live, although the weather for news tonight is pre-recorded at 9pm

doh.ie

Earthman wrote:

"I would say so yes as they use the Sky "Éire" feed ie the one with the Irish adds.
It's possible that it might have a sky news active screen of it's own, but dunno about that. If it did , it would save the ex pats the bother of tuning it in under other channels on their digiboxes."

I think it will be on its own Active screen. This month's Sky Magazine says that it will be "available to viewers in the Republic of Ireland and the UK"...

Short of adding a 502 (ROI) in UK and a 502 (UK) in Ireland (what would be the point?!), the only way of making this available to UK audiences would be through Sky News Active.

Of course, they can tune in the (inappropriately named) "Sky News Eire", but Sky tend not to highlight Other Channels, or publish details of how to tune those in, so Active seems like a sure bet for UK viewers, at least from 7pm daily until early in the morning (up to 5am-ish).

Elmo

TV3's 3 Bulletins are live, although the weather for news tonight is pre-recorded at 9pm

Yeah thought there was something funny about the way Martin King disappeared before the end of the 11 show.

I would say so yes as they use the Sky "Éire" feed ie the one with the Irish adds.

MTV and Nick have stopped using Eire AND are now using Ireland, I hope it will be know as Sky News Ireland. É i don't know if they be able for the Fada. lol.

eirebhoy

I got my Sky magazine today and it says that Sky News Ireland will be launching on May 10th. This is from skynewscentre.co.uk

Sky News Ireland
From Monday, 10 May 2004, Sky News Ireland will broadcast twice-nightly bulletins at 7pm and 10pm.

The half-hour bulletins, anchored by Gráinne Seoige, will cover news, sport and weather across the country.
At weekends a ‘Review of the Week’ will be shown at 7pm and 10pm.

Sky News Ireland will be holding a pre-launch press conference, and unveiling the set, on Thursday 6 May.

It said that it will be available to viewers in the UK and Ireland, will it be on the main screen or Sky active?

JBoyle4eva

For us in Ireland, it's on the main screen. However, to watch it in Uk, you'll have to watch it on Sky news Active! Hope this helps!

doh.ie

Originally posted by Elmo

MTV and Nick have stopped using Eire AND are now using Ireland, I hope it will be know as Sky News Ireland. É i don't know if they be able for the Fada. lol. [/B]

Yeah, it seems the 'Ireland' name is finally taking hold among UK companies (thank God). But the transponder name still says "Eire" (maybe the software can't handle the fada), so it'd be nice for completeness if they ditch the term there as well.

Hmmm
Sky seem to be cranking up their Dublin based machinery and giving it a bit of a test run.
I've seen former TV3/RTÉ presenter Ray Kennedy reporting live on Sky news from the high court on the Cranberries Nanny case.

mickeyboymel

I notice the Sky News Active Vote service has been reinstated and is up and running again on Irish Subscription Cards.

Just tested it and yes its working!

Greenman

Not a big fan of $ky News but will be watching the Irish version!!!!:)

mickeyboymel

We had the first ever live broadcast from the new studios this morning just after 8, when Adam Boulton did a link, discussing yesterdays shenanigans in Dublin.

He went on to boast about breaking a world record as being the first ever to broadcast from the new studios.

The Sunday show was subsequently broadcast from the new studios at 10am, and apart from a few technical glitches with the talkback from the satellite links being heard (slightly delayed) over air, it all looked well.

For those who were so concerned about the name, it is called Sky News Ireland,and the trailers are now being shown on the hour on Sky News.

Tried to post at the time but boards were down.

DMC

Just wondering, is this going to be shown on a 32-county basis? I know that British viewers will be able to look at it through SNA, but are Sky News planning to show Sky News Ireland as shown in south to the six counties?

Elmo

Ok I just cann't wait to see the news bulitens at 7 and 10.

I can see them now

SKY FLASH: Sky Ireland's New News Service
Opened by the Irish PM

SKY FLASH: 700,000 Viewers have access to Sky in ROI
Sky Digital has 250,000 Irish Customers

SKY FLASH: New service will cost Sky €5,000,000 per year
HOW MUCH TO WE MAKE PER YEAR FROM IRELAND?
A **** LOAD.