regional irish tv

snaps

i think its about time we have some sort of regional tv here. For example, this morning very bad weather around, lots of my staff looking for infomation on roads, schools, travel etc. I checked rte teletext at 7.45 this morning and it still had yesterdays weather, news and travel on it! What is that all about?

Even the radio coverage from some of the local radio stations are not great, they just go on about the same old thing.

I remember when i lived in the uk, the local BBC county radio station was second to none for local info. They just concentrated with all the local news and travel when the weather was bad in the winter.

Tv3's breakfast show hardly had any coverge of the snow this morning. Thank good I could put sky news on and find out whats open and shut in the UK!!!!!! LOL!!!!!

flogen

Some of us (including you, going by your location) do.

City Channel is regional in Dublin, Galway and Waterford and I'm pretty sure there are one or two other small players in other cities.

The problem is that it's not PSB, which means that news and weather programming are at their absolute minimum, as they need to make way for cheap programming, infomercials and adverts.

I think there's the potential for regional PSB radio under any future DAB network - even just a limited service (like regional news every hour - in the same vein of the BBC TV news, which gives 5 minutes to "the news in your area", which for Irish viewers is Newsline.)
TV though, not likely... someone did mention an RTE News regional opt out that was trialled before though, but never used..

Elmo

Local TV is dreadful.

Just get in your car and go to work.

TV though, not likely... someone did mention an RTE News regional opt out that was trialled before though, but never used..

RTE Cork had an opt out for the second half of Nationwide on Friday nights at one stage. afaik.

Maybe we should just have a weather channel.

superdudeman007

There should be some kind of morning news service on the national channels. Euronews is hardly enough - if there's an atomic blast in Dublin in the morning we'll find out about it from Euronews. Five minutes into their coverage, they'll cut to a segment about an art exhibit in a small Hungarian village.

We're one of the richest countries in the world and our PSB's earliest news bulletin is at 13h00.

work2live

superdudeman007 wrote:

There should be some kind of morning news service on the national channels. Euronews is hardly enough - if there's an atomic blast in Dublin in the morning we'll find out about it from Euronews. Five minutes into their coverage, they'll cut to a segment about an art exhibit in a small Hungarian village.

We're one of the richest countries in the world and our PSB's earliest news bulletin is at 13h00.

I know you must mean on TV, but there is plenty of news produced from RTE radio before 1pm, remember that is funded by the license fee too. I think it is fair to say that a lot more people listen to the radio in the mornings than watch TV?

Besides with an atomic blast in Dublin I wouldn't be holding out much hope of a broadcast from RTE about it. Or should they build an underground bunker for early morning news reports?

You have to look at it from a numbers point of view, whatever you think about how the money is spent, live TV is very expensive to produce at any time and doing it when the there is limited demand for it (in comparison to other times) may not make sense.

Mossy Monk

superdudeman007 wrote:

our PSB's earliest news bulletin is at 13h00.

bull****. listen to Radio 1 for news in the morning if you want news

Elmo

We're one of the richest countries in the world and our PSB's earliest news bulletin is at 13h00.

PSB should not fund Breaky TV also you will find that the earliest News on RTE is at 10.

Oh! now that I look that the TV guide they have got rid of their 10am News.

Strange how this actually doesn't really effect me at all. Thank god I don't watch TV at that time in the morning otherwise I would have missed the news. Wonder if anyone else misses the news now. ??????

Surely it isn't TV3's job to provide morning TV if it's PSB, perhaps they should start producing Prime Time TV instead, espically since we are now one of the richest Countries in the world

Anyway the waste of money that is Breaky TV will hit RTE screens this summer. Such a waste, IMO PSB should be invested in prime time Documentaries, Dramas, News etc.

work2live

not to contradict myself, but I can see the argument for RTE going with a morning show. They are in competition with TV3 for ratings to draw ad buy. Why give them a free run at the mornings? An RTE show could reasonably be expected to halve the market share with TV3 once established.

Live TV is expensive, but a lot of the cost is fixed, studio, cameras, equipment etc etc. The extra staff cost is the only addition, if such a show was reasonably successful the additional advertising could mean it funds itself within a year or so. Also there is a backbone in the News IBD of reporters that aren't tied to radio so it makes sense to get the maximum from the resource...

Don't really subscribe to the above but I can see the argument.

Elmo

Live TV is expensive, but a lot of the cost is fixed, studio, cameras, equipment etc etc. The extra staff cost is the only addition, if such a show was reasonably successful the additional advertising could mean it funds itself within a year or so. Also there is a backbone in the News IBD of reporters that aren't tied to radio so it makes sense to get the maximum from the resource...

I wouldn't say TV3 spend anymore then 8million on Irish TV most of which is LIVE I personally think this is a waste of money for a PSB. (6mill of which is on staffing TV3).

RTE isn't there to compete for Advertising revenue after all it is a "PSB" .

This brings us off topic sorry mods.

watty

Mossy Monk wrote:

bull****. listen to Radio 1 for news in the morning if you want news

I listen on R4LW till RTE Radio 1 get out of bed. August is a bit irratating as RTE lie in for the whole month. Sometimes in August or othertimes I have to use R4 FM on satellite as Beeb occasionally hijack R4LW for Cricket. (They told be they would stop that when they launced Five).

If I'm up really early R4LW is actually BBC World Service Radio. At such time RTE R1 has got raucous music.

DMC

And I for one hope that R4LW still broadcasts cricket, because if radio is ever subjected to DTO, we won't have in-car or portable reception of it.

BTW, watty, the path of Test Match Special onto R4LW was,

1958-1992 Radio 3 MW
1993 Radio 3 FM (to the horror of classical fans)
1994-present Radio 4 LW (to the horror of middle England, but that has subsided)
Since 1999, there has been Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, but as DTO hasn't occurred yet, it will still be on LW for some time to come.

watty

Is radio mannan DRM on Longwave using a Manx or UK alocation.

I can get Five on MW at night sometimes on car radio. LW is amazing though

Richard

watty wrote:

Is radio mannan DRM on Longwave using a Manx or UK alocation.

I can get Five on MW at night sometimes on car radio. LW is amazing though

I wonder if there was a Sirius-style digital satellite radio system in Ireland carrying BBC radio, would it be successful, even at a modest subscription. Certainly Five Live was popular in Athlone for the Premiership comentary even though the reception was dodgy.

watty

Well it's all on Fixed satellite. We have no equivalent service. DAB will be seriously under used. But despite recomentations of RTE staff working on DAB, snr. RTE management have said BBC on DAB over their dead bodies.

RTE should NOT own or control the Networks.

Richard

watty wrote:

snr. RTE management have said BBC on DAB over their dead bodies.

And if I was in their position, I'd probably do the same. Advert-free radio in English from the nearest neighbour. Even a bit of Irish language from Radio Ulster. It would be stiff competition and would cause a dip in listening figures for RTE.

I wonder what the BBC position would be on the availability of RTE on DAB in NI. From a logistical perspective, it may be feasible to have an SFN for the whole island.

watty

Do them good. They are too complacent. People listen to R4 in Car, BBC Radio on Cable and Satellite etc..

RTE Radio1 needs a SERIOUS shakeup.

SCRAP all the music and phone ins on Radio 1 or move them onto RTE Radio 2/ 2FM.

Fill the gap with drama, documentaries, magasine programs. All small change compared with ONE TV series.

The morning news is good, but starts an 1hr late.

The evening news was better before they changed it.

Ulsterman 1690

SCRAP all the music and phone ins on Radio 1 or move them onto RTE Radio 2/ 2FM.

Nope I have a better Idea

RTE Radio One is broadcast terrestrially on two AM (three in Cork) frequencies and at least one FM frequency.

So why not split the frequencies and offer a second (or even a third) service

snr. RTE management have said BBC on DAB over their dead bodies.

How come its okay to have BBC television but not radio in the Republic :rolleyes:

watty

There is 100% coverage of R4LW. Good Satellite coverage of all channels (12?) and plenty of VHF FM coverage in many Areas. I can get R4 VHF FM to Slane on N2, in car.

DMC

R4FM is probably the poorest coverage in NI, due to its low power on 96.0 from Divis. I always wonder why its that way, if you look at the frequency guide in the good old Radio Times, it says in each issue R4FM cannot be heard in some parts of NI.

zilog_jones

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

How come its okay to have BBC television but not radio in the Republic :rolleyes:

Most cable operators offer analogue FM radio stations, although they don't seem to advertise this at all. I get BBC Radio 1-4 and Radio Ulster on Chorus in Limerick. I assume they're on digital cable and MMDS as well?

Ulsterman 1690

R4FM is probably the poorest coverage in NI, due to its low power on 96.0 from Divis. I always wonder why its that way

Because the original frequency plan for Ireland and the UK only envisaged five national FM networks (with 98% coverage) in each country

In England there is no problem BBC R4 uses the 92-95 MHz sub band but in Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland this is mostly taken up with Radio's Scotland/Wales/Ulster and Radio 4 has to fit into the "BBC local radio" sub bands (which also explains why most R4 transmitters outside England are either around 96 or around 103 despite the "92-95 FM" announcments by announcers blisfully unaware of the existance of life outside SE England :rolleyes:

Radio 4 Longwave doesnt really achieve 100% coverage (even though the Daventry/Droitwich LW transmitter was originally intended to give 100% coverage of the entire British Isles) It may have done so in the days of radios with good LW sensetivity, proper outdoor aerials and none of those damn television/computer things (?!?!) spoiling reception but nowadays reception anywhere outside of the English Midlands and East Wales is pretty grotty (having those Synchronised transmitters in Scotland doesnt help)

Ideally the Beeb would up the power on Droitwich to at least 2000 MW but cost and the fact that both 198 and 225 allocations are shared with Poland means it will never happen (unless the UK and Poland can agree to both countries having exclusive use to one of the channels each)

watty

Probably Radio Ulster is using the original R4 FM allocation.

TVs, "energy saver lamps" and ESB power cables are the main R4 LW killers.

I have a Sony ICF2001D in bedroom in Limerick, fairly perfect R4 LW except dawn/dusk (skywave/groundwave interference period?). All the car radios ever, I have had are OK nationwide on R4LW, but as you go west from east coast, you reach a point where going under EVERY ESB line crossing road wipes reception.

The cheap 20 year old LED clock radio is usable on R4LW, but nothing as good as as the Sony.

RTE R1 LW is audible in the backgound in quiet passages now in Limerick (not in Dublin) on the car , it wasn't when it was 1st on the air. Not detectible on the Sony ICF2001D.

If I connect 66ft wire to my Racal Syncal 30/Grinel TR48 HF transeiver or the Yaesu FT817 multiband transiever I can get R4LW fine, Those sets have no rod aerial. A homemade external 4" ferrite rod with tuning capacitor and FET works fine for 252 but poor on R4LW for the communications transeivers.

I made a LW 198 only radio fitted into a real match box with soldered in AAA cell (6 or 7 transistors) and no on/off. Batter lasted about 3 months and it was OK everywhere for R4, as much as car radio.

Ulsterman 1690

watty wrote:

Probably Radio Ulster is using the original R4 FM allocation..

Thats what I said

watty wrote:

I have a Sony ICF2001D in bedroom in Limerick, fairly perfect R4 LW except dawn/dusk (skywave/groundwave interference period?)

Yes but in the real world how many people own a Sony ICF2001D (Of course come the revolution.....:D ) Radio Four is auidable across the British Isles (and beyond) on LW but on your average radio it is only recievable well in Central England/East Wales

The cheap 20 year old LED clock radio is usable on R4LW, but nothing as good as as the Sony.

All other things being equal the older the radio the better its LW performance is likely to be.

RTE R1 LW is audible in the backgound in quiet passages now in Limerick (not in Dublin) on the car .

,
Could be Ionospheric mixing (What used to be known as "the Luxembourg effect") Atlantic 252 (the previous occupants of the frequency) used to regularly be heard in the background on Radio 4 (not to mention on telephone lines)

DMC

Back in the day, there was one particular phone box in Kells that had Atlantic 252 on the other end of the line

L1011

DMC wrote:

Back in the day, there was one particular phone box in Kells that had Atlantic 252 on the other end of the line

We had it WAY worse here in Maynooth - the entire north side of the town had Atlantic 252 By Telephone around dusk

zilog_jones

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

All other things being equal the older the radio the better its LW performance is likely to be.

Older radios are more likely to actually have LW too. The only things I can think of in the house with an LW tuner is my brother's CD player and our old twin cassette stereo yoke from the 80s which has been relegated to a cupboard in the garage (great for Atlantic 252 back in the day ). Besides my car, that's it. 3 hi-fis, a small radio, 3 radio alarm clocks - no LW

Kinda makes you wonder why RTÉ even bothered putting Radio One on 252

watty

To utilise the Frequency. UK marketing. It will change to DRM. Though radios in shops with DRM are thin on ground.

Anyone seen one? Even a combo?

All this proliferation. You need a lot of boxes now, Worldspace, DAB, DRM, MF-AM, VHF-FM, and the proposed European mobile satellite a little bit like USA Sirus/XM .

Foggy43

The one the enthusiasts are waiting for still has not been released. The Sangean (Roberts) DRM40 release has been put back again. Now it will be Mid 2007. The BBC had them down for release Christmas 2005.
I'm sure I read somewhere there are problems getting it approved with the relevant authorities.

Watty! Perhaps I should venture up Tottenham Court Road and see whats in stock.

watty

Hmm in the 60s it was something ... I got there in 1977 and all Asian clothes sellers. The ex WD radio gold all gone. Henry's a shadow of it's self. I was in Peats ion Dublin once in 1971. Not great then, but I hear now it all PC neon mod lamps and such tosh.

Nowadays search Alibaba.com
http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?CatId=&Type=&IndexArea=product_en&Country=&SearchText=Digital+Radio

L1011

Petes isn't THAT bad, thankfully a lot of the consumer crap is moved off to the two "high profile" stores (blanch and dame street), but the stock and staffing sure as hell isn't what it used to be. Still one of the sole retailers for high end gear, first place in Ireland to have Euro1080 stuff on public display YEARS back, etc.

Foggy43

:eek: :eek: :eek: I think it will be a lot quicker to go to Tottenham Court Road...............

Makes I have never heard off and thousands of them!

Antenna

DMC wrote:

BTW, watty, the path of Test Match Special onto R4LW was,

1958-1992 Radio 3 MW
1993 Radio 3 FM (to the horror of classical fans)

I recall that controversy in 1993 (BBC Radio 3's AM network was discontinued and the cricket, which it carried, had to be accommodated elsewhere). The BBC didn't want to put the cricket on LW then as Radio 4 on FM was still being rolled-out outside England, and so would result in many listeners unable to hear the regular R4 output. It was surprising that they didn't put the cricket on BBC Radio 1's AM network - it would also have been a convenient ploy to get Radio 1 listeners still on AM to switch to FM, as didn't BBC Radio 1 have their AM switch off the following year?