Is RTE Gold about to go FM?

alzer100

It would be nice to see Gold get an extension at least until July.

Even if it meant RTE closing its DAB network, they could keep the station streaming online as I think most people listen via the internet/radio player apps etc.

Let's just hope RTE management rethink their decision within this time.

ford fiesta

RTE Gold on Radio 1 hours cut this weekend also...due to Doc on One aired. Rick o shea starts at 3.30 today. Looks like its back to normal next week 2 to 6pm on Sat at least.

AwaitYourReply

ford fiesta wrote: »

RTE Gold on Radio 1 hours cut this weekend also...due to Doc on One aired. Rick o shea starts at 3.30 today. Looks like its back to normal next week 2 to 6pm on Sat at least.

I was surprised that the "Doc on One" was not scheduled from 2pm on Sat/Sun prior to this when the sport was first pulled as they have a huge library and it usually airs when Saturday with Cormac is off air during holiday periods.

Sunday Sport (understandably with no live sport) on RTÉ Radio 1 from 2:00-4:00pm seems to be the new normal every Sunday for the foreseeable future. Gold on Radio 1 with Will Leahy frm 4:00-6:00pm.

I wonder if there was reaction in some quarters in RTÉ about not covering sports-related stories from a Coronavirus angle in a dedicated regular slot outside of brief sportsnews bulletins. NewsTalk 106-108 is still putting on "Off The Ball" on weeknights despite the live sports drought AFAIK.

BBC/itv/Channel 4 will have a whole summer of reminiscing with vintage footage of past sporting events/occasions as they need to plug all the gaps with no Match of the Day, no World Snooker from the Crucible Sheffield, no Aintree Grand National Racing, no Formula One racing, no French Open Tennis, no European Football Championships until 2021, no Wimbledon Tennis championships, no Summer Olympic Games from Tokyo until 2021 and many other events not referenced here. I think Tour de France has been scheduled to start around end of July which surprised me as these are very early days in the crisis and what about crowd lining parts of the routes in previous years!

ford fiesta

I get a feeling with more sport in the news and Phase 1 of the country reopening, Rick on 2 to 6 Saturday will be cut to 2 hours next weekend, or the weekend after... for Saturday Sport to return.

alzer100

Well look I suppose it was inevitable, Rick O'Shea's 2-6pm Saturday slot simulcast on RTE Radio 1 next Saturday is the last one. I am genuinely keeping my fingers crossed for the station's future...

Damian F

Elmo posted over on the broadcasting forum that RTE have now formally requested premission from the department to close the digital radio stations, he did not give a source for this information.

lengon

Damian F wrote: »

Elmo posted over on the broadcasting forum that RTE have now formally requested premission from the department to close the digital radio stations, he did not give a source for this information.

Which forum Damian?

Damian F

lengon wrote: »

Which forum Damian?

Here https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057497434/28

alzer100

It seems a bit weird though as according to Wikipedia, the proposed closure was April 2020 and I know that this was before the events of COVID19.
I had written to Richard Bruton's department earlier in the year expressing my dissatisfaction with RTE's decision to close RTE Gold. I received a response that I had anticipated. However it is true that his department did say that they would have to approve any discontinuation of any of RTE's services.
I would have assumed that RTE had applied and received approval from his department to close it's digital services already as it had even(and according to some of these forums) a specific closedown date. I would have thought that RTE would now be able to cease it's digital services at its discretion.
Open to be corrected as always.

lengon

Damian F wrote: »

Here https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057497434/28

Thanks.