History of RTE news intros/jingles.

Hangdogroad

I wonder does anyone remember pre 1980 RTE news intros and themes? Also i'm curious to know does RTE have them preserved in their archives. The only online examples are off air recordings on youtube, the earliest dating to 1980.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm8gkSjIr2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjGkSnjvc5g

Hangdogroad

I notice as well that there's very little in the way of in studio footage of newsreaders on the RTE Archive. One exception is Maurice O Doherty announcing the death of Dev in 1975. Presumably they kept that due to its historical significance but would I be right in thinking a lot of this would have been junked?

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0828/724192-rte-announces-death-of-eamon-de-valera/

Hangdogroad

The jingle featured first was changed in 1981. Anyone know how long it ran for?

Hangdogroad

Um, anyone?

Elmo

Hangdogroad wrote: »

Um, anyone?

Found they had no interest, emailed them about the fact most footage from their archive have no graphics or titles. Up to the introduction of Six-one I think news music was stock music?

AwaitYourReply

The first person to read the news on Irish television has died in Dublin aged 76.

Charles Gerald Mitchel (1920–1996) is best known as a newsreader on the RTÉ News, a position which he held from 1961 until 1984.

An actor with the Gaiety Theatre for nearly twenty years, he joined Telefís Éireann as the station’s first chief newscaster in 1961 and became a familiar face on RTÉ Television screens.

He slipped easily and naturally into the role of the calm and reliable announcer of great events giving the new television service an authority that was invaluable.

Popular with audiences throughout his career he went on to become the first RTÉ winner of a Jacob’s Award in 1962.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 18 August 1996. The report was compiled by Éamonn Lawlor.

See below video clips
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0811/808561-charles-mitchel-remembered/

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2014/1107/657651-charles-mitchels-final-news-tribute/

AwaitYourReply

Elmo wrote: »

Found they had no interest, emailed them about the fact most footage from their archive have no graphics or titles. Up to the introduction of Six-one I think news music was stock music?

I think some years prior to Six-One News which I think began with Sean Duignan as it's main lead presenter (later Eamonn Lawlor?) you had Newstime on weekdays at 6:01pm and I've a recap of it's intro here:

NEWSTIME (clip from 1987)
presented by: Colm Connolly
newscaster: Emer O'Kelly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVrqBOlfwc

AwaitYourReply

" KillianM2 " over on YouTube.com has some great library footage of things broadcast on Ireland's television screens over the years.

RTE Newsreaders - How many can you name?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVrqBOlfwc

Elmo

AwaitYourReply wrote: »

I think some years prior to Six-One News which I think began with Sean Duignan as it's main lead presenter (later Eamonn Lawlor?) you had Newstime on weekdays at 6:01pm and I've a recap of it's intro here:

NEWSTIME (clip from 1987)
presented by: Colm Connolly
newscaster: Emer O'Kelly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVrqBOlfwc

Similar style to RTÉ News Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgHXxAEARQE

AwaitYourReply

Elmo wrote: »

Similar style to RTÉ News Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgHXxAEARQE

The original incarnation of RTE2 tv, you had NEWSNIGHT late on weeknights which used have news headlines along with a selection of special news reports... mainly taken from ITN/Channel4 News/BBC News and sometimes from further afield like United States and other troubled regions. Some years later (after NEWSNIGHT was axed) RTÉ News decided to establish a full time correspondent in Washington DC which began with Mark Little. A lot of the reports broadcast on RTÉ news programmes like NEWSNIGHT would be voiced-over by various staff members from the RTE Newsroom but were essentially originating from foreign news bureaux. In those days RTÉ News only had full time correspondents based outside the island of Ireland in London & Brussels. If a major event had a strong Irish connection, RTÉ News might parachute a correspondent over to the region in question. NEWSNIGHT presenters on RTE2 included Dermot Mullane, Hugh Moran, Janet Martin, Anna Chisnall. RTE News foreign editor was Andrew Sheppard during this period and for some time afterwards.

When RTE2 tv was rebranded as Network 2 this saw NEWSNIGHT replaced by "Network News" which was like a dumbed down late night news programme if anything from what I recall.

"NEWSNIGHT" was on RTE2 late evenings on weeknights whereas, "NEWSTIME" was the name of RTÉ's Early Evening News on RTÉ 1 at 6:01pm (Mon-Fri) and the slot is now Six-One News. I think NEWSTIME went out from 6:01 and at some point I think you had a segment called "Countrywide" with Peter McNiff/Alasdair Jackson? with reports from Ireland's regions. When Six-One News replaced all this the old "Countrywide" element became what we now know as "Nationwide" as a dedicated programme in it's own right produced by the RTÉ Cork Studios.

Elmo

Network News was pretty much RTÉ News on Network 2, wasn't really until NEWS2 began on N2 that it was dumbed down.

I'd have no problem with a selection of news reports from different parts of the voiced over by RTÉ reporters on late night RTÉ2, it would be better that what they have now. Or even on the news channel.

Marketplace was brought on to Network 2 with Network News, later moving to RTÉ ONE until eventually it became part of Prime Time (or disappeared).

Nationwide was the early 1990s, and according to one story it started out a Micheal Ryan's pet project from his house in Waterford, until it made the move the RTÉ CORK.

AwaitYourReply

Elmo wrote: »

Network News was pretty much RTÉ News on Network 2, wasn't really until NEWS2 began on N2 that it was dumbed down.

I'd have no problem with a selection of news reports from different parts of the voiced over by RTÉ reporters on late night RTÉ2, it would be better that what they have now. Or even on the news channel.

Marketplace was brought on to Network 2 with Network News, later moving to RTÉ ONE until eventually it became part of Prime Time (or disappeared).

Nationwide was the early 1990s, and according to one story it started out a Micheal Ryan's pet project from his house in Waterford, until it made the move the RTÉ CORK.

NEWSNIGHT was more stuffy and high brow with Dermot Mullane & Co. at the helm in comparison to Network News which was almost identical to the rest of RTÉ News over on RTÉ One apart from the Network News studio graphics and signature music! It was dumbed down further in latter years. The original RTE2 tv channel used have programmes like Festival, Opera, Screen International including a lot of imported programmes from BBC & ITV in the UK, various US & Canadian networks , Australia/New Zealand networks. Programmes included Top of the Pops, This Is Your Life, Coronation Street, Tomorrow's World, Whicker's World, A Country Practice, Blankety Blank, Noel Edmond's Late Late Breakfast Show, Jim'll Fix It!, Larry Grayson's Generation Game etc; Some of those programmes may have moved to RTÉ One at a later stage particularly when the Network 2 rebrand first took place back in the late '80's as Network 2 became the home of Sport on RTÉ tv along with programmes aimed at children & youth audiences and young adults.

Yes, Michael Ryan was RTÉ's South-Eastern correspondent for many years and was Nationwide's original sole presenter. I was not aware that Michael had first started the project from his home as it has been with RTÉ Cork for as long as I can remember. Damien Tiernan had taken over from Michael Ryan as South-East correspondent and Damien has since taken up a new broadcasting role outside of RTÉ.

Marketplace if memory serves me correct was about the economy and I think Bryan Dobson was a presenter before switching to Six-One News. I think Bryan may have replaced Eamonn Lawlor as one of the co-presenters of SIX ONE News back in the day. "Prime Time" succeeded as RTÉ's main current affairs programme and had replaced "Today Tonight".

Speaking of the news channel, I spotted it's name changed recently from "RTÉ News Now" to "RTÉ News" channel!

Hangdogroad

Elmo wrote: »

Found they had no interest, emailed them about the fact most footage from their archive have no graphics or titles. Up to the introduction of Six-one I think news music was stock music?

Yes I'd say it was mainly library music.

Elmo

Did they use this intro for RTÉ News or just Nuacht? I can't find a better copy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqcSR2JUNrQ

Elmo

I think it must have only lasted a few months on air, here RTE NEWS with a similar intro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY4u2pY8V5I

Tax The Farmers

"NEWSNIGHT was more stuffy and high brow"

They did place greater emphasis on foreign news (as did Britain's Channel 4) to distinguish itself from its more parochial counterpart on the main channel.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/114838326#Comment_114838326

Yep, the 1992 music is on YouTube. News World by Ronan Hardiman. Although the 1998 copyright date on the video is obviously wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws7NNarPcK8

A variant of the late 80s theme also showed up in a recent video, also used in the ident for a UK cable channel called Cinematel. 11 seconds in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_oLuRsBRkg

Edit: Just found it. Classical Action by Keith Mansfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDyWuoG4pSE