RTÉ’s cutbacks at Nuacht a threat to TG4’s ‘súil eile’

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

Súil eile; another eye, a different perspective. It’s TG4’s motto, its ethos. It means different things to different people but fundamentally súil eile encapsulates the Irish language television channel’s raison d’être.

TG4, in order to carve out a niche, and to distinguish itself from the pre-existing public service broadcaster, had to be more than just the Irish language version of RTÉ.

To achieve the distinction, TG4 created its unique identity in the eyes of viewers, through commissioning brilliant original documentaries, like Laochra Gael and Fíorsceál, and buying in quirky or edgy ratings hits like Nip/Tuck and Oz.

It showed Westerns or ‘cowboy’ movies, but also showcased original, Irish-produced content from travel (Manchán Magan) to unusual dating (Paisean Faisean). Sport is another big selling point. It brought Wimbledon back into terrestrial-TV-only homes; it has contributed to the exponential growth in popularity of women’s Gaelic Games; and it has been innovative in how it presents and analyses live sport – mid-game interviews with rugby coaches, just one example of this.

Different perspectives are a feature of TG4’s news and current affairs output, too.

Obviously, what’s considered news in English is news in Irish too, but Nuacht TG4 covers different stories than RTÉ, and covers the same stories differently; a súil eile.

That unique selling point is now under threat – from RTÉ.

Many viewers are unaware that Nuacht, which is broadcast on TG4 daily at 7pm, is supplied to TG4 by RTÉ. As of mid-May, RTÉ cutbacks will limit the camera crew available to Nuacht on Saturdays and Sundays, and also on Tuesdays.

RTÉ said this was to reduce duplication but it erodes the editorial independence of Nuacht. It means that, on those days, editorial decisions for Nuacht will be dictated by the bigwigs in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, because if there’s a scarcity of cameras, RTÉ will take precedence.

So what’s the practical implication of this?

Say, for example, a well-known Irish writer died in Dublin at the weekend. Nuacht would want an obituary but because it wouldn’t really register with the English news, it wouldn’t be done.

Weekend stories from Gealtachtaí in Ráth Chairn in Meath and An Rinn in Waterford would almost definitely be ruled out under the new regime. Even covering stories relevant to the Conamara Gaeltacht, which need clips of Galway West politicians, who may still be in Dublin, wouldn’t be possible.

What the cuts could lead to is more TV reports with file footage and without talking heads; less content unique to Nuacht, and more reports that are just a translation of the English news.

Nuacht reporters are the guinea pigs for RTÉ innovations, such as self-editing. And yet the Nuacht is always first in the firing line for cuts, the low-hanging fruit.

A load of people in RTÉ in Dublin need reminding that they get the licence fee in part because of the Irish language. They don’t get State support for commercially viable shows like the Late Late Show. They have duties and commitments under the Broadcasting Act.

It’s time RTÉ stopped trying to downgrade Nuacht to a translation service at weekends, by poking its ‘súil eile’ out.

(Photo: The Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Michael D Higgins, and Connemara based film maker Bob Quinn, at the official opening of Telefis na Gaeltachta).
This is a shortened preview version of Bradley Bytes. To read more, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.