Trust between TG4 and 2020 queried in email

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column by Dara Bradley

Irish language television station, TG4, was a broadcast media partner of Galway 2020, the company set up to deliver the European Capital of Culture (ECOC).

Relations between TG4 and Galway 2020 appeared to strain a little last year, however.

Staff from TG4 held a ‘speed-dating’ event, during which projects due to happen in 2020 were pitched to programme producers and television execs, who could then plan what parts of the ECOC programme they would include in their schedules.

This event was held last year but according to records released to this newspaper through Freedom of Information (FOI) it may not have gone ahead at all.

On the eve of the speed-dating event, Denise McDonagh, Digital Programme Manager at Galway 2020, sent an email to TG4 requesting that staff at the television station sign a confidentiality agreement or NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

By signing the agreement, she said, it would allow Galway 2020 to share its “WIP plans” or ‘Work in Progress’, so that the two organisations could “work together to plan content”.

The Connemara-based TV station was not best-pleased with this request to sign the NDA; certainly not judging by the response from Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, the then communications manager with TG4, and a former Sinn Féin senator who was critical of Galway 2020 in his days in the Seanad.

“I have to say it came very much out of the blue. We have been discussing the event for quite a while and it was never mentioned previously. I am concerned for what it says about the level of trust G2020 has for our team and also for the very short notice given to consider it.

“I have passed it on to our legal person for their opinion on it,” was Trevor’s initial response to the request for the non-disclosure agreement to be signed.

Denise moved to limit the damage, firstly by apologising for sending the NDA “out of the blue”. “We should have spoken to you in advance and I take responsibility for that not happening,” she said.

“The NDA is in no way a reflection of the trust we have for the team at TG4. We very much value the open and constructive relationship we have developed with the team there. The NDA is a standard form we use with all partners . . . but we should have discussed it with you in advance of sending it,” added Denise.

The NDA was tweaked, at the behest of TG4’s legals; and a subsequent email, also released under FOI, said the situation was “all sorted”.
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