Prime Time (Irish TV programme)

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Prime Time
RTÉ News and Current Affairs
Directed byKevin O'Connell
Presented by
Country of originRepublic of Ireland
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersIsabel Perceval, Sally Anne Godson, John Cunningham, Philip Gallagher, Lucinda Glynn, Aaron Heffernan
Production locationsRTÉ Television Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin
EditorRichard Downes
Running time40 minutes
Original release
NetworkRTÉ One
Release17 September 1992 (1992-09-17) –
present
Related
  • Today Tonight
  • Prime Time Investigates
  • Claire Byrne Live
  • The Frontline
  • Questions and Answers

Prime Time is an Irish current affairs television programme airing on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights (following the RTÉ Nine O'Clock News).

First broadcast on

RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Pat Kenny soon left RTÉ. Later the Monday slot which had been The Frontline was again split from Prime Time; Claire Byrne
left to present the newly branded Claire Byrne Live programme in that slot.

Format

Ireland's current affairs and major societal issues are dealt with, often with politicians, journalists, commentators and industry representatives giving their views live in the studio or via satellite link-up from RTÉ's regional studios and abroad. Two to three stories tend to be covered, with a pre-recorded piece from a reporter followed by a studio discussion. Sometimes the full programme will be devoted to one topic, and may consist entirely of an in-depth documentary piece or investigation from a single reporter. Extended or additional editions are broadcast on occasions such as a general election or resulting from major international events, such as the November 2015 Paris attacks. Typically there is no audience attendance, although during these special editions audience involvement and attendance may be included.

History

Early years

Prime Time in its original format began on Thursday 17 September 1992, replacing

Network 2
, would occupy the Wednesday slot and would deal with financial matters, industrial relations, public affairs and business. Prime Time would round off the week's current affairs programming on Thursday evenings.

Cardinal Secrets

clerical abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese being set up; the Murphy Report was published in 2009.[2]

Reynolds defamation

A spin-off series, Prime Time Investigates, used to be shown on Monday nights in short seasons of four to six episodes, featuring

Director-General of RTÉ Noel Curran admitted the broadcasting of "Mission to Prey" was "one of the gravest editorial mistakes ever made" at RTÉ.[6]

PTI was officially cancelled by RTÉ director-general Noel Curran on 4 April 2012.[7] RTÉ was fined €200,000 by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) as a result of the defamation of Fr Kevin Reynolds following what the BAI said were serious breaches of the Broadcasting Act 2009.[8][9] Its report found that "Second-hand repetition of gossip appears to have been treated as corroboration, as Ms Kavanagh did not appear to have met or questioned colleagues who according to the primary source, were aware of the allegations".[10] Aoife Kavanagh resigned from RTÉ on 4 May 2012.[11]

Meath East by-election debate

On 25 March 2013, a Prime Time television debate held ahead of the 2013 Meath East by-election featured the candidates from the four parties RTÉ perceived to be the front-runners: Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. Excluded were all other candidates, including the Green Party and Workers' Party candidates, as well as Direct Democracy Ireland's Ben Gilroy, who would finish fourth, ahead of Labour.

Workers' Party candidate Seamus McDonagh said the Prime Time editor had no "consistent criteria" for this decision, and criticised the lack of an invitation to even sit in the audience despite having, he said, the support of several TDs including Richard Boyd Barrett, John Halligan, Finian McGrath and Thomas Pringle. DDI's Ben Gilroy said RTÉ "just basically ignored us completely."[12]

Enda Kenny interview

Taoiseach Enda Kenny used Prime Time to submit to a rare live television interview on 19 February 2015.[13] RTÉ delayed the much anticipated interview for an episode of British soap opera EastEnders that was broadcasting scenes live to celebrate 30 years on air. RTE had planned to show the episode before the following days episode as an hour long episode. However, the BBC had not made international broadcasters aware of the significance of the episode in the Who Killed Lucy? storyline. RTE decided to broadcast the episode and Prime Time followed the programme.[14]

Presenters

Prime Time is currently presented by

Miriam O'Callaghan, Sarah McInerney and Fran McNulty.[15][16]

Former presenters
Current reporters
Former reporters

See also

References

  1. ^ Mitchell, Susan (3 July 2005). "Prime-time couple". The Sunday Business Post. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Journalist Mary Raftery dies aged 54". RTÉ News. 10 January 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Aoife Kavanagh: Journalist who made the headlines". Irish Independent. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  4. ^ McGreevy, Ronan (23 November 2011). "Reporter's broadcasts in wake of libel finding 'unfair'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Taoiseach cites 'grievous drop' in RTÉ standards over Fr Reynolds libel case". BBC News. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  6. ^ Cullen, Paul; McGreevy, Ronan (23 November 2011). "RTÉ shelves investigative series and concedes 'grave mistake'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  7. ^ "RTÉ Axes 'Prime Time Investigates'". IFTN. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  8. ^ "Report criticises RTÉ journalism standards". BBC News. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  9. ^ "BAI finds 'significant failure of editorial and managerial controls' at RTÉ". RTÉ. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Sweeping assumptions raise concerns". The Irish Times. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Mission to Prey reporter Aoife Kavanagh resigns from RTÉ". TheJournal.ie. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  12. ^ "Prime Time criticised as candidates excluded from Meath East debate". The Journal. 26 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Taoiseach on a rare one-on-one interview live on TV". TheJournal.ie. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  14. ^ "RTÉ has delayed the Taoiseach's interview… because of EastEnders". Business, etc. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  15. RTÉ News and Current Affairs
    . 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Sarah McInerney and Fran McNulty revealed as new Prime Time presenters". Irish Independent. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  17. Evening Herald
    . Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  18. ^ "Barry O'Kelly". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  19. ^ "Rita O'Reilly". Retrieved 5 February 2013 – via Twitter.

External links