RTÉ One

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the RTÉ radio station, see RTÉ Radio 1.
"RTE1" redirects here. For the channel's sister service, see RTÉ2. For highways called Route 1, see List of highways numbered 1.
RTÉ One
SDTV) (1961–2005)
Timeshift serviceRTÉ One +1
Ownership
OwnerRaidió Teilifís Éireann (ultimately owned by Government of Ireland)
Key peopleGeorge Dixon
(Channel Controller)
Sister channelsRTÉ2
RTÉjr
RTÉ News
TRTÉ
History
Launched31 December 1961
Former namesTelefís Éireann (1961–1966)
RTÉ (1966–1978)
RTÉ 1 (1978–1995)
Links
Websiterte.ie/tv
Availability
Terrestrial
SaorviewChannel 1 (HD)
Channel 11 (+1)
Freeview (Northern Ireland only)Channel 54
Streaming media
Virgin TV AnywhereWatch live (Ireland only)
RTÉ PlayerWatch live (Available depending on rights)
Sky GoWatch Live (Ireland only)

RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ 1 upon the launch of RTÉ 2 in 1978. It is funded partly by the government's licence fee; the remainder of the funding is provided by commercial advertising. Because RTÉ is funded partly by the licence fee it shows considerably fewer advertisements than most other channels available in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

RTÉ One is available to 98% of the Irish population in HD on the

Sky, and cable provider Virgin Media. The channel is also available online through RTÉ Player
.

History

RTÉ One began life as Telefís Éireann in 1961.

RTÉ 2 in 1978.[2] Originally the station broadcast in black and white throughout the country using the European 625-line standard, as well as on the 405-line television system in the northern and eastern parts of the country; since the mid-50s, many people in these areas already had 405-line TV sets receiving BBC and UTV/HTV transmissions from Wales and Northern Ireland.[3] A standards conversion unit was used to provide the 405-line service, but when this electronic device failed, optical conversion was used, reportedly by directing a 405-line camera at a 625-line monitor.[3] The first programme to be pre-recorded for the new television service was The School Around the Corner, an interview/quiz show created and presented by Paddy Crosbie and produced by James Plunkett.[4]

PAL colour transmissions began in 1968, and the first programme made and transmitted in colour was "John Hume's Derry." The first outside broadcast in colour for RTÉ Television was the 1971 Railway Cup Finals (Gaelic Athletic Association), and soon after that, the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 from Dublin.[5] In the 1970s the studios in RTÉ's

The Late Late Show) in 1976.[5]

RTÉ was also the sole Irish TV channel until 1978, when

RTÉ 2 (known as Network 2 between 1988 and 2004) was created. The Irish language station TG4 began in 1996 as Teilifís na Gaeilge (TnaG).[6] Since 1998 RTÉ One also competes with Virgin Media One (formerly known as "TV3").[7]

Since it began broadcasting, RTÉ One has competed with

MMDS and satellite
during the 1980s and 1990s.

From 1961, RTÉ Television would only broadcast from 17:35 until around 23:30 during the Winter months. In 1975 this changed slightly with transmission starting at around 15:30 and concluding around midnight (00:00). 24-hour broadcasts began in the late 1990s. In 1988, RTÉ One launched a schedule with a new news bulletin at 13:00. Currently, RTÉ One does not offer "breakfast television", but from 2013 to 2014 the station aired an early morning current affairs show called Morning Edition, which was also simulcast on RTÉ News Now. Virgin Media One is currently the only indigenous broadcaster in direct competition for this early morning market with Ireland AM since 1999. RTÉ One during the Olympics and special breaking news or election coverage, will provide a special bulletin in the mornings.

On 6 July 2017, RTÉ One extended its on-air hours, starting at 6:00 am as opposed to the later 6:20 am as previously.

RTÉ One HD

RTÉ One HD was launched on 21 October 2013—originally in upscaled HD—following the launch of a new Saorview multiplex. Native HD broadcasts began on 16 December 2013.[8]

RTÉ One is now broadcast solely in High Definition (HD) on the national DTT service Saorview, with the Standard Definition simulcast ending on 2 April 2014. However RTÉ still provides a Standard Definition (SD) output of RTÉ One to pay television operators on cable and satellite, for those subscribers who still have equipment that does not support HD.

RTÉ Television decided to launch the new HD service just before the Christmas period to draw audiences attention to the new service available to viewers. RTÉ have started to convert their main production studios to HD, the first being studio 5 in 2012, which is used mainly for sports productions. Any programmes still made in standard-definition are upscaled on the channel and it is intended that the vast majority of the channel's output will be in high-definition in due course. RTÉ One in SD continues to be available on Virgin Media Ireland until more of their customers have upgraded to HD.

Sky Ireland launched the channel on 14 December 2015, as part of a new long-term partnership with RTÉ, however the channel is not available on Sky UK's Northern Ireland EPG. In response to queries, RTÉ currently advises Northern Ireland Sky subscribers to contact Sky on the matter whereas Sky replies that it's an issue for RTÉ as to whether they make their HD channel available.[9] On 11 April 2024, the channel was finally made available in Northern Ireland.[10]

RTÉ One +1

A

Reeling in the Years
does not broadcast on this channel due to music rights restrictions.

It was referred to as RTÉ One Deferred in the Easy TV commercial DTT multiplex application, Easy TV was made up of RTÉ NL and UPC Ireland.[13] RTÉ had also plans to create a third channel called RTÉ Three along with RTÉ One Deferred as reported in the Sunday Business Post in May 2008.[14]

RTÉ Three was dropped for the alternative RTÉ Plus/RTÉjr. RTÉ Plus would have initially been a time shift channel for RTÉ One's prime time schedule, starting each night at 19:00 after RTÉjr ends for the night. This "Phase 1" of RTÉ plus was to begin broadcasting in May 2011. "Phase 2" of RTÉ Plus was to be made up of an entirely different schedule to that of RTÉ One, RTÉ had hoped that this would be made available in May 2012.[15] Minister Pat Carey gave the go ahead for RTÉ One +1 for a maximum of 4 years at which point it will be reviewed. He did not give permission for the second phase in the channel as he was advised by the BAI that it may cause problems for commercial service providers such as TV3.

As part of a new long-term partnership with Sky, RTÉ One +1 launched on Sky channel 115 on 14 December 2015, moving RTÉ2 HD down to 278.[16] On 1 May 2018, the +1 channels and the Entertainment & Documentaries channel sections were moved to 201 - 299 to coincide with the non +1 channel. For example, RTÉ One is on channel 101, and RTÉ One +1 is on 201.[17]

When launched, RTÉ One +1 broadcast from 19:00 to approximately 02:00. On 15 February 2019, RTÉ One +1 began broadcasting 24 hours a day to coincide with the launch of RTÉ2 +1.[18]

Budget

References

The following figures were issued by RTÉ as part of their Annual reports 2008[19] and 2012[20]

Income

Income Type 2008 2012
Licence Fee €81,992,000 €56,139,000
Commercial Income €106,496,000 €65,351,000
Total Income €188,488,000 €121,490,000

Total Costs

Cost Type 2008 2012
Network and other related costs €17,773,000 €14,362,000
Sales Costs €5,278,000 not given
Acquired Programming €13,614,000 €14,897,000
Irish Productions €147,999,000 €100,478,000
Total Costs €184,664,000 €129,737,000

Profit and Loss

2008 2012
€3,824,000 (€8,247,000)

Breakdown of Irish Productions

Production House 2008 2012
RTÉ €93,454,000 €70,448,000
Independent Producers €54,545,000 €30,030,000
Total €147,999,000 €100,478,000

The table below outlines RTÉ One's total in-house and commissioned programming by genre in 2008 and 2012:

Genre 2008 2012
Factual €42,951,000 €27,919,000
Drama €38,776,000 €21,425,000
Entertainment €23,918,000 €18,073,000
Music €2,215,000 €1,311,000
News, Current Affairs and Weather €38,834,000 €30,866,000
Sport €1,305,000 €884,000
Young Peoples Programming
Total €147,999,000 €100,478,000

Programming

2015/2016 season

On 13 August 2015, RTÉ One revealed its 2015/2016 line-up. As part of the new schedule two new dramas will debut on the channel these include the four-part drama series Clean Break (2015) and five-part drama series Rebellion (2016).[21] The 2015/2016 schedule has a stronger focus on documentaries and a lesser focus on domestic drama when compared to previous seasons.[22]

RTÉ One airs a variety of programmes each week, both homegrown programming and imported programming. A typical week of programming on RTÉ One would be as follows: On Sunday night RTÉ's flagship talent show

The Late Late Show it has a variety of celebrity guests and music performances. Irish soap opera Fair City airs four times a week on RTÉ One, it airs Sundays at 20:30, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 20.00, and Wednesdays at 19.30, Fair City is similar to the British format for soap operas such as Coronation Street. RTÉ One also airs British soap opera EastEnders weekly at the same times as BBC One
. RTÉ One also air a host of films throughout the week including the midweek movie on Wednesday at 21:30 and the big big movie (usually a children's film) Saturdays at 18:30. RTÉ One also air news coverage throughout the week including a 13:00, 18:00, and 21:00 news broadcast every day.

News and current affairs

Main article:
RTÉ News and Current Affairs

RTÉ News and Current Affairs provides all of RTÉ One's News and Current Affairs Programming.

RTÉ News and current affairs television programmes include:

News programming

Current Affairs Programming

RTÉ News and Current Affairs coverage of all major political events such as General Elections, Budgets, Local and European Elections and Referendums. Since 2000 RTÉ has covered the US Presidential Elections live. It also covers major political stories from the Northern Irish Assembly, including elections.

Diversity

RTÉ as a public service broadcaster is committed to providing awareness about the diverse communities found within Ireland. RTÉ aims to providing access to different groups through different mediums.

RTÉ Diversity provides awareness of Ireland's multicultural society. From 2002, RTÉ produced a weekly multicultural show called Mono.[23] The show aired between 2002 and 2005 and had a similar format as Nationwide; but focused more on multicultural issues and had reports from all parts of the country. The show was produced by Kairos Communications for RTÉ[23] and was presented by Shalini Sinha.

RTÉ Diversity commissions a monthly show for individuals with

hearing impairments or deafness. Hands On (originally called Sign of the Times) airs every Sunday morning. The show is presented using Irish Sign Language. The show is also subtitled using Irish or English subtitles. In 2009, the number of Hands On programmes were reduced by 60%, from 20 to 7.[24]

Diversity has also been showcased on RTÉ Dramas: The Riordans and Glenroe featured several characters from the Irish Travelling Community. Fair City and The Clinic have showcased a broader range of diversity which includes members of the Roma community, LGBT movement, African heritage, Eastern Europe and other ethnic minorities groups in Ireland.

In April 2010, RTÉ revealed a new multicultural programme which will air from March 2011. The show has a budget of €45,000 per episode.[25]

Cláracha Gaeilge

RTÉ produced the television series Buntús Cainte in 1967, which together with the corresponding series of books, aimed to promote the learning of the Irish Language. The television series was presented by Máire O'Neill and Aileen Geoghegan.[26] In the early 1990s, they produced a similar show with BBC Northern Ireland called Now You're Talking which used the Ulster dialect of Irish. In they early 2000s, they produced a new series called Turas Teanga, which was presented by newsreader Sharon Ní Bheoláin.[27]

During Seachtain na Gaeilge (Irish Language Week), continuity is provided through the Irish Language. During this week they also have a range of shows that promote the learning or use of the Irish language. In 2010 they produced An Cór with Fiachna O Braonáin.[28]

RTÉ also produced the highly successful Irish Language documentary strands Leargás, Scannal and CSÍ, which were first shown on RTÉ One with repeats on TG4.

Nuacht RTÉ provides a round-up of the day's events at 17:40 each weekday.

RTÉ has a dedicated commissioning brief inviting proposals for new Irish-language programming.[29]

Education

In the early years of Teilifís Éireann most of the educational shows were aimed at children such as Dáithí Lacha. In more recent years they have produced literacy programmes for adults such as Read, Write, Now presented by Derek Mooney.[30]

Regional

Nationwide is RTÉ's main regional programme, in 2010 Gala began sponsoring the show. The shows average audience for 2009 was 400,000 viewers.[31] The show began airing in the early 1990s.[32] In 1999 RTÉ tested opt out for Dublin, Cork and Galway on UHF signals, however Chorus (a Dublin cable operator at the time) aired the Galway edition, while NTL (the other Dublin cable operator aired the Dublin version).[33] RTÉ do not provide local opt-out or regional news. However RTÉ Cork produces a number of other Irish shows. Capital D was a programme for Dublin (similar in style to Nationwide), presented by Anne Cassin, it took a look at issues in Dublin. The programme did not return in 2012. Ear to the Ground is a farming magazine show. Nationwide is produced by RTÉ Factual while Ear to the Ground is produced by Independent Films for RTÉ.

Drama and comedy

1960s

In 1961 as Teilifís Éireann got ready to begin broadcasting it appointed

1916 Easter Rising which was broadcast on Easter Week on the 50th anniversary of the rising, it was RTÉ biggest drama production of the 1960s, involving on location filming and the Army. In its first ten years on the air RTÉ produced 103 plays of which 66% were Irish and 50% began life as stage plays. Half of the drama produced came from serials such as the Dublin based urban soap Tolka Row which began broadcasting in 1964 and finished in 1968. In terms of population RTÉ was one of Europe's biggest producers of television drama.[34]

In 1965 The Riordans began broadcasting, this would begin the Wesley Burrowes trilogy of Irish Agrisoaps (Agricultural based dramas), it was followed by Bracken in 1978 (and was aired on RTÉ One) as Gabriel Byrne's character (Pat Barry) moved from Kilkenny to Wicklow and in 1982 two of Bracken's main characters Dinny and Milie Byrne moved to Glenroe which ran until 2001.

1970s

In the 1970s RTÉ produced several urban dramas set outside Dublin. The Burke Enigma began in 1975 and was RTÉ's first police procedural something that they did not return to very often. Partners in Practice was RTÉ's first medical drama and was loosely based on successful TV formats from abroad such as Emergency Ward 10, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, Marcus Welby M.D. and Dr. Kildare. Partners in Practice was set in the new sprawling suburban Dublin in the fictional town of Sallybawn. Sallybawn was based on the new 1970s sprawling developments such as Tallaght. The series was set in the fictional Sallybawn Health Centre. It ran for one season in 1972 and was written by Carolyn Swift. In 1978 Louis Lentin became head of RTÉ Drama having produced Uncle Vanya (1970), King of Friday's Men (1967) and King of the Castle (1977).[35] He started Thursday Playdate, these were once of plays which dramatized current events and current affairs in Ireland. He would also be responsible for The Spike a controversial drama that was to run for 10 weeks only to be taken of the after the fifth episode. Problems surrounded both the content (A very critical look at the VEC system in Irish Education) and poor scriptwriting to deal with major issues.[36]

1980s

RTÉ One had a major success with 1980s

USSR. The Year of The French was a major follow up period drama with twice the production budget as Strumpet City, however it was not as successful. The Year of The French was one of the many co-productions that RTÉ produced during the 1980s, it was co-produced with the UK's Channel 4 and France's FR2
.

In 1983 RTÉ produced a World War II drama titled Caught in a Free State. The four-part series was set against the backdrop of Irish Neutrality during the Second World War. It surrounded the true stories of German Spies in Ireland. The series was a co-production with Channel 4. Other Channel 4/RTÉ co-productions from the 1980s include The Irish R.M. and Echoes.

In the mid-1980s RTÉ developed a sitcom called Leave It to Mrs O'Brien which centred on the housekeeper of a Parish Priest. It is often quoted as one of the comedies which shows that RTÉ cannot produce good comedy. The series was a critical and audience failure. RTÉ would not produce another sitcom until the mid-1990s, while being criticized for not commissioning another series that featured a Parish Priest Housekeeper.

In 1989, RTÉ returned with a new drama series based in Dublin city called Fair City. In 2010, the show has celebrated its 20th anniversary since it first broadcast. The show continues to air four nights a week on RTÉ One.

1990s

In 1993, RTÉ One began to broadcast

Family by Roddy Doyle, a co-production with the BBC
.

In 1993 RTÉ produced a sitcom set in a newspaper office called

Irish Times' Brendan Glacken was equally scathing: "Speaking of Extra! Extra!, as I am afraid we still must, even seasoned RTÉ observers seem unable to answer the question why a series so pathetically weak should have been allowed to reach the screen at all".[38] The Irish Independent later listed it as one of the worst Irish TV shows ever.[39]

In the mid-1990s RTÉ return to sitcom with the development of

RTÉ Two, Bachelors Walk and Paths to Freedom. RTÉ One's next comedy series would not appear until 2003 with the arrival of Killinaskully
.

In the late 1990s RTÉ co-produced many period dramas based on novels by significant modern day Irish novelists, such as Falling for a Dancer and Amongst Women. They also produced the police procedural Making the Cut and its spin-off series DDU.

2000s

As a replacement for the axed rural soap Glenroe RTÉ commissioned On Home Ground, surrounding a rural GAA club.[40] The series was not well received and was replaced in 2003 by The Clinic. The Clinic was an award-winning primetime television medical drama series produced by Parallel Film Productions for RTÉ. The show ran for seven seasons between September 2003 to November 2009. The last episode aired on RTÉ One on Sunday, 15 November 2009. The show was so successful that it also aired in Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Scotland and Portugal.

Since 2000 RTÉ has increased its output of specialized dramas. These drama's have discussed a broad range of issues such as the Irish Hepatitis C scandal in No Tears (2002)[41] which featured Academy Award Winner Brenda Fricker.

In 2003 RTÉ returned to comedy with the rural based Killinaskully series. The series was produced by Irish Comedian Pat Shortt. The series was a critical failure but according to one critic this was due to the rural/urban divide and "because TV critics tend to stand very firmly on one side of that gap, they have seldom attempted to understand the popularity of something so old-fashioned, predictable and lazy.".[42] The series was a huge audience success for the channel often getting over 500,000 every Sunday night, with its Christmas specials becoming some of Ireland's most watched TV programmes during its run.

In 2004 RTÉ co-produced with Denmark's

Stardust
, to mark the 25th anniversary of the incident.

In 2007, RTÉ began the drama series Single-Handed. Three episodes of the series ran over the course of three years when ITV bought the rights to the show in 2009, which led to the co-production of the fourth series with Britain's ITV.

In 2007, RTÉ aired Damage a drama which focused on rape and sexual abuse. In 2008, RTÉ produced Whistleblower this drama highlighted irregular obstetric practices within Irish hospitals. Another drama in 2008 included Bitter Sweet. This drama follows the difficulties encountered by three female friends who undergo difficult changes to their respective lives.

In 2009 RTÉ commissioned a second

laughter track.[44]

In June 2009 RTÉ broadcast Father & Son co-produced with ITV.

2010s

The 2010 Live Aid biopic When Harvey met Bobby (surrounding the relationship between Bob Geldof and Harvey Goldsmith) was co-produced with the BBC. Wild Decembers based on the novel by Edna O'Brien aired at Christmas 2010.[45]

In 2010 their drama series

RTÉ Two
to RTÉ One. RAW ran for 5 seasons with its final season airing in 2013. The series centred on a busy Dublin Restaurant.

The series Love/Hate (starring Aidan Gillen) detailing the lives of the Dublin's criminal underworld began in 2010. Love/Hate has since gone on to become one of Ireland most respected TV dramas, before ceasing production after 5 seasons in 2015.[46]

In 2011 RTÉ co-produced Brendan O'Carroll's Mrs. Brown's Boys with Boxpic and BBC Scotland for BBC One. The series airs first on RTÉ One as BBC One is largely available across Ireland.

The

The Irish Film Board
.

A drama surrounding the disappearance of a young girl aired in 2014, titled Amber. It is directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and stars Eva Birthistle and David Murray.[47] Due to financial difficulties at RTÉ the series broadcast date was postponed for 2 years, the four-part series aired across 4 consecutive days. The four-part caused controversy with viewers and critics due its open ending.

It was reported that a fifth season of Single Handed was to be produced by RTÉ and ITV, however the series did not get the required funding. A drama surrounding the Irish banking crisis has yet to be announced.[48]

A series surrounding the life of former

Charlie Haughey
is expected in 2015. Aidan Gillen will play the title role in Haughey.

For the first time in nearly 30 years RTÉ returned to the Television play in 2014. Three Irish writers Fiona Looney, Deirdre Purcell and Pat McCabe wrote 3 different plays for Play Next Door. The writers were sent to different parts of the country and were told to set their work in a building in the locality. A documentary followed each of the writers as they lived in the towns, it was followed by the play.

2020s

Entertainment

Chat shows

RTÉ's flagship chat show is The Late Late Show. It has aired on the channel since the summer of 1962. It is the second longest-running

chat show and Europe's longest-running chat show. From 1962 until 1999 it was presented by Gay Byrne. In September 1999, Pat Kenny took over the role and after hosting nine seasons as Late Late host he stepped down to host a new political programme. In September 2009, Ryan Tubridy
took over as host. In its early years the show was known for its controversies. Most Irish chat shows continue to use a similar formula to The Late Late Show, most shows are live and contain a mix of serious and entertaining interviews.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s the biggest rival to The Late Late Show was The Live Mike, hosted by Mike Murphy. The show was a mix of comedy sketches and interviews. Mike Murphy decided to leave the show and it was replaced by Saturday Live in the mid-1980s, the series had a new host each week. It in turn was replaced by Kenny Live hosted by Pat Kenny, who had been a guest presenter on Saturday Live. Kenny Live was more entertainment focused then The Late Late Show, however towards the end of the show Pat Kenny would do a one-to-one interview on topical subjects, e.g. Families of missing people.

Most summers RTÉ provide a chat show. They have included Limelight hosted by

Miriam O'Callaghan. The show is well known for its wide variety of guests, which often include musicians, who usually perform on the show. The Duckworth Lewis Method made their television debut on Saturday Night with Miriam in 2009's season opener.[49]

Before hosting The Late Late Show, Ryan Tubridy hosted his own Saturday night chat show between 2004 and 2009, called Tubridy Tonight. After Pat Kenny left Kenny Live RTÉ produced a similar series to the 1980s Saturday Live this time called Saturday Night Live again with a different host each week, the series last until 2002. In 2003 The Late Late Show went into competition with Dunphy Live on TV3, however it only lasted until December 2003. Though RTÉ had stopped producing a Saturday Night chatshow that year, TV3 decided to air Dunphy Live on a Friday Night.

RTÉ produced two pilot shows for Saturday Night in 2010. The Saturday Night Show (2010–2015) and Tonight with Craig Doyle (2010). Both of these shows are aimed to replace the highly successful Tubridy Tonight which ended in 2009,

Hosted by

Brendan O'Connor called The Saturday Night Show
it was given an initial run of 8 weeks, it now airs every Saturday night.

Craig Doyle was also given his own chat show.[50] It replaced The Saturday Night Show. Tonight with Craig Doyle and ran on RTÉ One from 18 April 2010 for 8 weeks.[51]

In 2011 Gay Byrne returned with For One Night Only. It started with an hour-long interview with boyband Westlife, which included many of their hits, similar episodes included Imelda May and Christy Moore.

In 2013 Imelda May returned for her own music show The Imelda May Show.

Game shows/quiz shows

In the 1960s and 1970s RTÉ ran the

Quicksilver quiz show presented by Bunny Carr. The show would tour the country and visit different towns. The contestants were picked at random to answer the questions, due to this random selection process the show is fondly remembered for questions such as "What the term for a male bee?" and the answer "a wasp
?". It also coined an Irish phrase "stop the lights", usually stated when something is surprising.

In the 1980s RTÉ produced game shows like Play the Game, and Gerry Ryan's Secrets and quiz shows "Murphy's Micro-Quiz-M" (hosted by Mike Murphy), Where in the World? (hosted by Theresa Lowe), Rapid Roulette (hosted by Maxi) and Know Your Sport (hosted by George Hamilton).

Since 1989 RTÉ have produced a game show with the Irish National Lottery.

Telly Bingo hosted by Liz Bonnin
.

In the 1990s RTÉ had international success with The Lyrics Board, while it was derided by the critics the format was sold in many European countries. The show was originally presented by Aonghus McAnally during its initially run and in the 2000s by Linda Martin. Quiz shows included Challenging Times (hosted by Kevin Myres) and Dodge The Question (hosted by Jonathan Philbin Bowman). The 1990s saw RTÉ's version of Talkabout hosted by Ian Dempsey and later by Alan Hughes.

After Gay Byrne's decision to leave The Late Late Show, he was brought back by the station to host the Irish version of

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire however after two seasons the show was dropped as RTÉ were unable to find a sponsor after Vodafone Eircell
pulled its sponsorship, the producers (Tyrone Productions) and RTÉ were in discussions with the National Lottery for a scratch card version of the show, ironically the National Lottery had defended the use of the term Millionaire a number of years previously due to its scratch card and TV game show Millionaire hosted by Marty Whelan for RTÉ. RTÉ One broadcast two editions of the Irish version of
Miriam O'Callaghan
in 2006 and 2007.

Music

  • RTÉ One has shown many Irish traditional music shows including The Pure Drop and Come West Along The Road.
  • Number 1 was a pop music quiz show from the 1980s and they also aired Top of the Pops.
  • During the 1980s they had several live music shows with famous Irish stars of the time including The
    Sandy Kelly
    Show    .
  • In the late 1980s and early 1990s Marty Whelan hosted a popular talent search called GFI: Go For It. In the mid-1990s RTÉ co-produced a talent series with BBC Northern Ireland called Let Me Entertain You hosted by Gerry Ryan, a 16-year-old Samantha Mumba was one of the finalists.
  • RTÉ One has also several documentaries about Irish Country Music and the Showband era entitled A Little Bit Country/Showband, hosted and produced by Shay Healey. In 2009 they broadcast All Ireland Choir Competition 2009.

Reality TV

Since the start of the 2000s RTÉ have produced several Reality TV programmes for RTÉ One. In 2001, RTÉ One broadcast the successful

Fame: The Musical a reality TV talent search for stars of the stage version of the highly successful film and TV series Fame.[55]

Other reality shows include two seasons (2001 and 2002) of

Survivor. Senator Mark Daly appeared in the second series, coming third overall.[56] Cabin Fever (2003) which had a group of people set sail around the Irish coast, this caused controversy when the ship ran aground halfway through the series.[57]

RTÉ One has also produce celebrity versions of their reality TV shows. Charity You're a Star, Celebrity Farm and Fáilte Towers have all gained respectable audiences but critics have been less than impressed. RTÉ's most successful celebrity reality TV is The Restaurant.

Factual

Con Murphy.[59]

History

Arts

  • Arts Lives is a series of arts documentaries produced by independent producers for RTÉ. They may also be co-funded by other broadcasters from around Europe. Some of the documentaries include: The Riordans: Tea, Taboos & Tractors about the successful rural soap opera, John O'Conor's Beethoven Boot Camp, Hugh Leonard: Odd Man In, Patrick Collins: Through Sligo Eyes, Graham Linehan – Funny Business and Ronnie Drew – September Song.[62]
  • The View was a weekly arts and cultural review programme broadcast each Tuesday night up until 2011. It was original broadcast on RTÉ Two as Later on 2
    .

Young people's programmes

Main article:
RTÉ Young People's Programmes

Up to 1988 the majority of RTÉ's children's programmes were aired on RTÉ One. In the early years these shows included

Dempsey's Den aired on the channel from 1986 to 1988, Zig and Zag
made their debuts on RTÉ One. Since 1988 the majority of RTÉ's children programming airs on its sister channel
TwoTube
(16- to 22-year-olds). Since 2011 RTÉ has a dedicated service for preschoolers called RTÉjr.

Every Saturday night RTÉ One at 18:30 airs The Big Big Movie this strand features movies which a tailored towards a family audience.

Daytime

In the early 1980s, RTÉ began testing daytime television for audiences on RTÉ One. This was a major commitment since

RTÉ Two was failing to gain audience that it required. Their first daytime show was hosted by Thelma Mansfield – one of their regular continuity announcers – Good Afternoon was a mix of live interviews, music, children's television and soap operas.[63]

In 1986, RTÉ debuted its new afternoon show which featured a mixture of daytime chat and children's television. In September the channel aired Live at 3 broadcasting from 15:00 each weekday. This was followed by a new children's series

Dempsey's Den.[64] Live at 3 was presented by Derek Davis
and Thelma Mansfield from 1986 to 1997. It included a broad range of topics (healthcare, cookery, DIY, fashion and culture). It was a major departure for the daytime schedule and in an interview with TV Now Derek Davis described how many other European broadcasters were travelling over to Ireland to visit this mix genre daytime TV chat show.

In 1997 with the departure of Derek Davis, Live at 3 was merged with another TV series called 12 to 1. 12 to 1 was similar in style to Live at 3 only it concentrated on Light chat with hosts Marty Whelan and Ciana Campbell. Ciana Campbell had prior to this tested out a live afternoon phone in show (called Over to You), similar in format to RTÉ Radio's successfully Liveline, this eventually led to 12 to 1.[65]

In the late 1990s

Open House
.

Open House was the first time that RTÉ had an independent producer produce their daytime TV service. Tyrone Productions produced the show in the RTÉ studios and it was hosted by Mary Kennedy and Marty Whelan from 1999 to 2003.

In 2004, RTÉ revamped their daytime schedule and axed Open House and replaced it with two new shows,

Grainne Seoige presented the show together for 2 seasons until Joe O'Shea left in 2007, he was replaced by Grainne's sister Síle Seoige and the show was rename Seoige. Seoige
 lasted one season and was replaced by an extended version of The Afternoon Show produced by Green Inc Productions for RTÉ.

The Afternoon Show was first presented by

Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh and Sheana Keane. Anna Nolan left the show after a year to focus on more serious TV such as RTÉ's Would You Believe series of documentaries. Blathanid and Sheana both worked on the show together for a number of years until 2008 (when it was reported they had had a falling out[67]), various presenters stepping into either Blathanid's or Sheana's shoes, with the final series being presented by Sheana and Maura Derrane (former Ireland AM
presenter).

In 2010, RTÉ One revamped its afternoon schedule, which will debut in September 2010. RTÉ set about seeking tenders from independent producers, as a consequence of this process RTÉ axed The Afternoon Show.

TV3 News presenter Claire Byrne. Both shows were broadcast from 16:00 to 17:45 GMT.[69] Both new daytime shows are produced by Green Inc. for RTÉ.[70]
The programmes were axed in March 2012. In October 2012 RTÉ moved their main afternoon programmes to Cork. Today is hosted by Maura Derrane and Dáithí Ó Sé, while Claire Byrne moved to Prime Time and RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday with Claire Byrne. On Friday's Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh and Norah Casey (Dragon's Den Ireland).

In January 2013 RTÉ launched their first morning TV news service on RTÉ One and

Morning Edition, the programme airs from 9 am to 11 am Monday to Friday. Morning Edition is presented by Keelin Shanley
.

In 2017 Stellify Media produced Goodbye House, a property show in which three siblings compete to find the perfect home for their parents.

Lifestyle

In the 1980s RTÉ One's lifestyle programming consisted of shows such as

  • Check Up – A weekly health show
  • Head 2 Toe – A weekly fashion series
  • See Here – A weekly consumers show
  • Family Matters – A weekly issue based show for parents, hosted by Eamon Lawlor and Caroline Murphy.

Much of RTÉ's lifestyle output was produced in-house until the 1990s when Independent Producers began producing shows such as: -

Most of RTÉ's Lifestyle programming is air Monday to Friday between 19:00 and 21:00, and repeated on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Their current set of lifestyle programmes include About the House, Showhouse, Heat and Rachel Allen: Bakes.

Imported programming

1961–1969

RTÉ One has always relied on a certain amount of programming from abroad and they have also always been under pressure from UK TV channels to provide programming from other countries. The 1960s on RTÉ is characterized by American and British imports such as

Lucy Show, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, The World Around Us, The World of Wooster and Sherlock Holmes. Children's programming at this time consisted of such shows as The Road Runner Show, The Flintstones, Skippy and Quick Draw McGraw. In 1963 they also broadcast Italian lessons Parliamo Italiano.[71]

1970–1979

RTÉ began expanding its schedule during the 1970s with educational and children's programming being broadcast from 11 am. Children's shows imported for the channel included

Lights Out, The Spanish Farm, The Brady Bunch, Bridget Loves Bernie, Fawlty Towers, Little House on the Prairie, "The Waltons", "Poldark" The Muppet Show, Anne of the Thousand Days, Midnight Is a Place, Are You Being Served?.[72]
In 1978 RTÉ One began broadcasting many UK TV show such as ITV's
RTÉ Two
began broadcasting on 2 November 1978.

1980–1989

During the 1980s many of the language courses on during daytime hours moved to the weekend, children's was presented first as Good Afternoon with many adult daytime shows mixed in, until 1986 when

The Ray Bradbury Theatre. British imports included Are You Being Served?, Codename Icarus, The Paper Lads, Dempsey and Makepeace, Tomorrow's World and Executive Stress.[73]

In 1988 RTÉ Two re-branded as Network 2 which saw RTÉ move many of its children's and imported shows over to Network 2.

1990–1999

Children's shows remained on RTÉ 1 on Saturday morning for most of the 1990s imports included

Hearts and Minds, Ballykissangel and from 1992 to 2001 Coronation Street. Educational programming at the time moved to Sunday morning including Espana Viva, A Vous La France and Russian Language and People.[74]
28 January 1991 saw the last episode of cult favourite Twin Peaks broadcast on RTÉ 1.[75]

2000–2009

Since the late 1990s RTÉ One's prime time schedule is made up of nearly 100% Irish programming, some exceptions include

Crossroads.[78]

2010–2019

RTÉ One launched its 2010 schedule with

The Good Wife and Brothers & Sisters. New episodes of The Good Wife move to RTÉ One in 2013. A&E's Longmire began airing in 2013. Late night TV consists largely of imported programming such as Australian drama serials Rush, Blue Heelers and Tangle
.

2020–present

Mainly COVID-19 to start the new decade. New look planned for Autumn 2022. New idents for the 1st time since November 3rd, 2006 on April 25, 2023.

On-air identity

In 1966, the radio and television stations adopted the common brand Radio Telifís Éireann in line with the renamed broadcasting authority,

síneadh fada diacritic
over the E of Éireann. The 1995 logo was the first to read RTÉ rather than RTE.

A new appearance and ident of RTÉ One (including the "ONE" in a new font) launched on 1 January 2014. The channel is now referred to as 'RTÉ ONE HD' on Saorview.[81]

References

  1. ^ "Who Are These People at Opening Night of Telefís Éireann 1961?". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Opening Night of RTÉ 2". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b "405 Lines in Ireland (1961 - 1983)". Tech-tir. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Your Dinner's Poured Out! by Paddy Crosbie. First published 1981 O'Brien Press Ltd.
  5. ^ a b "Changes for TV : Arrival of Colour Television". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  6. ^ "TnaG Programming Announced". RTÉ Archives. 18 April 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  7. ^ "About TV3". The TV3 Group. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  8. ^ "RTÉ One HD to launch next Monday". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013.
  9. ^ [1][dead link]
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ "Free-to-air digital television service to be launched today". Irish Examiner. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  12. ^ Saorview (3 March 2011). "Television Channels and Services | SAORVIEW". Saorview.ie. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Guide to Submissions for DTT Multiplex Contracts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  14. ^ "RTE aims to launch new channel". The Irish Post. 18 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009.
  15. ^ "PVT Consultation Document" (PDF). Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Ireland). pp. 10–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  16. ^ "Sky and RTÉ announce long-term partnership". RTÉ News. 4 September 2015.
  17. ^ McSorley, Anita; Best, Shivali (2 May 2018). "Irish Sky TV customers hit with huge change - all you need to know". irishmirror.
  18. ^ "Saorview | News | Brand new RTÉ2+1 service and extended 24 hour RTÉ One+1 available on Saorview". www.saorview.ie.
  19. ^ "Connected: Annual Report and Group Financial Statements 2008" (PDF). RTÉ. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  20. ^ "today, tomorrow, together: Annual Report & Group Financial Statements 2012" (PDF). RTÉ. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  21. ^ "The new season - at a glance". RTÉ.ie. 13 August 2015.
  22. ^ "RTÉ unveils what is going to be on the telly this autumn". The Irish Times.
  23. ^ a b "Kairos Communications Ltd – Production". Kairoscomms.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  24. ^ Autumn escapes (5 August 2009). "RTE cuts funding for deaf services by 60pc – National News, Frontpage". Independent.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  25. ^ "RTÉ Diversity Announces Multicultural Deadline | The Irish Film & Television Network". Iftn.ie. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  26. ^ "Buntús Cainte: Learning the Irish Language: 1967". Scoilnet: Portal for Irish Education. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  27. ^ "Turas Teanga". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 10 October 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  28. ^ "RTÉ". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  29. ^ "RTÉ Claracha Gaeilge". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Read Write Now – Welcome to Read Write Now". Readwritenow.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  31. ^ "Gala goes Nationwide". Gala Press Office. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  32. ^ Alan Farquharson. "Alan Farquharson – Curriculum Vitae". Indigo.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  33. ^ "RTE Local TV". Iolfree.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  34. ^ Sheehan, Dr. H (2001). "Chapter 4: The 1960s: The Coming of Television". Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  35. ^ "Former Head of RTÉ Television Drama and television producer Louis Lentin has died - The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie.
  36. ^ Sheehan, Dr. H (2001). "Chapter 5: The 1970s: Progress, Pressures and Protests". DCU. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  37. ^ Tóibín, Colm "The Very Worst, Anywhere". The Sunday Independent, 14 November 1993 pg. 17.
  38. ^ Glacken, Brendan. "Entering a New Reality", The Irish Times, 23 November 1993, pg. 10.
  39. ^ "The worst Irish TV shows EVER!". Irish Independent. 28 October 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  40. ^ "On Home Ground" – via www.imdb.com.
  41. ^ "RTÉ Television – The View". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  42. ^ "A holiday in Killinaskully". The Irish Times. 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  43. ^ "Mattie". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
  44. ^ "SGT Mattie". RTÉ News.
  45. ^ "New Irish TV dramas coming to RTÉ". RTÉ.ie. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  46. ^ "Rumours of another Love/Hate season quashed". RTÉ Entertainment. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  47. ^ "Eva Birthistle & David Murray Join RTÉ Drama 'Amber', Thaddeus O'Sullivan to direct". iftn.ie. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  48. ^ Quinn, Eamon (7 February 2010). "New four-part RTE drama to document the banking crisis". The Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  49. ^ "The Duckworth Lewis Method make live debut". Hot Press. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  50. ^ "About RTÉ: RTÉ Announces More New Programming to Brighten our way into Spring". RTÉ.ie. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  51. ^ "RTÉ Media Sales – Television". Tvsales.rte.ie. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  52. ^ "Sweet Little Lies". RTÉ. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  53. ^ "You're A Star". RTÉ. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  54. ^ "RTE's All-Ireland Talent Show is a ratings winner". Evening Herald. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  55. ^ Byrne (14 June 2010). "Tears and a sad farewell to fame". Evening Herald. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  56. ^ Mark, Daly. "RTÉ voices concerns on Cabin Fever report". senatormarkdaly.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  57. ^ Tom, MacSweeney (24 March 2010). "RTÉ voices concerns on Cabin Fever report". RTÉ. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  58. ^ "Marian: How I nearly walked out on RTE". Irish Independent. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  59. ^ "Crime Call". RTÉ. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  60. ^ "Our History". The Radharc Trust. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  61. ^ "Irish Film Archive: Collections: Documentaries". Irish Film Institute (IFI). Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  62. ^ "RTÉ Television – Arts Lives – About the Show". RTÉ.ie. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  63. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  64. ^ "TV Listings". Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  65. ^ "TV Listings". Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  66. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  67. ^ Nolan, Laura (27 May 2009). "Tension high as Sheana and Blaithnaid meet". The Evening Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  68. ^ "RTÉ Reviews 'Afternoon Show' Slot | The Irish Film & Television Network". Iftn.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  69. ^ "RTÉ Television announces new season". RTÉ TEN. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  70. ^ "Green Inc Going 'Live' and 'Daily'". IFTN.ie. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  71. ^ "RTÉ TV Listings 1960 - 1969". The TV Room. p. 10. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  72. ^ "RTÉ TV Listings 1970 -1978 & RTÉ 1 TV Lisings 1978 - 1979". The TV Room. p. 10. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  73. ^ "RTÉ 1 TV Lisings 1989 - 1989". The TV Room. p. 10. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  74. ^ "RTÉ One TV Listings 1990 - 1999". The TV Room. p. 20. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  75. ^ "RTE One TV listings for 21/01/1991". The TV Room. p. 1. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  76. ^ "Grey's Anatomy star to be a Dad again". RTÉ. 14 September 2006.
  77. ^ "RTÉ One TV Listings 2000 - 2009". The TV Room. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  78. ^ "RTE to screen Crossroads". Planet Crossroads. 14 January 2001.
  79. ^ "Acquisitions". RTÉ Sales. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  80. ^ "No. 7/1966: BROADCASTING AUTHORITY (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1966". Archived from the original on 19 November 2007.
  81. ^ "Behance". www.behance.net.

Sources

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RTÉ_One&oldid=1219581774"