Radio Telefís Éireann
Radio Telefís Éireann (meaning Radio and Television of Ireland in English) is the national state broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland. Ireland's radio service began on January 1 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961.
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While RTÉ had long faced competition from British TV channels such as those of the BBC and UTV, broadcasting from Northern Ireland, and later on Sky Television via satellite, its monopoly on TV broadcasting in the Republic only ended in 1998, with the launch of the commercial channel TV3.
In 2003, RTÉ's reality TV show Cabin Fever made the news when the ship, on which contestants where scheduled to remain for eight weeks (with one person voted off each week by viewers and forced to "walk the plank" (literally)) was thrown into chaos when the sailing ship on which the show was taking place hits rocks off Tory Island (off the Irish coast) and sank. All the contestants escaped unharmed.
Three personalities have worked with and continue to work with RTÉ since 1962:
Its principal stations
Television
Telefís Éireann began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. The opening address was given by President Eamon de Valera. Television opened up a completely new world to the Irish people which were growing tired of the mundane life they endured. Topics which were hitherto not discussed in Ireland, such as abortion, contraception and various other controversial topics, were now openly being discussed in television studios. The Late Late Show (which began in July 1962 and is still running) and its host pioneered many of these discussions. The show's host, Gay Byrne, has been credited with being a major influence in the changing social structure of Ireland. In 1978 Ireland's second television channel, RTÉ 2, began broadcasting. RTÉ 2 later became Network 2. Both RTÉ 1 and Netork 2 provide round-the-clock broadcasts seven days a week, providing comprehensive coverage of news, current affairs, sport, music, drama and entertainment. Most of the broadcasts are in English, including programming imported from Britain, the United States and Australia. However Irish language programmes, such as Nuacht (the news) and Léargas (Insight) have been an integral part of the schedule. In 1996 a new Irish language TV service, Teilifís na Gaeilge (now called TG4) began broadcasting for the first time.
RTÉ Television Programmes:
Radio
The first voice broadcast of 2RN took place on November 14, 1925 when an announcer said, "Seo Radio 2RN Baile Atha Cliath ag tastail". Regular Irish radio broadcasting began on January 1, 1926. The station 2RN later became known as Radio Eireann.
Now, RTE has a nationwide commnications network with an increasing emphasis on regional input and news-gathering. Broadcasting on Radio 1 provides comprehensive coverage of news, current affairs, music, drama and variety features, agriculture, education, religion and sport, in both English and Irish. 2FM Radio is a popular music and chat channel, while Lyric FM serves the interests of classical music. Radio na Gaeltachta, an exclusively Irish language service, first began broadcasting in 1972. RTE Radio Cork reflects regional activity in Munster.
