The private company which will produce RTE's new breakfast television output will also control advertising for the four-hour daily slot.
More details of the deal, the first in which the State broadcaster has effectively privatised part of its programming, emerged yesterday. GMITV, the company which has won the contract for early-morning output will sell advertising and buy facilities from RTE. The State broadcaster E will earn a percentage of GMITV's profits.
As part of the arrangement, a new company - Smurfit Communications - has been appointed as the promotional agency for GMITV, a consortium that includes Frontier Films and Planet 24, the London-based media company that produces The Big Breakfast for Channel 4. Mr Bob Geldof is a director of Planet 24. GMITV (Good Morning Ireland Television) has in effect been given the hours of 6.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. It is paying RTE for the use of facilities and studios. It provides the production staff and presenters, though RTE retains overall editorial control.
GMITV will sell advertising time to fund the programme and will pay RTE a percentage of its profits. The new programme is expected to be on air next March.
According to RTE's managing director, television, Mr Joe Mulholland, the morning output will be more like its BBC equivalent than Channel 4's. E over changed rosters. RTE will also develop an early-morning children's strand for Network 2.
