TV3, the first commercial independent television service in the State, went on air yesterday, 10 years after the licence was first granted to a consortium to establish commercial television.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, threw the switch which put the station on air at 5.30 p.m. The first programme, This Is tv3, was a light-hearted look at the station's schedule and presenters.
The first news programme, at 6 p.m., led with the story of the publication of the tape of President Clinton's grand jury testimony. Mr Ahern was also interviewed and said he believed the President, who had been very helpful to the peace process, would survive the present crisis.
TV3's start-up was the third item in the headlines. The first advertisement, which was given free, was for an appeal by the National Children's Hospital.
The station's low key launch was very different from that of RTE on Saturday, December 30th, 1961. Then a reception was held at the Gresham Hotel, which formed the first outside broadcast. The President, Mr de Valera, inaugurated the service with a speech that warned of the dangers of television. The Taoiseach, Mr Sean Lemass and the Minister for Post and Telegraphs, Mr Michael Hilliard, also gave a brief address. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Charles McQuaid, officiated at Benediction and Siobhan McKenna and Micheal Mac Liammoir read poems by Pearse and Yeats.
President McAleese was interviewed by the new station on its current affairs programme 20/20. The Tanaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney, in whose constituency the station is located, welcomed the commencement of transmission.
In a statement she said: "This is a milestone in the history of Irish broadcasting and I hope the new enterprise succeeds. I am an advocate of competition in every sector, and I believe the advent of tv3 will be good for television, " she said.
The arrival was long overdue. She believed tv3 would be an important new source of employment in the sector. She hoped it would provide plenty of new opportunities for independent producers, said Ms Harney.
The studios were officially opened last Wednesday by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera.
The transmission of tv3 has already caused problems. RTE failed to get an injunction last Friday restraining Cable Management Ireland (CMI) from moving Network 2 to another channel in order to make way for tv3. CMI has 65,000 customers.
Meanwhile, tv3 has called on the Director of Telecommunications Regulation, Ms Etain Doyle, and the Independent Television Commission, to ensure that the new service is given "priority carriage" on Cablelink's cable and MMDS services.
A spokeswoman for Cablelink said the station's position was agreed with tv3 after long negotiations and the station was happy with the arrangement. She said cable customers could choose where to place a particular channel depending on their own viewing habits.
On Wednesday, Ms de Valera called on tv3 to expand its broadcast coverage of the country. The Minister said it had only 85 per cent coverage. While tv3 was saying that it was only in some remote spots that the station could not be picked up, the Mayo News reported that thousands of viewers on the coastal region from Clifden to Belmullet, including Castlebar, could not get the station.
The newspaper said that tv3 was not utilising RTE's network in the west on cost grounds. The station is carried on RTE's transmission network. RTE has 95 per cent coverage in the State.