This is the time of year when the nation’s broadcasters unveil their autumn schedules to the public. First out of the traps this week was TG4, with Virgin TV set to follow soon. RTÉ is adopting a more low-key, low-cost approach following its summer of scandals and tribulations.
One of the burdens which RTÉ managers have always had to bear is unfavourable comparison with their near neighbours at the BBC. Such comparisons are unfair; British public service broadcasting operates at a budgetary scale to which its Irish equivalent can never aspire. Regardless of budgets, though, a long-standing conservatism and risk aversion in RTÉ compares badly with UK broadcasters and has often made Montrose a cold house for writers, performers and filmmakers. One rationale for public service media is that it should be a seedbed for new voices to emerge. RTÉ's record in this regard has been patchy.
As it prepares to confront multiple existential challenges, RTÉ might be well advised to look closer to home for an example of how to map a way forward in a world in which the old certainties of linear broadcasting are disappearing. On a modest budget, TG4 has demonstrated how clarity of purpose can yield startling results from meagre resources. As TG4 director general Alan Esslemont noted this week, the channel brings much-needed diversity and innovation to a “monolithic public service media ecosystem”.
The most visible vindication of that strategy is the international acclaim for the Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin, but behind that success lies a commitment to original Irish-language production, in collaboration with Screen Ireland and other agencies. The same is true of documentaries and other independent programming.
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Like RTÉ, TG4 has suffered from years of political procrastination over modernising the revenue model for public service media. But it has demonstrated greater agility than its larger sister organisation in coping with adversity. If RTÉ is to come through its current travails, it will need to show some of the same nimbleness and creativity.