Madam, - The following statements appear in RTÉ's charter:
1. RTÉ must "nurture and contribute to Ireland's rich cultural life".
2. RTÉ will "help to create the future, and not simply respond to it".
3. "RTÉ is publicly owned and is therefore distinct from the competition it faces".
4. "RTÉ must provide programming. . .that recognises cultural diversity including language and music".
5. RTÉ must "be creative in [ its] output, with the confidence to take risks".
As RTÉ's Head of Radio 1, Ana Leddy, announces major changes, it is worth bearing in mind that RTÉ did, at least until very recently, believe that it should represent the "rich cultural life" of this country. The shuffling of presenters is less worrying than the poverty of imagination that now underlies RTÉ's vision - which is to appeal to some misconceived notion of "middle Ireland" by serving it up even more talk/phone-in shows in a market already swamped with such programmes.
RTÉ Radio 1 produces a single programme to cover the entire spectrum of the arts in Ireland, and now Rattlebag is to vanish, along with the quirky and imaginative Mystery Train. But the powers-that-be in the Radio Centre know that art doesn't sleep and the oddballs who like the arts can look forward to a programme that goes out from 11pm to midnight, just as the same audience staves off sleep long enough to watch the only arts show on national television, The View.
Ms Leddy's contention that five one-hour programmes at 11pm is an increase in provision suggests that five two-hour programmes at 2am would be even better.
It is crucial that a daily arts show should be positioned at the heart of the main schedule - either in the afternoon or in the early evening - not just in a niche slot for the few. The arts are not a sideshow, but central to the enjoyment of life.
The real risk that RTÉ might take would be to credit its audience with a genuine interest in creativity that could, if properly catered for, actually increase its audience share. But then, does an organisation "that is distinct from the competition it faces" really need a reason to be imaginative? We, the undersigned, would urge RTÉ to take seriously some of the guiding principles it set itself, not least by attending to some of the artistic and cultural diversity of contemporary Ireland.
Only then will it genuinely help to "create the future" rather than be eternally responding to some global agreement to produce purely market-driven commercial fare. - Yours, etc,
JOHN BOYNE, PADDY BUSHE, THOMAS DE MALLET BURGESS, UNA CARMODY, LIAM CARSON, EVELYN CONLON, ROBERT CONNOR, AMANDA COOGAN, TOM COGHLAN, CONOR CRONIN, MICHAEL CRONIN, MARK CULLEN, LOUGHLIN DEEGAN, PAUL DURCAN, SARAH DURCAN, ANNE ENRIGHT, JIMMY FAY, JULIE FEENEY, ANNIE FLETCHER, GAVIN FRIDAY, DES GERAGHTY, DAVID GODBOLD, WOLFGANG HOFFMAN, FINOLA JONES, FIONA KEARNEY, TANYA KIANG, MICHAEL KLIËN, NIAMH LAWLOR, CATHY LEENEY, DARACH MAC CON IOMAIRE, NIALL MACMONAGLE, CHRISTINE MADDEN, JO MANGAN, PAULA MEEHAN, JUDITH MOK , GINA MOXLEY, GERALD MURPHY, EILÉAN NÍ CHUILLEANÁIN, FIACH MACCONGHAIL, NUALA NÍ DHOMHNAILL, DONAL O'KELLY, MICHAEL O'LOUGHLIN, POLLY O'LOUGHLIN, LAYLA O'MARA, LYNNE PARKER, GABRIEL ROSENSTOCK, CONSTANCE SHORT, PETER SIRR, ALAN TITLEY, RONAN TULLY, FINTAN VALLELY, KATIE VERLING, ANN MARIE WALSH, WILLIE WHITE, JOE WOODS, MACDARA WOODS, ENDA WYLEY, LORETTA YURICK, Greenville Avenue, Dublin 8.