Sir, – Samuel Walsh (August 15th) contends that “the arts is the least documented section of our society by RTÉ”. This is untrue. RTÉ is one of the few public broadcasters in Europe to carry dedicated arts programming on its main TV and radio channels in the peaktime schedules. There are hundreds of broadcast hours of arts programmes on radio and television every year and coverage of the arts and culture is a core part of RTÉ’s daily output.
The contention of “least documented” is curious, given the very sizeable investment by RTÉ Television in arts documentaries in recent years, covering every possible discipline in the arts and dozens of major figures and strands of culture. BBC’s purchase of a recent RTÉ arts documentary on Gilbert O’Sullivan, scheduled for air in the UK later this month, is current evidence of the world standard of RTÉ’s commissioned work. That such programming goes on the BBC’s second or fourth channels but on RTÉ’s first also indicates this broadcaster’s priorities.
Mr Walsh refers to Bernice Harrison’s criticism (Home News,August 11th) that the “new season’s arts coverage [on RTÉ television] is very poor”. However, another columnist correctly noted in the same edition that “there is a promise of a much rejuvenated artistic schedule in the new year”. A call to programme producers for ideas for new arts series and events was made via the RTÉ television commissioning website in July, with a deadline in early September. Our aim is to get new series into production in the autumn and to air in early 2012.
Meanwhile, RTÉ Television's weekly arts strand, The View, will return to screens next month, with Arenaand Arts Tonightcontinuing on RTÉ Radio One. RTÉ will continue, through its specialist arts programming as well as in its daily output, to highlight, analyse, criticise and explore events across all disciplines, as well as to generate original performances and material by Irish and international artists. – Yours, etc,