Analogue Closes and RTÉ News Now gets Makeover

Today the 24th of October, 2012, Analogue TV was turned off. The Minister for Communications, Pat Rabbitte, along with RTÉ chairperson, Tom Savage, welcomed the ending of Analogue and a new future for communications in Ireland, which now sees the broadcasting spectrum freed up for new TV services and new broadband communications. Saorview is just part of the Digital Dividend. RTÉ took the opportunity to announce changes at RTÉ News and Current Affairs to announce changes to RTÉ News Now.

50 years ago Telefís Éireann was getting ready to broadcast for the first time, this week RTÉ shut-down the Analogue transmission system, closing down Analogue terrestrial broadcast of the 4 traditional television service RTÉ 1, 2, TV3 and TG4.

Speaking on the digital TV switchover the Minister said: “This is an historic event, a new and exciting advance for broadcasting in Ireland. Public service broadcasting remains vital to the social, political and cultural life of the nation. What we are doing here today ensures people will continue to have access to free to air television, providing a full range of services, with a strong national voice.”

Meantime RTÉ's Director of News and Current Affairs, Kevin Bakhurst, announced new set of News and Current Affairs programmes for RTÉ One and RTÉ News Now. RTÉ will begin broadcasting a new morning news show from 9am to 11am each morning.

David Nally, Managing Editor of TV Current Affairs said of the changes: “I’m delighted that current affairs will be an even more prominent part of the RTÉ One TV schedule in 2013 and that we’ll have greater flexibility to mix the talents of our presenting and reporting teams and provide a greater variety of formats to our viewers.”