Medium-wave shutdown is a step backward
Thursday, March 6th, 2008Ean has released the following statement on RTE’s medium-wave shutdown.
Statement on RTE’s intended shutdown of medium wave
Éan – the Emigrant Advice Network
Éan is an organization that represents the interests of the Irish abroad; we are a network comprised of those working with emigrants, as well as academics and interested individuals. Our work is aimed at improving the emigrant experience.
The Task Force on Policy Regarding Emigrants specifically mentions radio as being crucial for communications with the Irish abroad, and provision for radio broadcasting to Irish communities outside the island of Ireland was included in last year’s broadcasting bill.
Éan believes the shutdown of medium wave should be postponed until there is a long-term solution in place.
1) The shutdown is a reversal of recent trends in which Ireland has acknowledged its debt to the Irish abroad, and the need for maintaining strong links.
2) Medium wave and long-wave are complementary solutions for the Irish abroad – longwave on its own is inadequate and presents problems for the future.
3) The move is premature – it will make the transition to digital more difficult.
1. Dropping medium wave is a step backward in our relationship with the Irish abroad.
In recent years, Ireland has made enormous progress in recognizing the importance of its relationship with the Irish abroad. The 2002 report of the Task Force on Policy Regarding Emigrants – which stated explicitly, “We owe much to our emigrants� – has provided the foundation for improving the links between Ireland and the Irish abroad.
In that report, radio was recognized as being ‘of critical importance� in providing “access to news and information about Ireland (as an) important means of retaining links and cultural identity for the Irish abroad�.
Last year’s broadcasting legislation allowed for license money to be spent on radio broadcasting for the Irish abroad.
The shutdown of a service valued by the Irish abroad, and RTE’s refusal to help older Irish emigrants with a voucher scheme similar to the one it says it will adopt for older people here, seems contradictory to the spirit of last year’s legislation.
Recent trends in our relationship with the Irish abroad would suggest that RTE should be working to improve access to its services by the Irish abroad – particularly the most vulnerable, who are most likely to experience difficulty making the transition from medium wave to any other format.
RTÉ is not acknowledging its listenership abroad. It says that fewer than 10% of its listeners tune in on medium wave – but this figure is solely for the Irish in the Republic, and does not take into account listeners in regions where FM is not an option, including the North (where FM is available in only some areas), Britain, and Northern Europe.
Listeners can switch to the internet or cable systems, but this is not a good enough solution for the vulnerable elderly among the Irish abroad, who may not be able to access or afford such services. This move is a serious setback to the tremendous progress made by the Government in reaching out to our older emigrants.
2. There are significant problems with the long-wave alternative.
Neither long wave nor medium wave alone is an ideal solution for Irish listeners abroad – but the combination of the two is a far better solution than long wave alone. While most people in London cannot get medium wave, there are large parts of the UK where they can, and people who live in areas like Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds should be allowed to continue to listen to the service that has existed for decades. Additionally, the medium wave signal reaches many places throughout near Europe, including Brussels.
Longwave is an unsuitable solution for the Irish abroad, as it is not available at night to most people due to the interference from a competing station. RTÉ has acknowledged this problem; an RTÉ spokesperson is quoted in this week’s Irish Post as saying
“we are currently pursuing this issue with specific broadcasters and hope that this might improve the reception of LW 252 in the eveningâ€? (emphasis added).
We believe it would be better to resolve the problem before cutting off the alternative – what incentive will there be for RTE to resolve the difficulties after the switchover date?
Another problem is the fact that long wave is declining in popularity in the UK, and receivers will become increasingly hard to find. Long wave is already being phased out as standard equipment in cars. While some years ago most cars had long wave, many of the leading manufacturers have stopped supplying long wave radios as standard equipment in the UK.
Vauxhall, Renault, Toyota and BMW have all phased out long wave in recent years, and the trend is likely to continue. This will be an additional burden on those who would like to listen to longwave in their cars, as people will need to replace their radios.
We believe that long wave still has an important role to play for Irish radio listeners abroad but it is inadequate on its own. For those who can recieve it in Britain and in near Europe, medium wave still has a vital role to play. It is not true that long wave is a better alternative.
3. RTÉ’s move is premature.
Ultimately, a switchover to digital broadcasting (specifically, DRM) will have enormous benefits for the Irish abroad. RTÉ has invested in a DRM-capable longwave transmitter and has initiated testing DRM (with tests performed last August). We welcome this move – but the transition would be more easily accomplished if RTE maintains its current services. Medium wave can be used as the fallback during the testing phases, and when the time comes to make the switchover, there can be an appropriate information campaign aimed at assisting the Irish abroad in making the move. It makes more sense to delay the switchover until there is a solution that will adequately address the needs of the listenership abroad.
Within a few years, there is likely to be a permanent, technologically superior solution in digital radio – keeping medium wave until that solution is ready will make the switchover easier, and prevent people from having to make two switches – the first to a longwave service that is frequently not available, and the second to a digital service that will genuinely meet the needs of the Irish abroad.
5 March 2008
For further information contact:
Noreen Bowden, Director, Éan.
noreen@ean.ie www.ean.ie 087 2111397
State checking on pensioners abroad
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008The Department of Social and Family Affairs is contacting 8,000 pensioners abroad to ensure they are still alive, the Irish Times reports today.
There are 35,000 people living outside of Ireland who receive the contributory pension, according to the paper; the contributory pension is made to eligible people 66 or over who have paid social insurance PSRI contributions. The pension amounts to €223 per week, with more if the recipient has an adult dependent.
There are a total of 237,000 recipients of this pension, with 14% of them living abroad. Most of those recipients abroad live in the UK, the US, and Canada. As these countries do not automatically alert Irish authorities when an Irish citizen dies, the Department is concerned that welfare payments may be made to people who have died. Officials are contacting 8,000 recipients they feel may have passed away or who no longer have an adult dependent.
One thousand circulars were distributed last month, for the first phase of the “life certification project”. If there is no response within a period of time, the payments will be stopped; they will be reinstated, however, if someone is taken off the list but is still alive.
Read the full story (registration required).
Latest Ean newsletter published
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008The latest edition of the Ean newsletter was published last week. In this issue, we look at RTE’s imminent medium wave shutdown, issues facing adoptive parents who are resident abroad, emigrant political participation, plus the usual roundup of events and news.
See the archive in our publications section.
Around Europe with RTE medium wave: listener feedback
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008The following comments are among those Ean has received regarding medium wave reception in the UK and Europe. RTE’s Radio 1 is available throughout the UK and as far away as Belgium.
Sincere thanks for sending me the latest news on the proposed withdrawal by RTE of the medium wave radio service which is still the only way a huge number of people living Northern Ireland, the UK and the near Continent have of tuning in to RTE radio.
I had first hand experience of the problem just last week when I was away in London and Louvain (Belgium). In both locations the only way I could access RTE.1 was on 565KHz Medium wave. 252KHz Long wave was impossible to hear in both places,nothing but a loud buzz of interference. And I always carry with me when I go to the UK or the Low Countries a small but powerful SONY Receiver.John Connors, MCC
On Saturday night, 23 February, I had cause to visit Ballymena in Co Antrim. I was tuned to RTE Radio One on FM on the way north from Mayo. It was okay to Omagh but coming close to Cookstown, the signal began to break-up. I tried the usual range but to no effect.
I then decided to switch over to 567 kHz for the rest of the journey through Moneymore, Maherafelt, Toome and on to Ballymena. I don’t have longwave on the car radio so the mediumwave was the only way I could access RTE in that region. Reception was very good.
I have found RTE mediumwave to be very handy for its separate sports coverage on Saturday evenings and this service will be lost to many people who travel by cars in all parts of the country, and across the Irish Sea in the UK, if the mediumwave transmitter is shut down. It is a very regrettable decision and one that I hope is reversed as soon as possible so that commonsense can prevail.
Michael Commins, Mayo News and Mid West Radio.
I can comfirm that at 10.00pm this evening (18 February 2008) the signal here in Fareham Hampshire on 567 was solid, no interferance or noise, and at the same volume control setting twice as loud as 252 the latter was also very noisy.
Keith Randall
I’m listening right now to Lillian playing some great oldies on RTE 1 on both 567 and 252 … the 252 audio is a second or so behind the 567 audio.
I’m in Gerrards Cross in south Bucks, which is just west of London.
The 567 signal is slightly stronger than the 252 signal, but both are very adequate. The signal strength meter on the radio says 567 is stronger, but you don’t hear the difference.
Both channels have some other stations co-channel, but neither has any great problem. My aerial is beaming west at about 290 degrees from here so anything to the south east is at a disadvantage anyway.
The biggest difference though is the quality of the audio. 567 sounds a lot better than 252. There must be some different audio processing going on. 567 has a better audio range, less bass, more mid-range and top end. 252 sounds almost clipped, a lot of bass and quite harsh.
So I reckon 567 is by far the nicer to listen to.
Mark Hattam
http://www.dxradio.co.ukI am the author of the Euro-African Medium Wave Guide (www.emwg.info) and I am an occasional listener of RTE.
When I want to listen to RTE Radio 1 after sunset here in Flanders, it is impossible to do so on 252 kHz as the Algerian transmitter on the same frequency is dominant.
567 kHz is a good alternative on which RTE is the dominant station. Although reception is not free of interference, the programmes are well audible on the medium wave frequency.Herman Boell
“World wide webs” diaspora book published by Australian think tank
Monday, February 18th, 2008“World wide webs: diasporas and the international system” has been published today by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, an independent think tank based in Sydney, Australia. The paper by Michael Fullilove looks like a significant contribution to the field of Diaspora Studies.
From the website:
In this paper, Michael argues that diasporas (communities which live outside, but retain their connections with, their homelands) are getting larger, thicker and stronger – with important implications for global economics, identity, politics and security. Michael compares diasporas to ‘world wide webs’ emanating from states, with dense, interlocking, often electronic strands spanning the globe and binding different individuals, institutions and countries together. World wide webs offers a fresh take on globalisation which raises difficult questions for national governments, including the Australian government.
Download “World wide webs” from the Lowy Institute website.
Irish Times: ‘growing unease’ over RTE move
Monday, February 18th, 2008The Irish Times is reporting that ‘growing unease’ among TDs and Senators over RTE’s decision to shut down its medium wave service on March 24. It says there will be a meeting between the Oireachtas Committee on Communications and RTE in the next few weeks over the issue.
The report quotes several politicians citing their concerns, including Senator Denis O’Donovan, a former TD for Cork South West. The report says:
“As somebody who lived abroad in the 1970s in London, working my way through college, I remember the importance of the service for emigrants,” he said.
“To listen to the broadcast of a GAA match was hugely important for emigrants.”
He said many of those who would be most affected were now silent because they were unaware it was going to happen.
Mr O’Donovan said while a young generation might be adept with modern technology, there was still a significant number of people who relied on the medium wave service. “These are people of modest means who who might also be living in remote areas. They have been using this service for years and years,” he said.
“I would call on RTÉ to reverse this decision. The closure of this service will not save a great deal of money, and if it can make people’s lives happier at home and abroad, why not continue with it?”
Read the entire article (subscription required).
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