RTE outlines election coverage

Published: Wed 3 Feb 2016, 11:52 AM

Last updated: Wed 3 Feb 2016, 11:57 AM

As the country gets set to elect the 32nd Dáil, RTÉ will be broadcasting live from over 20 constituencies throughout the regions as part of extensive election campaign coverage across television, radio, online and mobile. RTÉ will cover all 40 constituencies. With a major Leaders Debate live from Limerick, flagship radio and television programmes from towns and cities around the county, along with RTÉ’s regional network of studios, the voice of the Irish electorate will be truly reflected like never before during Election 2016 on RTÉ. As Ireland’s public service media organisation, RTÉ’s Project 500 will give an opportunity to every candidate in the country to inform the public of their choices at the ballot box.

TELEVISION

RTÉ One will feature two live television Leaders Debates during the campaign, on Monday 15th February and Tuesday 23rd February. Broadcast from the University of Limerick, the largest general election live television debate with Claire Byrne,has invited leaders from seven political parties to take part, with questions from a live audience of over 300. Three days before the polls open, Miriam O’Callaghan will host a special Prime Time Leaders Debate on Tuesday 23rd in the RTÉ studios in Dublin, with the leaders of the four biggest political parties invited. Both debates will be followed by a live reaction programme, The Spin Room, hosted by David McCullagh.

RTÉ One’s Prime Time and Claire Byrne Live will join together on Monday 8th and 22nd February to take a detailed look at two of the key issues of the election campaign. The Big Picture on the Economy and The Big Picture on Health will feature special in-depth reports by the Prime Time team, followed by a live studio debate on the issue presented by Claire Byrne.

Prime Time will be broadcasting live from Cork, Sligo and Swords during the campaign with special invited audiences discussing issues affecting inner city, rural and urban communities. Throughout the campaign Prime Time’s Political Correspondent Katie Hannon and reporter Robert Shortt will be checking the facts behind the promises. A special Prime Time programme will be broadcast tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One as politicians and commentators look to the campaign ahead.

On Thursday’s, David McCullagh will present PT Extra, a new late-night programme on RTÉ One, featuring election chat and examining whose election strategy is working and whose is failing.

RTÉ News will launch a special election programme, Campaign Daily, which will be broadcast on RTÉ One television six days a week throughout the campaign, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, at noon. Presented by Keelin Shanley and Sharon Ní Bheoláin, Campaign Daily will follow the ebb and flow of the campaign, with reports from policy launches, constituency profiles and panel discussions.

The Week in Politics with Aine Lawlor will double its political coverage, keeping a sharp eye on the campaign as it unfolds with an additional programme every Wednesday night on RTÉ One television during the campaign.

RTÉ News will continue to cover the biggest stories of the day as both the Six One News and Nine O’Clock News television programmes hit the road during the campaign, co-presented from different locations across the country by Sharon Ní Bheoláin and Eileen Dunne. Bryan Dobson will conduct interviews with the party leaders on the Six One News, while RTÉ News will also have a dedicated team following each of the main party leaders during the campaign along with the big stories and analysis from political correspondents David Davin-Power and Martina Fitzgerald.

Nuacht RTÉ will also have comprehensive coverage of the campaign along with news and analysis from Political Correspondent Sorcha Ní Riada across television and radio bulletins, digitally on www.rte.ie/nuacht and on Nuacht TG4.

RADIO

From today, RTÉ Radio 1 takes to the road to meet voters across the country and highlight the issues affecting homes in every corner of Ireland starting from the evening with a live programme from An Taoiseach's hometown - Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Drivetime with Mary Wilson and Today with Sean O’Rourke will broadcast live from 17 constituencies over the next three weeks, from Letterkenny to Castleisland and from Ashbourne to Nenagh, holding to account the men and women seeking election to the 32nd Dáil Éireann. Drivetime’s team of reporters, including Olivia O’Leary, will also be on the ground across the country throughout Election 2016, following candidates and exploring the local stories that will influence voters’ decisions. Morning Ireland will be on the road with the Party Leaders all throughout the Election and feature probing interviews and analysis.

Back in studio, Sean O’Rourke will interview the leaders of the seven main political parties. There’ll be regular debates featuring candidates from across Ireland on News at One, Saturday with Clare Byrne and Late Debate, alongside reaction each weekday on Liveline and The Marian Finucane Show at weekends, while the award-winning This Week will present in-depth analysis of the key campaign issues every Sunday. There will be a satirical take on the week’s election news with Callan’s Kicks each Saturday morning, and also with Colm O’Regan’s radio diary for Drivetime.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will be providing comprehensive nationwide coverage of the election campaign throughout the run-up to Election 2016 from their bases in Kerry, Galway, Donegal and Dublin. Political correspondent Mícheál Ó Leidhin, and journalist Máirín Ní Ghadhra, will be out on the campaign trails, and news programmes Adhmhaidin, Nuacht a hAon and Cormac ag a Cúig, together with regional magazines Iris Aniar, Barrscéalta and An Saol ó Dheas, will bring listeners analysis of all the breaking stories for the duration of the campaign.

DIGITAL
RTÉ News online launched its election hub www.rte.ie/election across all platforms on January 13th to coincide with the return of the Dáil. Already it has received over four million page impressions and continues to grow week-on-week. Drawing on political, journalistic and academic expertise, the Election 2016 digital hub is a one-stop shop for all RTÉ content across television, radio and digital, combining output from current affairs programming, news bulletins, podcasts and written features.

In the coming days the online election hub will also be home to RTÉ’s Project 500, where RTÉ, through its regional network, has given a voice to every single candidate standing in the election. The one-minute uncontested videos are personal political broadcasts allowing parliamentary democracy play out in the public arena, as each candidate is afforded the opportunity to speak directly to the voters via RTÉ online platforms.

www.rte.ie/election will also feature a daily live tracker, and provide the most comprehensive guide for the Irish public as they decide the fate of the parties and the formulation of the next Dail.

Audiences at home and abroad can stay in touch with the latest from the election campaign with all election programming streamed live worldwide and available on-demand on RTÉ Player and RTÉ Player International.