Irish in Britain is seeking tenders for an extensive piece of research on the listenership of RTÉ longwave here in Britain. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will fund the research programme as part of the Emigrant Support Programme, and Irish in Britain will manage the research program, the Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan T.D. announced today (Monday 6 July 2015).
Minister Deenihan said:
“When RTÉ postponed its planned cessation of longwave radio services in December, it was announced that funding under the Emigrant Support Programme would be provided to address the lack of data on who listens to RTÉ radio in Britain and how they access it.
I am pleased that this research is now being rolled out and I would encourage the Irish community in the UK to engage with this process as it seeks to deliver a better picture of need, to inform a solution acceptable to all. I am very conscious of the importance of the longwave service for the Irish community in the UK, especially the older members of this community, in maintaining their links to Ireland. I hope that through this research a more complete picture of the current level of listenership will be available’’
This ESP funded research follows the announcement by RTÉ in December that it would defer the proposed shutdown of the service until 2017. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
Irish in Britain will manage the administrative aspects of the project and we are currently advertising for a vendor who will conduct qualitative research into the frequency of listenership, attitudes to its content and perceived benefits and weaknesses in the service.
Together with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Irish in Britain, and community representatives; RTÉ is one of the key stakeholders in the consultative group overseeing the research.
You can download the research brief here and please contact us on 020 7697 4081 for more info.