TG4 needs ‘extra €14m a year’

THE Government should increase funding for TG4 by €14 million a year to €44m by 2008, a new report recommends, or risk more job losses in the Gaeltacht areas.

Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), the television and film industry lobby group, says the additional funding is vital if the Irish-language station is to continue providing indigenous programming.

If the Government fails to increase the station’s budget, SPI fears that many independent producers could lose their jobs and TG4 would have to rely on more English language programming.

SPI chairman Larry Bass said the funding of the station also has serious implications for the future growth of the Irish language, which has seen a substantial increase in its usage since TG4 began broadcasting.

The report claims that since the station went on air in 1996, the numbers of Irish speakers in the country rose by more than 140,000.

“It has fulfilled its role in providing Irish language programming to all those with an interest in the language, regardless of their level of fluency.

“It has also maintained its public service remit by broadcasting interesting and informative programming,” Mr Bass said yesterday. However, TG4 is heavily dependent on the independent producers it commissions Irish language programming from. Independent producers are responsible for the vast majority of original Irish language programming on TG4 and without them the station would have grave difficulties in fulfilling its remit.”

The report recommends that TG4 should spend at least 80% of any new funding on commissioning more Irish language programming and better prices for producers, while a dedicated fund should be established to support producers of Irish language programming.

If the increase in funding was granted, TG4 could increase its Irish programming from three hour per day to six. It would also allow the channel to increase its sports coverage by 90 hours a year, with 75 hours of homemade documentaries.

SPI says the creation of TG4 has led to many employment opportunities in the Gaeltacht regions and has meant that many Irish speakers have remained in the area rather than moving to large towns and cities.

But the report said that, at the present level of funding, many independent producers are being forced away from TG4 and Irish language programming and that the number of independent producers living and working in Gaeltacht areas has decreased by 30% in three years.

SPI’s TG4 committee chairman Irial MacMurchú said more jobs would be lost if funding were to remain at current levels.