RTÉ agrees to meet with disability group after new boss cancels radio programme for blind people’s issues

RTÉ has agreed to talks with disability groups over the controversial decision to scrap the only radio programme dedicated to issues around blindness.

A meeting is due to take place tomorrow morning at which assurances will be sought that Audioscope will be returned to the air or replaced with a programme of similar duration and content.

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) will be attending while RTÉ will be represented by head of Radio 1, Ana Leddy, whose shake-up of the autumn schedules has resulted in the loss of several well-known programmes.

NCBI spokesman Eoin Dardis welcomed the invitation to talks which followed the organisation’s appeals for an opportunity to discuss the national broadcaster’s plans.

The move to scrap Audioscope became public knowledge by word of mouth after the programme, which had aired in various formats for 30 years, finished its run for the summer as RTÉ made no formal announcement of the decision.

The company has since insisted it remains committed to covering issues and events relating to blindness and visual impairment but proposes including them in the weekly Outside The Box programme, which covers disability in general.

Outside The Box producer and presenter Olan McGowan is also scheduled to attend tomorrow’s meeting.

Mr Dardis said he was hopeful of progress in the talks.

“RTÉ is the public service broadcaster and by dropping Audioscope, they have withdrawn a valuable public service.

“It’s a public disservice being done. We want to know what they going to do to right the wrong,” he added.

More than 1,100 people have signed an online petition set up by Audioscope listeners calling for the retention of the programme or the creation of a suitable replacement.

The petition can be viewed at www.saveaudioscope.com.