RTÉ to commemorate Irish public service broadcasting's 100th anniversary with €130k campaign

RTÉ  is to commission a series of commercials for broadcast and online to be dubbed ‘The Signal’ at a cost of €132,000. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

RTÉ is to spend more than €130,000 on a promotional campaign to commemorate the centenary of public service broadcasting in the State.

The broadcaster is to commission a series of commercials for broadcast and online to be dubbed ‘The Signal’ at a cost of €132,000.

RTE’s radio service broadcast for the first time in 1926, with its television service following some 35 years later in 1961.

The new advertising package stems from a six-month contract to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the station’s first broadcasts, with the winning bidder to be declared by the end of January.

The organisation said it would be seeking a “cost-effective delivery” of the campaign in question, which will constitute both video and audio versions, with an overarching 45-second ‘Hero’ TV ad as the campaign’s lead.

Tender invitation documents for the contract describe ‘The Signal’ as being a “high-quality, emotionally resonant” campaign in celebration of 100 years of public service media in Ireland.

“The ad will reflect RTE’s legacy and future, capturing the evolution of Irish broadcasting through a blend of live-action and animation,” the documents state. RTE has not announced any specific plans for its centenary celebrations.

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The organisation has been on a cost-saving pathway for the past 18 months in the wake of the finalisation of a €725m Government bailout it received in the wake of the collapse of licence-fee revenues and a series of financial scandals.

Earlier this month, RTÉ denied that it will be reliant on outsourcing to replace the output of its own documentary unit and high-profile brands like The Late Late Show and Fair City going forward, insisting instead that its future direction amounts to “working with the full creative economy”.

However, the broadcaster also acknowledged that the decision to wind down the documentary unit had been taken partly due to the impact of an ongoing voluntary redundancy programme.