RTE has appointed a new head of schedule planning, following the resignation of Andrew Burns earlier this year. In January, RTE confirmed it could face legal action from several current and former employees after Burns stepped down from his post. He had been the subject of several formal complaints about his management style, and had appeared before a disciplinary inquiry last December. The board found there was a conflict in some of the evidence from one of the complainants, and it did not recommend disciplinary action. The new head is Andrew Fitzpatrick, who joins RTE from TV3, where he worked as scheduling manager. He will have responsibility for scheduling all programming on both RTE 1 and Network 2.
A New series beginning tomorrow night on TG4 is set to explore Ireland's seas and lakes from an underwater perspective. Eire Fo-Thoinn is a six-part series produced by Waterford-based Nemeton Television Productions for TG4. The programmes are based on six dives which took place around the country last autumn. The shoots presented challenging conditions for the film-makers - from adverse weather conditions to the particular hazards of filming underwater. One of the dives was an attempt to discover lost treasure from the wreck of a liner which sank in 1917 in Lough Swilly. The SS Laurentic - a sister ship of the Titanic - was en route to America when it was sunk by a German mine, taking 354 passengers and 43 tons of gold with it to the bottom of the sea. More than 3,000 gold bars were recovered over the years, but 25 are believed to be still on board the sunken ship. Last September a team of divers located a safe on board the wreck of the liner, but attempts to salvage it were abandoned when the weather broke during the shoot. Another attempt to recover the safe will be filmed for the final programme in the series.
RTE broadcasters Pat Kenny and Gay Byrne were on hand at the Shelbourne on Tuesday for Granada Media's party to celebrate the closure of its deal with TV3. Although details of Granada's 45 per cent equity stake in TV3 were announced last September, the final t's were crossed and i's dotted just a few weeks ago. The first board meeting with the new Granada directors in situ took place last week. Granada Media chairman Charles Allen gave little away about future plans for TV3, but hinted that some co-production deals between the two could be in the offing. Despite the presence of stars from Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Heartbeat, some of the crowd just couldn't be torn away from the Manchester United/ Bayern Munich match, which was showing on a big screen. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern attended the party, accompanied by his daughters Georgina and Cecilia.
Investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre is set to present an hour-long documentary about the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh for BBC 1. McVeigh was convicted for his part in the killing of 168 people in the bombing of a US federal government building in the city in 1995. The programme will be screened on May 16th, the day of McVeigh's scheduled execution. The BBC is said to be close to securing an interview with McVeigh for the programme. The corporation has spent five years negotiating with McVeigh's lawyers to get an interview with the prisoner. MacIntyre will present the documentary in a live link-up from the US. This is the Dubliner's first high-profile documentary since the controversial series MacIntyre Uncovered was broadcast on the BBC two years ago.
Candidates wishing to participate in reality TV show Treasure Island have until next Friday, April 13th, to submit their applications. The show, which is being produced by COCO Television for RTE, will take 16 people to a remote island in the South Pacific to search for a hidden prize of £50,000. The contestants will face a series of tasks and challenges, and each week those who fail will be eliminated from the competition. COCO Television remains coy about the location of the island and the production schedule, but the shoot is expected to take place and be aired sometime between May 1st and June 30th. Crewing arrangements have yet to be finalised, but it is believed the contestants will be given digital cameras to record video diaries, while the main filming will take place for up to 12 hours a day. The programme originated in New Zealand, and producers who have worked on the format are being consulted about possible pitfalls during production.
Anyone interested can apply online at www.rte.ie/treasureisland or phone 1890-335353 in the Republic (caller pays local rates), or 0800-0391213 from Northern Ireland. The lengthy questionnaire includes questions such as "what's the most outrageous thing you've ever done", and "what's your worst nightmare", so be prepared . . .
mkearney@irish-times.com