The Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) has banned an advertisement for the Irish Catholic newspaper from being broadcast on two local radio stations.
The advertisement was due to be broadcast on Highland Radio in Donegal and Waterford Local Radio for a six-week period, beginning this week.
Mr Michael O'Keefe, chief executive of the IRTC, said last night the advertisement had been banned under the terms of Section 10 (3) of the Radio and Television Act 1988. It states that no advertisement shall be broadcast which is directed towards any religious or political end or which has any relation to an industrial dispute.
He referred to the Roy Murphy vs the IRTC case of 1997 when a decision by the commission to ban a radio advertisement for the Irish Faith Centre was upheld in the courts. That advertisement promoted the showing of a video which presented evidence for the resurrection of Christ.
Mr O'Keefe suggested that the Irish Catholic advertisement clearly made reference to promoting the teachings of a church. "That is clearly the purpose of the newspaper," he said.
The IRTC decision was made by the executive last Monday week and endorsed by the commission last Monday, he said. A statement on the matter will be issued by the commission later this morning, he said, and a written explanation for its decision will be sent to the Irish Catholic in the near future.
The paper's editor, David Quinn, said last night that the £5,000 campaign was something of an experiment. Sales currently are high in Donegal and low in Waterford and it was hoped to learn from the campaign for future marketing purposes. The paper had not advertised since 1988, when Kathleen Watkins did the voice-over on an advertisement broadcast on RTE to coincide with its centenary. RTE executives agreed that that advertisement complied with the Broadcasting Act.
Last night Mr Colm Molloy, director of sales and marketing at RTE, said he thought the current Irish Catholic advertisement "innocuous". He suggested its reference to family values was no more than a repetition of what was in the Constitution.
The advertisement, prepared by the O'Sullivan Ryan agency, has alternating male and female voices. It reads in part:
Male: "The Irish Catholic - a lively and provocative family newspaper that connects the issues of today with the teachings of the church."
Female: "A refreshingly different point of view that entertains as it informs about the things that really matter."
Male: "If you expect more from a family newspaper than a diet of sex and sensationalism."
Female: "If you think family values are worth preserving."
