Sir, - What a great start to the New Year. Despite being responsible for the worst "eve of the millennium" broadcast that either I or anyone I spoke with saw, Joe Mulholland, managing director of RTE (Opinion, January 7th) can take time to engage in self-congratulation for something that he continues to term "public service broadcasting".
Earlier in the week we had another bout of "self-congratulation" from RTE on the "excellent TAM ratings" for New Year's Eve. Has it not occurred to anyone in that "artistic and cultural" bunker here in Donnybrook why that was so. Many of us, myself included, continued to watch our national station in the very real hope, alas unfulfilled, that there might be some coverage of an Ireland we actually lived in.
Instead we got the reminiscences of a former broadcaster, the once controversial views of a former student leader and the crooning of a once significant show-band star. Thankfully these were interspersed with some delightful coverage from other countries' television services and, in fairness, some good contemporary Irish culture.
In the course of the article, Mr Mulholland made the extraordinary comment: "even the BBC has had to adapt to the marketplace to retain credibility as a broadcaster". He went on: "ITV also had the commercial audacity to broadcast three times on Christmas night the game show Who Wants to be A Millionaire?". What contempt for the viewing public. RTE, of course, had the courage to broadcast the film Michael Collins!
Mr Mulholland nearly had me in tears when he wrote with obvious pride of the broadcasting of the regional programme Nation-wide. RTE should indeed be proud of this programme. However it is a pity that its version of the nation seems to exclude Dublin. Once again, I take the opportunity to ask: when will RTE respond to the request from Dublin City Council for the appointment of a Dublin regional correspondent?
I share Joe Mulholland's stated belief in public service broadcasting. The difference is he can deliver it. I cannot. A real debate on the future of public service broadcasting is needed now more than ever. This will require RTE to involve the people of this country in a manner never demonstrated in recent times. - Yours, etc., Cllr Dermot Lacey,
Beech Hill Drive, Donnybrook, Dublin.