Sir, - RTE, with its decision not to continue broadcasting English Premiership soccer, has shown yet again how ridiculously poor our "national broadcaster" is in terms of supplying a quality service to the people of Ireland.
The decision, based on an unwillingness to compete with ITV, demonstrates how Dublin-centred RTE is.
Or is Mr Cathal Goan under the impression that every household in Ireland has access to ITV, BBC, Sky, etc?
I can reliably inform our director of television that this is not the case. There are still numerous licence-paying households which depend on our national broadcaster to provide quality news, entertainment and sports programming.
Furthermore, as to the loss of exclusivity, one of the main attractions of The Premiership was not in learning the scores from the different grounds around England, but rather in witnessing the lively debate of Messrs Giles, Dunphy, O'Herlihy, et al.
I doubt if ITV can compete with RTE in this regard.
Match of the Day, with its tradition and excellent punditry, was always more competition to the viewing figures of The Premiership' and this had very little to do with broadcast times.
RTE does not seem to have the same problem with broadcasting exclusive programmes when it comes to aping the efforts of our neighbouring stations with the likes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
It raises the question of why exactly RTE was looking for such a large licence fee increase when it can so easily dismiss one of the jewels in its programming crown. And if we promise to watch ITV in preference to RTE (which Mr Goan is effectively encouraging us to do), are we exempt from paying the licence fee to RTE? - Yours, etc.,
Tony O'Leary, St Patrick's Cottages, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.