RTE leaves morning slot to TV3

Media&Marketing:  TV3 will be gratified to hear that RTÉ has decided against producing a live morning television programme in the mould of Ireland AM.

At a recent meeting of the station's audience council, Gráinne McAleer, commissioning editor, daytime and lifestyle, said a morning television show would require "a huge investment of resources". She also told the council the idea had been looked at, but people seemed to prefer radio in the mornings.

This leaves TV3, which is owned by CanWest Global, ITV and several private Irish investors, with a monopoly over morning television in Ireland.

Ireland AM, hosted by Mark Cagney and Maura Derrane, is one of the more expensive shows produced by TV3. The station has often been criticised for not putting enough investment into Irish-made programming but it has been prepared to put money into morning programming, while RTÉ has taken up the slack in the afternoon.

However, thus far TV3's monopoly on morning television has not impacted on RTÉ's radio ratings.

According to the last Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) survey, RTÉ's flagship show, Morning Ireland, which airs at the same time as TV3's show, managed an audience of 487,000 listeners, making it the most listened to programme on Irish radio.

Among the current hosts of the programme is Cathal Mac Coille.

Sometimes the emphasis on expensive home-produced programming can be overblown.

Dublin advertising agency Saor Communications said this week that it was ironic that a British-made programme gave RTÉ one of its biggest audience boosts in several weeks when Eastenders attracted an audience of 537,000, or 43 per cent of adults viewing television on Tuesday, October 25th.

'Investor' sold

Ashville Media Group, one of Ireland's largest contract publishing houses, has purchased the magazine Investor for an undisclosed sum.

The purchase price is believed to be a six-figure sum. The magazine claims to be Ireland's only dedicated private investment publication.

It currently has an ABC circulation of 5,045, but Ashville believes its design, editorial and production resources can be used to further develop the publication.

It plans to invest €1 million in the magazine over the next three years.

Investor was the brainchild of Damian Ryan, who came up with the concept for the magazine in 2001.

"Current circulation figures for Investor demonstrate that there is a definite appetite for balanced advice on financial investment" said Diarmaid Lennon, Ashville Media Group.

"The Investor is an increasingly relevant publication in the current climate of greater personal prosperity. With the release of SSIA funds imminent, readers want to be informed about the most challenging investments and the highest rates of return," said Mr Lennon.

Ashville currently produces more than 40 publications including titles for Atlantic Homecare, Avis, Jurys Hotel Group and Vodafone Ireland.

New 'B&F' editor

Economics lecturer and occasional newspaper contributor Dr Constantin Gurdgiev is to become the new editor of Business and Finance magazine.

Dr Gurdgiev is a lecturer in economics at University College Dublin and an associate with Trinity College Dublin. He is also a visiting fellow at City University in the UK.

Dr Gurdgiev's succeeds Gabi Thesing who takes up a position in the Frankfurt office of Bloomberg.

However, she will remain with Business & Finance until the end of January 2006.

The magazine said Dr Gurdgiev would bring a "wealth of global business and financial knowledge".

The publisher of the magazine, Ian Hyland, said Dr Gurdgiev would be acting in a full-time executive capacity at the magazine.

Award nominees

Executives at C&C will be happy to see the marketing teams behind two of their most famous brands - Tayto and Bulmers - among the nominees for this years Marketer of the Year awards.

The awards, organised by Marketing magazine and sponsored by Edelman, were recently announced and PJ Brigdale, marketing manager with Tayto is among those nominated.

This was for the launch of the Honest range of snacks by the company. Maurice Breen and Stephen Kent of Bulmers Ltd were nominated for the rollout of Magner's Irish Cider in the UK.Also nominated is Greg McAweeney, who heads up RaboDirect in Ireland and Rosita Wolfe from the National Concert Hall, marketing and PR Manager.

The winner will be announced at a special awards luncheon next Friday. The judges for this year are: Geraldine O'Leary, RTÉ; Michael Caraher, Association of Advertisers in Ireland; John Concannon, Ireland West Tourism; Ann Corcoran, Limetree; Maurice Cullen, Bord Gáis; Jim Kelly, AIB; Pat Kinsley, Neworldesign and Niall Tracey, Budweiser, Diageo.

Emmet Oliver can be contacted at eoliver@irish-times.ie