The broadcasting of the Fianna Fail ardfheis earlier this year cost RTE almost £40,000, according to information released by the national broadcaster under the Freedom of Information Act. In a statement yesterday, RTE said the figure reflected the average cost of broadcasting a party conference in Dublin, while the cost of covering a conference outside the capital was around £50,000. So far this year, Fianna Fail is the only major party to have held its annual conference. Last year, RTE broadcast from the Fine Gael conference in Dublin, the Progressive Democrats conference in Galway and the Labour party conference in Tralee. Fianna Fail did not hold a conference in 1999.
Information released by RTE under the Freedom of Information Act last month revealed Fianna Fail had been in correspondence with the station requesting the coverage of the latest ardfheis be enhanced through greater technical flexibility, including better lighting and camera angles. A Fianna Fail source said last night the party had sought to make the conference more engaging for the viewer. He said coverage of party conferences was very important for all political parties as it allowed them an opportunity to present themselves to the electorate.
However, the RTE spokesman said last night that these changes would present problems for the national broadcaster. "From a television point of view, I can see their point but we are there to cover a party conference. If there are videos and dancing girls it becomes a media event and we are not covering a party conference anymore," he said, adding that the bigger parties would also have the advantage of having a bigger budget at their disposal. u8,000. According to the RTE statement, the cost of facilities for the Fianna Fail gathering this year was £33,000. This involved a large outside broadcasting unit being stationed at the RDS from the Friday morning to the Sunday of the ardfheis, putting cameras, cables and other facilities in place, recording on Friday evening, if required, recording all day Saturday and Sunday morning, and derigging on Sunday afternoon and evening. It said an extra day might be needed to rig and de-rig, depending on which halls had been used and the number of staff that were available. In some halls, additional scaffolding would be needed for lighting and camera positions purposes.
An RTE spokesman said the figures provided were total costs, including salaries, weighting of services and the cost of equipment. While the average cost was around £40,000, the figure could be higher if outside facilities had to be brought in because of the station's heavy schedule, or if additional overtime was necessary. Referring to conferences held outside Dublin, the spokesman said the average additional cost of £10,000 related to the cost of travel and accommodation for the outside broadcast unit. However, he said it was a difficult figure to average since different travel times might be involved.
RTE radio did not budget separately for the coverage of party conferences, he said. There was a budget of £3,000 per annum for additional direct programme costs for party conferences, while existing budgets absorbed the rest of the costs of radio coverage.