BACK PAGES: It is difficult to imagine a time when politicians were not allowed on the country's only radio station, as, apparently, they were not in the early decades of Radio Éireann - before it was detached gradually from total to indirect government control. But they were never behind the door in voicing their opinions on the station, as in this Dáil debate on an estimate of £169,000 for broadcasting in 1953.
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, [ Erskine] Childers, told the Dail yesterday that the results of the Radio Éireann listener survey would not be published, "for obvious reasons".
He said, however, that it had shown that the overwhelming majority of the Irish people with wireless sets listened to Radio Éireann every day, and the percentage enjoying the more serious programmes was not unsatisfactory. At the same time, it also showed a tremendous interest in light music of American origin coming from abroad.
The moral of the report was that Radio Éireann would have to make a supreme effort to popularise and modernise what was Irish if national distinctions were to be preserved . . . In the debate which followed, Deputies raised the topics of the employment of non-nationals in the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra, the vulgarity or otherwise of some of the plays broadcast, and the accents of announcers.
The first speaker was [ James] Everett (Lab), who moved that the estimate be referred back. He complained about the employment of non-nationals in the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra. He also maintained that 80% of the listeners were not interested in the symphony orchestra, anyway. Finally, he wanted to know why the Minister had said nothing about the short-wave station.
[ Robert] Briscoe (FF) referred to the rule by which members of the Dáil were precluded from speaking on Radio Éireann, even if they wished to speak in another capacity altogether.
On the short-wave station, he said he understood that the reason why it was not in operation was that a wavelength could not be obtained. Mr Childers rose to explain that the wavebands were so crowded that they were not worth using.
[ Maurice] Dockrell (FG) thought Radio Éireann's programmes good in the main. He said that Fine Gael was behind every effort to build up a first-class orchestra. This remark drew from Mr Everett [the Former Minister for Posts and Telegraphs] the comment: "You will have no coalition on that: the foreigners must go."
Mr Dockrell agreed that they wanted to see Irish musicians employed, but it was first necessary to have as good an orchestra as any of its kind in Europe. To build up the orchestra to that standard it was necessary to employ foreign musicians.
[ Bridget] Rice (FF) deplored what she termed the "vulgarity" of some of the plays heard over Radio Éireann: she gave as an example "The Playboy of the Western World."
[ Dan] Desmond (Lab) complained about the "Oxford tones" heard in radio announcements. He said the first time he heard it, he thought he was listening to the BBC. He praised the broadcasting of the Angelus bell at 6pm, and suggested that the Rosary should be said over the radio each night.
Capt [ Patrick] Giles (FG) agreed with Mrs Rice about the "vulgarity" of some radio plays. He thought that there should be broadcasts about partition. He said something very peculiar had happened in connection with "Question Time." A very popular compere had been shoved out, and a new one brought in; the second was no improvement on the first.
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