RTÉ has announced details of its coverage across digital, TV and Radio in the run up to the European Parliament Elections.
RTÉ programmes including Morning Ireland, Six One News and This Week will broadcast on location from several towns and cities across Ireland. Coverage of the upcoming local elections will also be featured across all RTÉ platforms in the coming weeks.
In addition to its digital coverage, RTÉ will host three major live television debates on the European Elections across three consecutive weeks in the lead up to polling day. Presenters Katie Hannon, Miriam O’Callaghan, Sarah McInerney and Fran McNulty will host the TV debates.
Beginning on Monday 20th May, Upfront with Katie Hannon will focus on the Midlands North-West constituency. On Thursday 30th May, a Prime Time Election Debate special will focus on the Ireland South constituency. The final of RTÉ’s major TV debate of the campaign will see candidates in the Dublin constituency feature on a Prime Time Election Debate on Tuesday 4th June.
With over 20 candidates in each constituency and more than 70 across the three European constituencies, RTÉ has set criteria for inviting candidates to the debates to ensure they are as informative and coherent as possible to best serve the audience. The criteria will see a maximum of eight candidates in each of the above television debates.
In addition, RTÉ will broadcast a live TV special from Limerick for the first-ever Mayoral Election. Upfront with Katie Hannon will be broadcast live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Monday 27th May.
RTÉ’s election campaign coverage will also see flagship current affairs programmes Six One News, Today with Claire Byrne, Drivetime, The Week in Politics and This Week broadcast a range of European constituency-based programmes featuring candidates in various formats, including live and pre-recorded reports, along with analysis by RTÉ’s journalists on each of the European constituencies.
“Across television and radio, there will be a total of 15 European constituency-based programmes in varying formats. There will be a fair allocation of live coverage that recognises electoral record, but also provides scope for RTÉ to provide airtime to a diverse range of views, in accordance with election rules set out by the regulator, Coimisiún na Meán.
“RTÉ’s extensive digital elections campaign coverage will include constituency profiles, explainer videos, articles and live blogs of key events across the RTÉ News app, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ’s social media channels.” – RTÉ
