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Bosco will be happy with the news TheJournal.ie

RTÉ will continue making children's TV programmes in 2017

However, it’s understood the programming will be minimal and there are no guarantees beyond this year.

RTÉ WILL CONTINUE to make some in-house children’s programming in 2017, TheJournal.ie has learned.

Back in November, the state broadcaster was heavily criticised after it said it would no longer produce any programming for young people, citing a “challenging financial environment”.

RTÉ instead planned to commission all of its content geared towards young people from the independent sector.

However, it is now understood that the required savings have been found following negotiations between the workers’ union and management.

The station has now temporarily rowed back on the move, saying it will continue to produce some children’s programming this year. TheJournal.ie understands it will be a minimal amount of programming.

A source with knowledge of the situation says the programming being made in-house is for RTÉ Jr, which is aimed at children under the age of seven. “There is nothing being made in-house for any other age group,” they said, adding that many people have lost their jobs.

In November, the broadcaster’s Trade Union Group (TUG) said the original move was announced “without any consultation with trade unions” and held talks with RTÉ in a bid to stop it.

Internal memo

In an internal memo sent to staff in the past 24 hours, and seen by TheJournal.ie, RTÉ acknowledged “the work of the Young People’s Programme (YPP) department over the years and the specific skill set required in the creation of content for YPP”, while the TUG noted “the severe financial constraints under which RTÉ is currently operating”.

It continues: “For its part, RTÉ confirms its commitment in 2017 to the internal production and creation of content for young people as outlined in a 2017 YPP Agreement.

“The parties jointly acknowledge that the required savings have been identified and achieved as part of this negotiation.”

It notes that a number of concerns were raised during negotiation on the issue, stating:

RTÉ and TUG have agreed a plan for 2017 and have identified existing resources which will be used to maintain internally produced YPP content, within current budgets, while delivering the required savings for the organisation.

The memo adds that RTÉ has confirmed its commitment to YPP outreach, meaning the continued presence of YPP at offsite events such as the National Ploughing Championships and Bloom.

The station has also committed to “a high-profile promotion campaign aimed at parents to direct them to YPP content across the various platforms” and keeping TV, radio, online and/or app presences for YPP brands.

The RTÉ and the TUG have agreed to meet quarterly “to review and monitor the ongoing operation of these arrangements”.

In a separate statement sent to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for RTÉ said: “RTÉ and the TUG are committed to working together to ensure that younger audiences continue to be served, while maintaining the necessary savings that had previously been identified given RTÉ’s ongoing funding concerns.

“RTÉ will continue to offer the RTÉ Jr service on television, radio, and online/mobile for under sevens, as well as TRTÉ, the block of programming on RTÉ2 for seven to 12 year olds. Details of in-house production are still being worked on and the Trade Union Group and RTÉ have committed to quarterly reviews of the agreement.”

Reaction

Bosco visited TheJournal.ie shortly after the decision was announced in November and was not impressed with RTÉ, saying:

I think it’s because [RTÉ] don’t care about children … because if they did care about children then they wouldn’t take away the programmes.

“It made me very sad because I didn’t want that to happen. I don’t think anybody wanted it to happen. Now they say that they’re going to get lots of other people to make the programmes and I’m sure they’re going to do a very good job, but it’s not going to be the same when there’s no RTÉ Jr … I think it means the end of children’s programmes properly.”

When asked if Bosco trusted the adults in RTÉ, the puppet said:

No, I don’t. I think I’d give them the sack. I think that they should ask everybody what they think because doesn’t everybody pay to have children’s television when they pay their TV licence.

Read: ‘Financial difficulties’ at RTÉ forced children’s television cutbacks – but Fair City is safe

Read:  Bosco: ‘I don’t trust the bosses in RTÉ and I’d give them the sack’

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38 Comments
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    Mute cosmological
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:37 PM

    What a nightmare for the kid, not to mention the family.

    478
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    Mute Angry Squirrel
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:45 PM

    Yep I would be suing the SXxT out of the lot of them if it was my daughter.

    296
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    Mute dstaffx
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:50 PM

    Sue sue sue! Lets get money!
    There are better things in life than money.

    89
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    Mute Gonzo Doyle
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:52 PM

    Strange the way Glen has stopped commenting on every single story since he is in line for comment of the week. He will have his Sunday best on at 11am tomorrow for the announcement.

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    Mute cosmological
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:59 PM

    Wot’s this Gonzo obsession with Glen, are you a secret admirer?

    159
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    Mute Conor Cullen
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    Apr 24th 2015, 1:08 PM

    Yeah and when you have loads of money you can buy those things!

    41
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    Mute Lolo
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    Apr 24th 2015, 1:13 PM

    Well the compensation money would come in handy for all the therapy the poor kid will probably need!

    135
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    Mute Amy gaffney
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    Apr 24th 2015, 1:51 PM

    Maybe suing them would make them think twice before making such a monumental cock up again. That Garcia one had her own daughter taken away and then done the same thing to someone else and refuses to take responsibility for it. There’s a special kind of selfish nastiness in that.

    129
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    Mute ohaimhirghin
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    Apr 24th 2015, 2:32 PM

    Eggs?

    4
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    Mute Alan Wiley
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:39 PM

    It’s not often Mexicans have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the U.S.

    223
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    Mute Living Abroad
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    Apr 24th 2015, 5:52 PM

    That supposed to be funny? idiot

    13
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    Mute Barney r
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    Apr 25th 2015, 11:17 AM

    For the women smuggled into the sex trade and the hundreds that die crossing the border, thats hilarious

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    Mute John
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    Apr 24th 2015, 1:46 PM

    Remember when that happened here in Ireland because some curtain twitcher thought that a Romanian child didn’t look enough like her parents. Just last year

    170
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    Mute Patrick Murphy
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    Apr 24th 2015, 2:04 PM

    And most of the commentators on the journal thought it was ok for the gardai to do it.

    71
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Apr 24th 2015, 2:19 PM

    Once might have been forgivable, but twice?

    23
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    Mute Sinead
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:56 PM

    I really just don’t understand how this could happen? How could the woman who took her not see that the girl is not her daughter? And the the girl has a huge family all testifying who she is! Fairly dodgy carry on.

    152
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    Mute Ciarán Masterson
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:43 PM

    Why didn’t Dorotea Garcia ask the Mexican authorities to test a sample of Alondra’s DNA before the court hearing took place? How could she not have thought of the possibility that the girl was not her daughter?

    152
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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Apr 24th 2015, 6:02 PM

    She was probably desperate, but any right-thinking neutral would see this as the most appropriate way to approach the situation, even if the kid had to be taken into temporary foster care whilst awaiting results.

    19
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    Mute Jane Sacrey
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    Apr 24th 2015, 1:09 PM

    Holy cow .. They could have been sending her to her death or worse … I don’t understand in this day and age with so much at the courts disposal that they did not do the DNA test before shipping her off !!!!!!!

    104
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    Mute John Ryan
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    Apr 24th 2015, 8:04 PM

    US law enforcement wave their big dick and the Mexicans bend over is how this works.

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    Mute ah_enda
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:47 PM

    Absolutely disgraceful…

    81
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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Apr 24th 2015, 12:50 PM

    Mad ted

    72
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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Apr 24th 2015, 1:04 PM

    Not the Momma!

    38
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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Apr 24th 2015, 10:26 PM
    4
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    Mute Dennis Collins
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    Apr 24th 2015, 4:25 PM

    The judge claims that she could not order a DNA test as it is not her job to investigate, rather just to judge. If she felt the evidence was insufficient, what would have been wrong with simply dismissing it until more satisfactory evidence was presented. A lot of questions need to be answered by this judge.

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    Mute Sheik Yahbouti
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    Apr 24th 2015, 3:22 PM

    Utterly disgraceful.

    17
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    Mute Shane Russell
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    Apr 24th 2015, 4:06 PM

    That is so messed up.

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    Mute Vicko Aguilar
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    Apr 24th 2015, 4:40 PM

    It’s embarrassing to see this kind of stupidity! I claim all the children from Mexico are mind and the rotten judge say yes they r yours you can take them now. Poor parents! I can’t imagine the law in that country!!

    11
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    Mute Vinny Wallace
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    Apr 24th 2015, 4:51 PM

    Did no one have a bit of sense even at border control there was no real eveidence this woman was the mother of the child. Did no one say hang on a sec go get DNA evidence then you can come into the country.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Apr 24th 2015, 2:17 PM

    The best interests of the child in action.

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    Mute Oisín Tarrant
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    Apr 24th 2015, 6:12 PM

    The father who really took Dorotea Garcias daughter has to have seen this happening.

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    Mute Ewan O'Doherty
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    Apr 26th 2015, 8:16 AM

    Even if Alondra Lunez’ family attempt to sue the authorities (which, in a still very corrupt Mexico, one wonders if ‘authorities’ is a misnomer) how far would they get? To do something like that to a terrified young girl, all I can say is that I am totally disgusted

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