Has somebody at RTE Sport taken their off the ball? News reaches us today that RTE is currently advertising for a new midweek GAA programme. The application deadline is 11 April - about a month before the Championship begins! We don't work in TV, so we could be mistaken, but it seems like an awfully short amount of time to get a successful, new TV show off the ground. Maybe it'll be the latest media foray for top Irish sports journalist Patrick Bartholomew Ahern.
If you've got a genius GAA chat show up your sleeve and are mates with Graham Geraghty and/or Paul Galvin, rope in some media people and carpe diem. It can't be any worse than 'The Road To Croker'.
The maximum budget available for the series of 18 programmes is €160,000 -together with RTÉ studio (incl EFPs), facilities/resources. In addition, RTÉ Sport will provide a programme set, opening animation and programme graphics for the series, subject to further discussion with the successful company.
The midweek series of 18 x 26 minute programmes should compliment RTÉ Sport's GAA Championship coverage in 2011 and should be ready to start broadcasting on the 18th or 19th of May, running until the 14th or 15th of September. A release from RTÉ Sport states that the group is also open to submissions for programmes 52' in duration.
The submitted programme ideas should include the following: A proposed title, a running order for the first programme along with a list of guests/packages for the series; details of the production team including previous experience and suggested presenter(s). Producers submit ideas into the RTÉ eCommissioning system at e-commissioning.rte.ie under the programme category "Sport - Tender - GAA Midweek Programming" by close of business on Monday 11th April 2011.
The RTÉ Sport website gives further advice to would be applicants, saying: ”The series will be hosted from our Donnybrook studio but we would like to hear your ideas on how best we might use facilities at our regional studios. Thought should be given to introducing an interactive element that will enhance the editorial content of the programme. Evidence of an understanding and knowledge of the GAA at county and club level will be crucial to our final decision.”
