The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (“BAI”) has recently signed contracts with 12 independent producers and six radio stations that were awarded production funding to make TV or Radio programmes in recent rounds of the Broadcasting Funding Scheme – Sound & Vision II.
The Scheme was established to provide funding support to enable the production of high quality programmes that deal with the themes of Irish culture, heritage and experience, programmes to improve adult literacy and those programmes in the Irish language. The Broadcasting Act, 2009 extended the Scheme further to offer funding to programmes that deal with the themes of media literacy and global affairs and increased the percentage level of funding for the Scheme, via the television licence fee, to 7%. The details of some recently signed contracts are outlined below.
Dublin based Athena Media was awarded funding for the production of four projects: ‘Grassroots’, a human interest radio series, is based on the stories of people making a real difference in society through their work with community development projects aimed at those with mental health issues. The series received funding of €13,000 and will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108FM. ‘Winning Women: Going for Gold in London 2012’ is an 8 part radio series which follows some of Ireland’s female athletes as they prepare to represent Ireland at the London Olympics this summer. The series will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108FM and received funding of €19,000. ‘Beyond Limits’ is a television documentary charting the stories of some athletes that will compete in the 2012 Paralympics. The project received funding of €60,000 and will be broadcast on Setanta Sports. While, ‘Citizens: Lockout 1913’ is a documentary radio series which is being made to mark one hundred years since the dramatic events of Dublin’s labour lockout. The production will work in collaboration with some of Ireland’s key national archives and social historians and will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio One. The project received funding of €25,000.
Claremorris Community Radio also signed contracts for the production of four projects: ‘Cúram Cares’ is a radio series which will document the importance of the Cúram Family Centre to the community of Claremorris. The project received funding of €6,000. ‘Race to reform’ will examine the history of Claremorris race course from the 1900s up to the modern day and will look at the various sporting, cultural and commercial clubs that have made the race course their home over the years. The project received €4,000 in funding. ‘The People’s Court’ received funding of €4,000, and will tell the short history of the Dáil courts in 1920s Ireland and sittings in Ballinrobe and Claremorris. ‘Claremorris Open Exhibition: Big Art in a small town’ will include the production of a radio documentary and an outside broadcast to celebrate the 35 year history of the Claremorris Open Exhibition, the annual contemporary art exhibition held in the town each year. The project received funding of €6,000 towards the cost of production.
Meanwhile, Tile Films has received funding to produce two-part television documentary, ‘The Graves of the Disappeared’. The project will focus on the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War and will investigate the resting places of some of those who disappeared during the conflict. The project received €198,000 in funding and will be broadcast on TV3.
Spin South West has signed contracts to produce three radio projects for broadcast on the station. ‘Market Mornings’ will follow and collect the sounds and stories of young traders and customers at Limerick’s Milk Market. The project received funding of €3,000. €3,500 in funding was provided for the production of, ‘Doing it for themselves’, which will explore the experiences of a number of individuals in the South West who have independently promoted musical performances and events spanning a variety of genres since the 1990s. ‘Smart Arts’ is a series of short programmes that will profile the work of five people from the South West who are linked through their work in the arts and have been successful in their chosen fields outside of Ireland. The project received funding of €9,500.
Elsewhere, Cork Independent radio producer Fiona Gough signed contracts relating to two projects: ‘Cork on Song’ is a six part series that will celebrate the rich musical culture and heritage to be found in Cork City and County and will feature some of Cork’s finest singers, song writers. The project received funding of €11,000 and will be broadcast on C103FM. ‘Frank Ryan – out of the shadow’ will be broadcast on WLR FM and tells the story of two Frank Ryans. Frank Ryan Senior was a Waterford butcher turned famous tenor and now his grandson Frank Ryan is preparing to return to the stage after a twenty year break. The project received funding of €5,000.
Cork’s Life FM has signed a contract to produce a series of programmes entitled ‘Fort Camden – History and Rebirth’ that will tell the story of the restoration and revival of Fort Camden in Crosshaven. The five part series aims to uncover the history and culture of this historic building. The station received funding of €7,200 towards the costs of producing the series.
Cork’s student radio station UCC 98.3 FM received funding of €3,500 to produce ‘Irish traditional food future looks bright’. The series of four programmes will look at the development of Irish, but principally the Munster traditional and artisan food sector. The series will feature interviews with UCC’s food scientists, as well as food producers and exporters.
Kieran Hurley, a Cork based radio producer, received funding to produce the ‘The Lady Freemason of Cork’. This programme will document the history of the Freemasons in Cork and tell the story of the only ever female Freemason, who was a Cork woman. The project received funding of €3,975 and will be broadcast on UCC 98.3 FM.
The documentary ‘Piano Portraits – Fanny Robinson’ will tell the story of this relatively unknown but highly gifted 19th Century Irish pianist. This documentary will feature specially recorded versions of her music and is being produced by Dublin-based pianist Una Hunt. The project received funding of €16,000 and will be broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM.
Máiréad Uí Dhomhnaill will produce an Irish language radio series for broadcast on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. The series entitled ‘Scéalta – Fadó agus go Deo’ will explore the tradition of storytelling in Ireland and speak to students and storytellers of all ages to find out what the tradition means to them today. The project received funding of €15,000.
Judy Meg Ní Chinnéide has received funding to the tune of €7,470 towards the production of Irish language series ‘Spioradáltacht ar an Imeall’, which will focus on some of the newer spiritual movements and belief systems in Ireland today. Each programme of the series will feature one particular community with the reporter attending the many cultural and spiritual events. This project will be broadcast on Raidió na Life.
Tipperary Mid-West Community Radio will produce 32-part series ‘My Place’. Each of these 15 minute features will look at various place names throughout Tipperary and from where those names originate. The station received funding of €14,800 towards this series which will be broadcast later this year.
Daithí Mc Mahon has been granted €9,000 in funding to produce a docu-drama project for broadcast on Radio Kerry. ‘End of the line’ will take listeners on a historical journey along the Tralee to Dingle railway which operated between 1891 and 1953 using a mix of history, interviews and original drama.
While, Lisa Madden, an independent producer from County Louth has received funding to make ‘Knock, Knock, Who’s there?’ This programme will tell the story of “Willie’s bus to Knock” an annual expedition from Monasterboice, County Louth to the Shrine at Knock that has been operating for the last 35 years. The project received funding of €4,400 and will be broadcast on LMFM Radio.
Funding of €4,000 was awarded to John Scally who will produce a radio documentary on the life and legacy of footballer Dermot Earley. ‘The Earley Years’ will be broadcast on local radio station Shannonside FM.
Independent producer Mary Phelan, trading as Sound Woman Productions, received funding of €20,500 to produce a four part documentary series that will explore the role that music plays in human relationships at an interpersonal and social level. Each of the four programmes will focus on a particular music genre from classical to jazz. When completed, ‘Making music together’ will be broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM.
Ciaran Ryan signed contracts for two radio projects: ‘Independent Day’s’ explores the culture behind independent record stores across Ireland and how they are faring in the face of economic, technological and consumer trends. The project received funding of €3,250 and will be broadcast on RTÉ 2XM. The other project ‘Sounds of the Summer’ received funding of €8,900 and will be broadcast on Spin South West. It will feature 40, two minute sound collages recorded at various events and activities taking place in the region during the summer months.
Finally, Ocean FM has signed contracts to produce two projects: ‘Paddy at the Prom’s will follow one reporter’s experience of attending the Proms and whether or not music cuts through class and culture. The project received €8,400 in funding. The second project ‘If walls could talk’ will seek to tell the varied history of Sligo Gaol and the stories of some of the inmates who were incarcerated there over the last two centuries. This project received funding of €7,200 and will be broadcast on Ocean FM in the coming months.
Funding Rounds
The next closing date for the receipt of applications to the Scheme (Round 15) is 13th July at 12 noon. For application guidelines and further information please visit www.bai.ie
The BAI expects that funding decisions arising from the most recent round of the Scheme (Round 14) will be announced in late July/early August.
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Emily Kelly
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