Description "Bob Quinn, veteran film-maker, is the outsider who was let inside. Trenchant and irreverent as ever, he offers unique insight into conflicts of power and ethics in Ireland's public broadcasting." Michael Viney
This important, thought-provoking book offers a unique and challenging insight into broadcasting today. Its insider's view opens up debate about one of the most pervasive influences of modern society.
Bob Quinn's spirited independence of mind has resulted in him being described as a "maverick", but it is this very independence of mind which makes his book such a fascinating read, raising serious issues about where broadcasting is going and what it is doing to its viewers.
During his time on the broadcasting authority, he sought a ban on advertising directed at children, and he writes with passion and understanding about the psychological and economic imperatives that ruthlessly target children as consumers. He is also revealing about the way in which broadcasting is dominated by a small metropolitan circle rather than being in any real sense national.
He shows how the advertisers' targeting of women has come to dominate much programming, and describes how unwilling broadcasters have been to resist political censorship. He points out that 60 per cent of RTÉ's income derives from the multinational-dominated advertising industry; that 60 per cent of its programming is imported, mainly from the USA, as are most of the ideas for home-produced programmes. As RTÉ celebrates the 75th anniversary of 2RN and the 40th anniversary of RTÉ television, morale has never been lower in RTÉ. This book explains why.
Author Bob Quinn has been involved in broadcasting since he joined RTÉ, in 1961; he walked out in 1969 and worked as an independent film maker thereafter; to many people's surprise, he was appointed to the RTÉ Authority in June 1995.
