Prime Time
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| Prime Time | |
|---|---|
| Format | News and current affairs programme |
| Created by | RTÉ |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | RTÉ |
| Running time | 40 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | RTÉ One |
| Picture format | 720x576 (1998-present anamorphic 16:9, pre-1998 4:3) |
| Original run | 28 May 1996 – present |
Prime Time is the major news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast on Radio Telefís Éireann in Ireland. It is broadcast regularly on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights (reducing to once a week in the summer) between 21:30 and 22:10. Occasionally, special editions are shown on Mondays at 21:30. Major political stories, such as elections, often lead to special unscheduled editions of the programme.
The programme deals with serious issues current in Ireland and often invites political figures to express their opinions in the studio or via satellite link-up. Usually, two or three major stories will be covered, with a report from a correspondent followed by a studio discussion. In special cases the entire programme will be devoted to one topic, and may comprise entirely of an in-depth documentary piece from a single reporter (similar to the BBC's Panorama programme.
Prime Time is currently presented by one or two people from the following panel:
- Miriam O'Callaghan
- Mark Little
- Donagh Diamond
- Keelin Shanley
The veteran long-term presenter of the series, Brian Farrell, retired in 2004. Other previous presenters have included Olivia O'Leary and Éamonn Lawlor.
Prime Time is the successor of the hugely popular Today Tonight series. Initially, Prime Time went out on Thursday nights only, and was presented by people such as Olivia O'Leary, John Bowman and Pat Kenny. This was part of a shake-up of RTÉ's current affairs output, in which Brian Farrell presented a Sunday night programme (Farrell), and Tuesday nights featured a documentary strand (Tuesday File). However after a few years these programmes were re-integrated into Prime Time, which now follows an identical format to the Today Tonight programme it replaced.
The programme is also available on the Internet from the RTÉ website, with episodes dating back a number of years.
A spin-off series, Prime Time Investigates, is shown on Monday nights in short seasons of four to six episodes, featuring investigative journalism and usually undercover reporting.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Prime Time schedule
- The most recent episode of Prime Time (RealVideo 10)
- Tim O'Malley on Prime Time Investigates
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