New RT Midlands Regional Studio Opens at AIT

New RT Midlands Regional Studio Opens at AIT 1st September 2014: RT s new Midlands Regional Studio at Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) officially opened on Monday, marking a new partnership between the two organisations.

President of Athlone Institute of Technology Professor Ciar n Cath in and RT Deputy Director General Kevin Bakhurst were joined by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan T.D. to perform the official opening duties, along with James Bannon T.D., Gabrielle McFadden T.D., Denis Naughten T.D., Senator Terry Leyden, the Mayor of Athlone Cllr. Frankie Keena, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council Sinead Dooley and a number of other guests at the new premises.

Two years ago RT announced a new regional strategy which would see RT regional operations around the country partner with local institutes of technology, including the relocation of some of their offices and studios to IT campuses.

An event on Monday officially marked RT 's Midlands Regional Studio's move onto the site of Athlone Institute of Technology's East Campus. RT 's partnership with AIT has already seen staff from the broadcaster devise modules and guest lecture students in the sports area, with further workshops in business journalism, sport broadcasting and digital marketing planned for the new academic year.

RT 's staff in the region, who include Midlands Correspondent Ciaran Mullooly and Production Co-ordinators Paula Murray and Anne Brennan will work from the new premises which has the capability to provide live TV and radio studio links and editing facilities. The team will continue to provide reports and coverage across RT News programming and Nationwide from their new location. RT 's Midland Regional Studio is a base for coverage from the areas of Westmeath, Longford, Offaly, Laois, Kildare and Roscommon.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan T.D. said: Regional balance in news and current affairs coverage is critically important. RT has played a pivotal role in ensuring the Midlands is given appropriate attention in its national broadcasts. I would like to commend the RT team in the Midlands for the diversity of their coverage which includes hard news stories, investigative journalism and human interest stories which hold a mirror up to the community these are all very important elements of public service broadcasting."

Deputy Director General, RT , Kevin Bakhurst said: We are delighted to be partnering with Athlone Institute of Technology and look forward to a productive relationship with a shared aim of serving the community. Regional operations such as RT 's are an important part of the Irish media landscape and a key public service offering. There have however been increasing challenges for RT in providing these services, especially in the current financial climate which makes initiatives such as this vital. Educational partnerships like this are also central to link RT to a future generation of media industry leaders and it's heartening to learn of the positive feedback and success of the lectures given by RT staff to date. We look forward to developing our partnership with AIT with continued enthusiasm.

President of Athlone Institute of Technology Professor Ciar n Cath in said: Strategic collaboration will beone of the drivers of AIT's success in the coming years. Such a partnership approach enables us to deliver forour various constituencies and stakeholders. At the heart of this philosophy are our students. Our ambition is to create a learning environment where they engage with ideas, become creative thinkers and problem-solvers. This new partnership with RT adds a rich dimension to our educational offering and enhances the experience of our students.

RT are also continuing in the development of partnerships with institutes of technology in Galway, Dundalk and Waterford as well as that in Athlone.

LINK:	http://www.rte.ie/about/en/press-office/press-releases/2014/0903/64116...
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