New RT Series The Local Eye Celebrates Local Newspaper Industry
A new series celebrating the unique position of the local newspaper industry in Irish life is set to debut on RT One next week.
The Local Eye, which launches on Thursday, November 12th on RT One at 7pm, is a six-part series following the fortunes of three regional newspapers The Clare Champion, The Mayo News and The Munster Express as they carve out a new space for themselves in a world of 24/7 news delivered via Facebook and Twitter. All three newspapers featured remained family-owned throughout the boom and maintain extremely strong ties with their local communities. Facing new challenges in the digital age, they are adapting to survive and thriving on it.
Millions of Irish people turn to their local paper for the news that's relevant to them and their community every week. Many have been in existence for well over a century, embedded in the hearts of their local areas and seeking out the stories that matter to their readers that can often be overlooked by the national press. The Local Eye, an RT Cork production, celebrates the amazing work of these institutions as they indefatigably tell their region's stories and fight for their local areas.
Series producer and director of The Local Eye, Gerry Reynolds said: This is a look at local papers covering stories central to Irish life. Stories and characters that often don't get a look in on the national media but which matter greatly to the community they serve and go to the heart of who we are. They are the stories of the extraordinary in the ordinary, with the kind of integrity and Irishness that would otherwise go unnoticed but are refreshing, honest and endlessly fascinating. From the story in local notes of angels emerging from a tree in the churchyard to the wonder of why people place In Memoriam remembrances in their local papers each year, all human life is here .
The Local Eye seeks to give viewers a real insight into the cut and thrust of creating their local newspaper, following the editors, reporters and staff of these publications as they break big stories and push deadlines to the edge.
Journalism, thankfully, is not always a serious business and local reporters have long derived pleasure from sourcing quirky and colourful tales. From the sporting triumphs to the terrible tragedies; the publicity hungry local councillors to the news about neighbours, notices and events; the poems, parish news and births and deaths, this series gets inside the local newspapers and finds out what makes them tick.
Head of RT Cork, Colm Crowley said: This is a window into a world never really seen before on television, and a hugely important media sector. We chart their quest for survival in the face of the onslaught of digital media and free sheets. There is no doubt that this is a pivotal period for Ireland's local press and The Local Eye really captures their spirited fight back .
The Local Eye starts on RT One on Thursday, November 12th at 7pm.
Background Brief:
Mayo News
Founded in 1892, The Mayo News is owned by the Berry Family, and throughout its 123-year history has always been independently operated. Based in Westport, The Mayo News is the only independently owned and managed newspaper in its circulation region, a fact the staff describe as being an advantage at times, but also one that brings many challenges. This autonomy, along with plenty of creative editorial thinking across news and sport, emphasis on design and layout and the teamwork which goes into producing the compact size weekly edition in three distinct pullout sections, saw the Mayo News honoured as the European Local Newspaper of the Year in 2007 and 2014.
The Clare Champion
In March 1903, The Clare Champion rose from the ashes of The Clare Man newspaper, which had succumbed to a costly libel action, with editor Tom Galvin and his staff producing the paper despite having access to little machinery. In his first Champion editorial, Galvin promised that: the wants of the people will be firmly espoused in our columns until their grievances are redressed , a tradition that the paper continues to this day. The Clare Champion has remained in the Galvin family since its inception and is a local institution.
Munster Express
The Munster Express is 155 years old and based in Waterford. The family-owned, weekly newspaper covers a large area of the South-East of Ireland including Waterford City and County, south Kilkenny, Carrick-on-Suir and New Ross. Edward Walsh (who later went on to become Mayor of Waterford) purchased the newspaper in the early 1900s. His son JJ Walsh became editor and managing director in the late 1940s. JJ went on to become one of the best known newspaper editors in the country. His son Kieran is the current editor and managing director and continues the proud family tradition. It was one of the first regional newspapers in Ireland to have its own website.
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New RT Series The Local Eye Celebrates Local Newspaper Industry 
