Public Service Broadcasting

So the sky fell in the other day out in RTE when the Pope resigned. It was decided that of all the big breaking news we have had recently this was the biggest and most deserving of the mobilization of the big breaking news machinery of Montrose.

So we had Ronan Collins cut short to allow Sean O’ Rourke on the News at One to do his thang for half an hour longer than usual. We had an emergency convening of the Prime Time team to knock out a suitably solemn analysis of the erstwhile pontiff and his possible successors. We had every religious affairs journalist this side of the Mississippi and their spiritual leader Patsy Mc Garry loitering in the halls of Montrose waiting for their chance, which inevitably came. We had theologians and academics of all shapes and sizes to decode the complex information for us, to make sense of this landmark moment. A landmark moment in the mind of some RTE executive.

A moment of utter insignificance to the rest of us.

We have had actual moments of significance recently, a couple of them. We have had tragic events which triggered the re emergence of abortion onto the national and international stage, we have had a debt deal done with the European Central Bank.

Ronan got to play his full hour of easy listening on those days and the sub standard midweek movies, The Break Up and Dinner with Schmucks went out as scheduled.

RTE; It's comfy behind the curve.