Here’s How 102 – AA Roadwatch and the BAI

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Thanks to Cathal Mac Coille, former Morning Ireland presenter for taking the chair in this special podcast.

This is the complaint that I sent to RTÉ.

RTÉ gave it short shrift. This is the totality of their response.

There was some back-and-forth between me and RTÉ, and RTÉ eventually they made it clear that they would not refer my complaint to an internal reviewer, so I referred the complaint to the BAI.

As per their procedure, the BAI asked RTÉ for their response to the complaint, and forwarded me the that response. This was the first time that RTÉ actually admitted how they classified AA Roadwatch – as an independent radio production.

I responded to the points made by RTÉ, in particular the claim that the AA were, in fact, an independent radio production company.

There followed much wrangling where the BAI initially refused to consider all but one of the grounds for complaint that I had made. After some negotiation, and me asking what legal basis they had to refuse to consider a complaint, I agreed to specify under what rule of the BAI I was making each ground of the complaint.

RTÉ’s Independent Productions Annual Reports for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 all make it clear that RTÉ had never before contemplated AA Roadwatch as an independent radio production. RTÉ rules also forbid a ‘front credit’ for an independent producer, mentioning the name of the independent producer at the start of the production, it’s only allowed at the end, but they have never considered that either.

The BAI gave the complaint short shrift.