ABSTRACT
By common consent, RTE plays an important role in Irish society. RTE tends to be credited with an influence which is impossible to prove. Some politicians, clerics, academics and social commentators assign it praise or blame for the changes in habits and attitudes of mind which have taken place in Ireland in recent years. RTE has a head of information and publications, who has overall responsibility for liaison with the public. The information office, under the press and information executive who reports to the head of information and publications, deals with most queries and comments received by telephone and in writing. RTE conducts its own qualitative measurements of television and radio audience reaction by weekly sampling of opinion among randomly selected panels of 500 volunteers. RTE publishes a weekly programme journal, the ‘RTE Guide’.
