TG4 TURNED 20 today and its deputy chief executive said the station has defied its critics and continues to grow.
Pádhraic Ó Ciardha described how he and his colleagues were told the Irish language station would never work when it launched back in 1996.
But two decades on, Ó Ciardha said they are constantly adapting to new media and the generation which watched TG4 at its inception are now the new parents introducing the station to their own children.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Ó Ciardha said: “I think it has been worth it. Like any venture, there are the initial sceptics.
There were those who said it’ll never work.
“That generation who grew up with TG4 are the new parents. I think it has made a sense of ownership for the Irish language.
“I use this analogy, maybe it’s not the best, but I say ‘people’s first date with the Irish language may not have been a happy relationship. But this is a second date’.
“The core audience is very important to us of course but there is the other audience. We have people watching Ros na Rún in Brisbane.”
Ó Ciardha’s comments come as a survey conducted by Millward Brown for Irish language newspaper Tuairisc found 73% of people believe the broadcaster is an important part of Irish life.
Before TG4 arrived, there was debate about the cost of the new service, but twenty years later, 69% believe that the investment in the station is money well spent, with only 10% disagreeing.
Over €30 million of taxpayer’s money is given annually to the station.
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