Michelle: Irish Television

In Ireland, in order to watch television you have to pay a fee. Not just the electricity fee, but a television license fee. Every household, business or institution that has a television set must by law be in possession of a current TV license. An Post (the post office) is responsible for maintaining a database containing records of every premises which should have a TV license. This database is regularly updated to include new buildings. If you do not have a current TV license, expect a visit from a TV license inspector. Which is exactly what happened to my roommates and I. I answered the door, and the inspector asked if we had a television license. “For what?” I asked. And he explained to me the details of needing a license, and I explained we were students living in this flat for only four weeks, he would have to contact the owner. Well he took my name down because he needed a name that lived at this resident. (I didn’t give my correct last name) I did ask for 2 forms of ID, because I thought it was odd that on our third or fourth day here we got a visit from the post office. It is a legit situation, as I found out from our host school.

Paying the license revenues fee funds RTÉ's public service activities. The cost of providing these services is, however, substantially more than the amount of public funding received in the form of license fee revenues. For this reason RTÉ also engages in a number of commercial activities. Currently, approximately 50% of RTÉ's revenue is derived from license fees and approximately 50% from commercial income. It also allows for less advertisements, which is noticeable as soon as you turn the TV on.

Last week we visited RTÉ, Ireland’s Public Service Broadcaster, a non-profit making organization owned by the Irish people. It both produces programs and broadcasts on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961.

"Fair City" is an Irish television soap opera, set in the fictional suburb of Carrigstown in Northside Dublin, Ireland. It is one of the three most popular soap operas on Irish television. In American soap operas the characters of a certain plot will be on air for a short time.

In "Fair City", each plot feels longer timewise then American soap operas; I do not see any of the odd 'long gazes' held by a character to end a scene; and music is not heard during the dramatic parts of a scene.

Here is a photo from the set, and an actual scene that uses it is below the clip of the opening.