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Tg4 TG41 is a television channel for speakers of the Irish language which was launched on 31 October 1996; it was known as Teilifs na Gaeilge or TnaG before a rebranding campaign in 1999. It has some organisational links with the Irish state broadcaster, Radio Telefs ireann. While 730,000 viewers tune in to the station every day, the core audience is more in the region of 100,000. The daily Irish language programme schedule is its central service: over seven hours of programming in Irish, supported by a wide range of material in other languages (mainly English). TG4 invests over €15m annually in original Irish programming from the independent production sector in Ireland. The channel has had a major role in increasing the profile of Ireland's Irish-speaking minority, which is mostly resident in rural west-coast communities, but is increasingly represented by a self-confident and vibrant community in Ireland's cities. Considered technologically innovative and creative, TG4 is making some of its programming available on the internet to subscribers. The soap opera Ros na Rn is one of its most popular programmes, and the station has a developed a reputation for ground-breaking independently produced documentaries. TG4 is operated by Seirbhis Telefs na Gaeilge Teoranta, a subsidary of Radio Telefs ireann. It also has a separate advisory council, Comhairle Telefs na Gaeilge. It however operates completely separately from the rest of the RTE corporate structure, though RT does provide one hour of free programming a day, and Nuacht TG4 is produced by RT News. Under the Broadcasting Act 2001, the assets of TG4 can be transferred to a new public corporation independent of RT, called Telefs na Gaeilge. However this portion of the act has yet to be commenced. Current speculation is that it may come into effect in 2006. Northern Ireland TG4 was originally only available in Northern Ireland via 'overspill' of the terrestrial signal from across the border. In the 1998 Belfast Agreement there was provision for TG4 (then TnaG) to be made more widely available in Northern Ireland, along with increased recognition of the Irish language. However, progress has been limited, with the channel not yet able to secure carriage on cable TV. Similarly, while TG4, along with the Republic's other terrestrial channels, is carried on Sky Digital, it is not available to Sky subscribers in Northern Ireland. In March 2005, TG4 began broadcasting from the Divis transmitter near Belfast, as a result of agreement between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Northern Ireland Office. Trivia When TnaG was launched, it was derided as a white elephant by Kevin Myers of the Irish Times, who called it 'Telefs De Lorean', in a refrence to the ill-fated De Lorean Motor Company. Footnote 1) Read in Irish as T G a Ceathair or T G Ceathair - "Ceathair" may be pronounced as CAT-AIR or CAH-HER. See also External links
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