Below The Radar, which is part of Bob Geldof’s Ten Alps Plc, are currently in the process of launching a new online service for journalism in Northern Ireland, Based very much on American newsblog sites such as the Huffington Post and Daily Beast, ‘The Detail’ will be a multi-media platform devoted to investigative journalism and debate on matters of significant public interest.
The service was introduced last week by Bob Geldof, Ten Alps founder and non-executive producer who announced the new approach to journalism, saying: “The places where the press is vibrant is where governance begins to cohere […] It is critical for our society that the ‘dumbing down’ ceases.”
Funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and Northern Ireland Screen, ‘The Detail’ is the brainchild of Below the Radar’s Trevor Birney and Ruth O’Reilly. Below the Radar is a Belfast-based television production company which is centred around investigative journalism. The initiative for ‘The Detail’ came from award-winning journalists, Trevor and Ruth. Ruth explains the title of the show for IFTN, saying: “It’s called ‘The Detail’ because with all of our stories it’ll be the little details that will be important. Nowadays journalists are outputting about six or seven stories a day and they just don’t have the time or the resources to investigate them in detail. With ‘The Detail’ our journalists will take their time with one story and really deliver it.”
‘The Detail’ will feature at least one key video investigation per week alongside wider local news. The news team will also work with partners in sharing newsfeeds. Ruth tells us that “It will look to enhance rather than compete with the existing services provided by UTV the BBC, the Belfast Telegraph and other media in Northern Ireland.”
The long term plan for ‘The Detail’ is syndication, Ruth and her team are ultimately looking to this service to existing news outlets in whatever format suits them. Below the Radar already have some experience in their area through another venture, Fermanagh TV, a video-only platform which has teamed up with one of Northern Ireland’s weekly newspapers, The Impartial Reporter in news reporting.
Produced by Ruth and Trevor, ‘The Detail’ is expected to formally launch next January. The current funding the group has will run for two years after which it is hoped that ‘The Detail’ will have built up a reputation in Northern Ireland that will help build a pitch for any new government news contracts due to be tendered in 2013, as well as build a sustainable commercial model of the company’s own. It is further hoped that the service will eventually roll out beyond Northern Ireland, and it is expected to be submitted into the mix when the government reveals its regulatory and funding model for local TV following the DCMS/Shott enquiry.
For more information about the detail and to hear Bob Geldof’s speech as to the role of ‘The Detail’ visit www.belowtheradar.tv/news.html
