Television and radio to channel focus on environmental shows with BAI funding awards

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, together with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, recently welcomed the announcement by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) of the award of €5 million to 25 radio and TV projects under the Broadcasting Fund Sound and Vision Scheme.
The funding is allocated for over 1,200 new radio programmes across 24 stations and projects include documentary, entertainment and educational programming.

A quarter of the projects to receive funding are aimed at the 15 to 34 age group. These new grants will give media a ‘powerful role to play in building climate literacy, creatively’.

The awards are being made under a dedicated Climate Change and Climate Action Round of the scheme, which has been co-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

“The media sector continues to have a key role in informing and educating on the impact of climate change, but also in promoting awareness and highlighting the positive actions which we can take as we strive to achieve our climate targets,” said Minister Martin.

“The projects will provide interesting and relatable content, not just on climate change, but importantly on what we can do to help stop and reverse its effects.”

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This funding round follows the Government’s commitment under the Climate Action Plan 2021 to provide support for the development of relevant media content, including through the independent production sector, to provide innovative ways to engage with audiences on the topic.

“I wish to congratulate the 25 broadcasters and programme makers who have been awarded this funding,” added Minister Ryan, welcoming the announcements. “These projects will deliver innovative and creative content on climate action, awareness and empowerment to homes across Ireland. We know from our Climate Dialogues throughout 2022 that people want to know more about climate change, and importantly what they can do to play their part in addressing it. Media has a powerful role to play in building climate literacy, creatively and in a way that people can relate to.”

Funded projects include documentary, entertainment and educational programming with a quarter of the projects to receive funding aimed at the 15 to 34 age group. Viewers will be able to engage with the joys of slow travel through Europe, or visit some of Ireland’s greenest homes.

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There will also be a number of new radio projects, including over 1,200 programmes over 12 months as 24 radio stations join together to educate and empower behavioural changes with locally produced content.

Details of the 25 successful projects are available on the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland website.
Funded projects include:
Ours to Protect - Twenty-four local radio stations will deliver 1,248 programmes that will be produced to examine climate change and climate action.
The Science of Sense Goes Exploring our Environment - Explore six key environmental elements: Ocean; Inland Waterways; Soil; Air; Forests, and Biodiversity.
We Only Want the Earth - Looks at how Irish composers are responding to the climate crisis through their work.
Off Track: Manchán Magan’s European Railway Adventure - Manchán embraces the joys of slow travel by land and sea as he embarks on an epic, environmentally friendly train journey across Europe. This series will be broadcast on RTÉ One.