´óÏó´«Ã½

It is my privilege to introduce the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Audience Council Northern Ireland’s Review for 2015/16. This has been a significant year of involved, and often impassioned, debate about the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and its future, in the run up to a new Charter. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust is focused on ensuring that the next Charter is defined, above all, by what the public wants from the ´óÏó´«Ã½. The Audience Council plays a vital role in advising the Trust on the views and interests of audiences in Northern Ireland and making their voices heard.  

The Audience Council also works to understand how well the ´óÏó´«Ã½ performs for licence fee payers in Northern Ireland, through its UK-wide and local services. This has been a particularly strong year for ´óÏó´«Ã½ television and for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster/Foyle, which celebrated its 40th birthday and the role it has played in the lives of its many loyal listeners. This review also outlines some of the areas where audiences would like to see improvements in ´óÏó´«Ã½ services.  

This year we contributed to a major Trust review of the devolved nations’ radio and news and current affairs services. We also represented local views in Trust decisions about ´óÏó´«Ã½ television, including ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three’s reinvention as an online-only service. We believe that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ must deliver more for young audiences across its portfolio of services, and we have identified this as a priority for the coming year.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Audience Council who have given their time freely to ensure that local audience views are heard at the highest levels of decision-making in the ´óÏó´«Ã½. Their commitment and expertise has been invaluable and has helped to shape ´óÏó´«Ã½ strategy and services for the public benefit. None of this would be possible without engagement from the audience, in all its diversity, and we are very grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their views with us.  

I would also like to recognise Peter Johnston, Director, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland, and his team for a year of creative and distinctive output. Their constructive engagement with the Audience Council has helped to ensure that our representations on behalf of audiences are well informed.  

This has been a year of significant change in Northern Ireland, including government reform and other social and economic developments. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is entering a particularly challenging period and must find new ways to respond to financial constraints and an increasingly global context. The next Charter will introduce new arrangements for governance and regulation of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. It is vital that the audience interests that were at the heart of the Trust’s work and decisions continue to have primacy.

Dr Aideen McGinley

Our role and membership

The Audience Council advises the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust on the interests of audiences in Northern Ireland. It contributes to the Trust’s decision-making about ´óÏó´«Ã½ services and high level strategy and it raises emerging issues for local audiences. Each year it provides the Trust with an assessment of the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s performance for its audiences in Northern Ireland, which is the basis of this review. There are also Audience Councils for England, Scotland and Wales. 

The Council is made up of volunteers from different backgrounds and experiences from across Northern Ireland. Our website provides further information about our and .

Our meetings

We met formally eight times during the year, including meetings in North Down and Cookstown. Our meetings are chaired by the National Trustee for Northern Ireland, Dr Aideen McGinley, who is the vital link to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust, ensuring that local issues can be raised at the highest levels of ´óÏó´«Ã½ decision-making.

At our meetings we considered a wide range of audience-related information, from the feedback we received direct from licence fee payers, to research and performance data. We discussed briefings from ´óÏó´«Ã½ management and from the Trust’s independent advisers. We prepared advice to inform a number of Trust decisions and reviews and considered emerging audience issues. Our members also met as smaller subcommittees to take forward specific aspects of our work.

In March we met in an extended conference format to assess the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s performance in Northern Ireland in 2015/16, one of our responsibilities under the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s current Charter.

are published on our website. 

Engaging with audiences

All of our advice to the Trust is rooted in the views of local audiences, and this is what gives it authority and insight. We have a rolling programme of direct engagement with audiences to understand the range of opinions about the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and how well it is performing in Northern Ireland.  

We hosted 12 discussions throughout 2015/16, sometimes meeting with specific groups – such as college students, clubs and community organisations – and at other times opening to the general public. Highlights this year included our conversations with visitors from all over Northern Ireland at the Tall Ships Festival in July as well as our discussions with diverse organisations, such as Age NI and Young Influencers.

In November over 70 representatives from the creative industries and other sectors joined members of the public in a lively and far reaching debate on the future of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. This was one of a series of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust seminars across the UK, hosted by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust Chairman, Rona Fairhead, to inform the Charter Review debate.  

This year, we have specifically sought views on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster/Foyle and ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Northern Ireland to feed into the Trust’s major review of these services. We continued our engagement with younger audiences as the Trust considered management’s proposals to close ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three as a broadcast channel and reinvent the service online. We also welcomed feedback on other aspects of the ´óÏó´«Ã½, its strategy, services and standards, and tested the range of views on questions raised by the Government’s Green Paper on Charter Review.

These conversations never fail to offer new insights and perspectives, as well as a strong sense of what matters most for audiences in Northern Ireland. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views with us.

Our advice to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust

We provide advice to the Trust when it is making major decisions about high level strategy, services or other areas which impact on local audiences.   

This year we contributed to the , where our focus was on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster/Foyle and local news across radio, television and online. We continued to represent local audience interests in , including proposals to launch a ´óÏó´«Ã½ One +1 channel and to reinvent ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three as an online-only service. We also provided advice to the , focusing on the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s vital role in commissioning from around the UK, to reflect and portray different communities and deliver economic benefits outside London.

Our interest in Trust reviews continues as the recommendations are implemented, so that we can be sure that improvements are delivered for audiences. This year we were pleased to see significant improvements in the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s coverage of rural lives, communities and issues on network (UK-wide) TV services in particular, following a Trust review in 2014.   

We had a major focus this year on the debate about the , to inform the Trust’s contribution to the government-led review of the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s Charter. We represented the views and interests of Northern Ireland audiences across the key areas for consideration, including the purpose and scope of the ´óÏó´«Ã½, how it is funded and its arrangements for governance and regulation.   

We advised that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ should continue to provide high quality and distinctive content, and be prepared to take more creative risks in the pursuit of public value. It should deliver greater value for sections of the audience that are currently less well served, and develop a strategy to offer more for young audiences, in their teens and twenties. We emphasised the importance of investing in local services and providing a wider portrayal of life in Northern Ireland on the networks. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ should also deliver enhanced economic and societal benefits to Northern Ireland, by investing in local talent and contributing to the sustainability of the expanding creative industries sector. Challenging savings targets must be achieved in a strategic manner, with audience needs uppermost, and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will need to work harder to enhance and demonstrate value for money. It should develop and future-proof its services as new technologies emerge, but it must also work to close the digital divide so that the benefits it provides, like the licence fee, are universal. It is vital that all of this is underpinned by a ´óÏó´«Ã½ that actively listens to all audiences and takes their views into account in its decisions.  

We also considered initial management proposals for how the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s services might develop in the next decade, as outlined in the document, . We welcomed the commitment to enhanced provision for audiences in the devolved nations – from investment in digital to more locally relevant curricula content ‒ but underlined the need for proposals to be fully scoped and tested. The ´óÏó´«Ã½’s new board will play an important role in ensuring that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ delivers across the UK.   

We welcome the Memorandum of Understanding with the Northern Ireland Executive, which provides for strengthened local accountability, providing that the independence of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is always safeguarded.  

Our on all of these matters is published on our website. 

The Trust hosted a lively debate in Belfast on the future of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ 

Each year the Audience Council reports to the Trust on how well the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is performing for audiences in Northern Ireland. Our assessment has drawn on a wide range of information, our knowledge of ´óÏó´«Ã½ strategy and services and, in particular, our understanding of the views and expectations of local audiences.  

We have considered the performance of network and local services across television, radio and online platforms. We have also looked at how well the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has delivered against its and the that we identified for the year.

´óÏó´«Ã½ television

This was a strong year for ´óÏó´«Ã½ television in Northern Ireland with audience reach and approval ratings above the UK average. Audiences here tend to consume less ´óÏó´«Ã½ television than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK, so we were pleased to see improvements in the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s share of TV viewing this year.  

Audience tastes can be quite distinct in Northern Ireland. Some major flagship network programmes, such as Wolf Hall, Sherlock and Dr Who, perform less well here. Programmes which have more appeal include those which have local connections or resonate with our particular tastes and interests ‒ from Daniel O’Donnell dancing on Strictly to the antics of Mrs Brown’s Boys or Sir Alex Ferguson’s Secrets of Success. We believe that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ could add more value to audiences here by offering a fuller portrayal of life in Northern Ireland in programmes made for a UK-wide audience, and by catering more closely to tastes and interests here in the mix of network and local programmes.  

Local opt-out programmes, made specifically for audiences in Northern Ireland, continued to perform very well, adding over 3% to audience share on average. Highlights included the True North series, Spotlight’s special investigation into property sales by NAMA, and BAFTA-winning short drama, Boogaloo and Graham.  

Last year we highlighted the value of events coverage in extending the range of programmes and contributing to a positive portrayal of life across Northern Ireland. 2015/16 was another important year for events, through programmes like Van Morrison – Up On Cyprus Avenue, Tall Ships and Proms in the Park. Sports Personality of the Year, broadcast from Belfast for audiences across the UK, had a very positive impact on perceptions of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and demonstrated the value of staging major events in different parts of the country.  

The Trust has responsibility for approving major changes to ´óÏó´«Ã½ services, using a rigorous approvals process which includes, amongst other evidence, public consultation and advice from its four Audience Councils. This year it considered , including closing ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three as a broadcast channel and reinventing it online, launching a ´óÏó´«Ã½ One + 1 service, extending C´óÏó´«Ã½ into the early evening and broadening the remit of the iPlayer.  

drew on the views of a wide range of audiences, including many conversations with viewers in ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three’s target age range of 16-34. We expressed concerns that the closure of the broadcast channel might overplay the speed of a transition to online viewing amongst this age group. We also asked the Trust to consider the needs of sections of this audience who, for reasons of affordability or connectivity, have limited access to high speed broadband.  

The Trust approved the proposal for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three on the balance of evidence, and the station launched as an online service in February 2016. We think that the mitigating actions which the Trust set out – such as broadcasting all ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three long-form content on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One or ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two as well as online – are very important. We continue to take a close interest in how the changes impact on young audiences in Northern Ireland, and how well these age groups are served by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ as a whole.  

We agreed with the Trust’s decision not to approve the proposal to launch a new ´óÏó´«Ã½ One +1 channel. We think that this decision underpins the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s role in delivering public value, rather than pursuing ratings as an end in itself.

´óÏó´«Ã½ radio

´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster/Foyle celebrated its 40th year with strong audience performance and a refreshed schedule. Highlights included School Choir of the Year, The Listening Project with Radio 4 and, of course, Radio Ulster’s Fortieth Birthday Gala Concert.  

This year the station reached over 35% of the adult population, more than double the ´óÏó´«Ã½ local radio average. It continues to play a vital role in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ radio portfolio as more than half of its listeners do not tune into any other ´óÏó´«Ã½ station. We have noted indications of a gentle decline in audience reach and time spent with the station over time. It will be important to consider innovations which will bring in new audiences over the longer term.  

Radio Foyle had another strong year, achieving record audience reach and a range of high quality and distinctive programmes and earning the PPI Local Radio Station of the Year Award.   

Audiences in Northern Ireland are historically less likely to listen to the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s network services compared with other parts of the UK, partly because of the popularity of Radio Ulster/Foyle. This year audience reach and time spent with ´óÏó´«Ã½ radio dropped in Northern Ireland, driven by a fall in listening to the network stations, especially Radio 1. This mirrored a broader downward trend in radio listening in general in Northern Ireland. It will be important to understand more about this trend if it persists, especially in the case of Radio 1 which is a key service for the youth audience in Northern Ireland.  

In 2015 the Trust launched a major , including ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster/Foyle and the equivalent stations in Scotland and Wales.

Under the terms of the current Charter, the Trust is required to review every ´óÏó´«Ã½ service at least once every five years. These reviews assess how well services are meeting the expectations of their audiences and delivering against their public service remits, as well as considering how they might need to adapt for the future.  

We have represented the views of local audiences in our . We found that Radio Ulster/Foyle makes a very strong contribution to the , particularly in terms of reflecting different communities and stimulating creativity and cultural excellence. The range of programmes and genres on the station is a major strength which must be protected as budgets come under increasing pressure. The connection between listeners and presenters is highly valued, and we believe that the development of diverse talent, both on and off air, will be essential to the station’s continued success.

Audiences we spoke with have appreciated the gradual refreshment of the schedule over the last two years. Feedback suggested that there is an appetite to build on this in a gently staged way to ensure that the station keeps pace with changing needs and interests. We would also like to see Radio Ulster/Foyle invest more in its online offer – the website, apps and social media – to reach a wider audience, including more listeners in their thirties and forties.

´óÏó´«Ã½ news

Audiences in Northern Ireland have a strong appetite for news and current affairs, especially at a local level. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Newsline has continued to achieve good audience reach throughout the day in a highly competitive environment and Radio Ulster/Foyle remains a major source of news and debate.  

took an in-depth look at the range of views of the service and where it might improve for the future. Audiences told us that, overall, news and current affairs for Northern Ireland is highly regarded and reflects the core values of impartiality, accuracy, quality and trustworthiness. They praised the high quality of journalism and the depth of analysis and insight provided by the current affairs and investigative teams.  

Audiences have very high expectations of local news and current affairs and suggested a number of ways in which further value could be added. A number of people thought that too much news was reported through a political lens, with a heavy focus on legacy issues. They thought that local news could do more to reflect political, social and demographic change in Northern Ireland by finding new ways into stories about public policy matters, with a wider range of topics and voices. We also noted a growing appetite for local insights into international and UK-wide issues and events. This is an evolving picture, and there are many examples where local news is responding to these challenges, as well as areas where we would like to see it do more.  

Audiences increasingly look for news on the web and through social media. The Local Live service continues to be a welcome addition for mobile users in particular. However, many people that we spoke with found the local news pages and the Northern Ireland section on the app were too slow to update and develop stories throughout the day. There is a particular issue in the evenings and at weekends when resources are more restricted. We also heard from some younger audiences, in their twenties and thirties, who would like to engage with local ´óÏó´«Ã½ news in ways that are more relevant to them, including social media.  

The Trust will consider our advice alongside other audience evidence, including a public consultation, before reporting its conclusions in the summer. In the meantime, we have identified the development of local news to meet evolving audience needs as a priority for 2016/17.  

´óÏó´«Ã½ online services

The debate about the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s future has thrown into focus the immense developments in technology and changes in consumption patterns since the current Charter was agreed in 2006 ‒ a time when the ´óÏó´«Ã½ had no iPlayer or apps. The rate and extent of change over the next Charter period is expected to be even greater.  

In 2015/16 the ´óÏó´«Ã½ continued to make significant strides in its online services, through its website, apps and social media. It launched the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Music app as well as ´óÏó´«Ã½ Store, which provides an opportunity for audiences to purchase programmes outside the 30-day catch up window, with revenue invested back into programmes.  

However, our work for the Trust’s review of nations’ news and radio highlighted the need for investment in the online services for Northern Ireland news services and Radio Ulster/Foyle. Local services are a major part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s value proposition for audiences in Northern Ireland, and viewers and listeners increasingly expect high quality digital content to complement broadcast channels as a matter of course.

Audience Council member Diarmaid Hanna discusses ´óÏó´«Ã½ services with members of the audience at a discussion in Cookstown

In last year’s review we reported where the audience would like to see improvements in 2015/16. Our assessment of the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s performance against these priorities is outlined below. 

A strategic process of engagement with young people 

The Audience Council has engaged extensively with young people in Northern Ireland. Audiences in their teens and twenties are less well served by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ than other groups, and we see a critical risk that they will not re-engage with ´óÏó´«Ã½ services as they get older. This year many young people we spoke with were disappointed by the decision to close ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three as a broadcast service. It will be important to understand in 2016/17 how this development has delivered for young audiences and, in particular, the impact on those with limited, or no, access to high speed broadband.    

We also heard that young people want to see more of themselves in programmes, and to play their part in public debate. We were struck by the extent to which audiences of all ages also wanted to hear more young voices, particularly in relation to important political and social issues.  

We believe that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ must transform its offer for young people to ensure that this audience, in all its diversity, receives value, now and in the future. We have raised this as an ongoing priority for 2016/17 and welcome the focus in the Charter Review debate as well as in the objectives that the Trust has agreed for the Executive.  

Understanding value for money  

Perceptions of the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s value for money are historically lower in Northern Ireland. This year the Trust’s annual recorded a slight improvement in this regard, although perceptions here remained the lowest of the four nations. Audiences in Northern Ireland spend less time with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ as a whole, and this may inform their view of the value that they receive.  

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ has delivered many improvements, independently assessed, in value for money over the last Charter period, particularly in areas which most frustrated audiences, such as senior management pay, talent costs and overheads. However, our discussions with licence fee payers are a reminder that any sense of waste or loose stewardship of public money continues to be sorely felt, even by people who are high consumers of the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s services. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ must be challenged to provide, and demonstrate, value for money at every level.  

We also find that audiences are still not fully aware of the breadth of services funded by the licence fee. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ must do much more to communicate effectively what audiences receive in return for their licence fee in order to demonstrate the value proposition.  

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ has very challenging savings targets for the next five years. Independent analysis indicates that, this time, only a proportion of savings can be achieved through further efficiencies, and service impacts are inevitable. In listening to audiences we have formed the view that further ‘salami slicing’ across the services would impact most negatively, and a more strategic approach should be taken. We have argued strongly for improvements in provision for Northern Ireland audiences and, crucially, for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland budgets to be protected. We are pleased that the Trust as well as the UK Government, in its White Paper, have highlighted the need to improve provision for the nations and regions of the UK. It will be important for the new board of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ to ensure that this is fully delivered.  

Continued development of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ News agenda  

highlighted a demand for local news to continue to evolve to reflect political, social and demographic change. We have carried this priority forward for the year to come, recognising progress as well as opportunities for further development.  

We continue to monitor network news’ progress in reporting the devolved nations, recognising increased complexity as devolution develops. As a result of challenge from the Trust, news reports have generally become much better in recent years at explaining the nation or nations to which a particular policy or situation applies. There are also more reports about Northern Ireland (and the other devolved nations) on a broader range of topics, particularly on radio. However, we believe that more could be done, especially in the main TV bulletins, to compare policies and circumstances in different parts of the UK, to add insight and depth to reports and better deliver the Citizenship Public Purpose. The European Union Referendum coverage has provided an important opportunity for ´óÏó´«Ã½ News to tell the story from a wide range of perspectives from across the UK, and we are pleased that the Executive has actively sought views from different nations and regions, including those of the Audience Councils.

We also welcome the Executive’s work this year to consider the balance between network and local news in each of the devolved nations. We have contributed to the review, noting the need to take into account the particular audience needs and circumstances in each nation, as well as the importance of telling a UK-wide story, in all its breadth and diversity.  Investment in local services, such as Northern Ireland’s online news, will also be vital.  

Access to ´óÏó´«Ã½ services 

Audiences should have convenient access to the range of services funded by the universal licence fee. We have worked to understand where there are issues for audiences in Northern Ireland and how well they are being addressed.  

Progress has been made in recent years in extending DAB radio coverage for the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s network stations, although the level of coverage in Northern Ireland continues to fall below the UK average. A lower level of DAB coverage for the popular Radio Ulster/Foyle service is also a concern for some audiences. However, DAB uptake in Northern Ireland is particularly low and some listeners tell us that they are more concerned about a possible switchover, given coverage issues and the cost of upgrading radio sets.  

The positive impacts of Radio Foyle’s launch on DAB in early 2015 have been felt this year.  Listeners in the North West can now access their local station on digital radio sets, and choose between Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle. It remains important that ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster reflects the North West in its schedules, to use and develop the skills base there and offer a full portrayal of Northern Ireland.  

On television, viewers are increasingly tuning into the HD version of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two which does not carry local programmes. We appreciate the major financial constraints that have prevented the ´óÏó´«Ã½ from launching nations’ versions of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two HD to date. However, local opts on this channel cater for a number of specific audiences with distinctive programmes including sport, language and factual content. With growing HD viewing, this could become a significant barrier to these programmes reaching their intended audiences. We hope that this issue can be resolved in the future as the full portfolio of local programmes is key to delivering the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s Public Purposes in Northern Ireland.  

Management’s proposals for the new Charter period, , outlined major plans for digital innovation, including new ways to serve audiences in the nations. We welcome new ways to deliver value to audiences, such as plans to make local content easier to find through the iPlayer and website.  

However, we are very mindful of the needs of those audiences who have limited access to high speed broadband and connected devices, and consequently benefit less from these developments. Whilst Northern Ireland has the advantage of very good broadband coverage, take up is considerably lower due to issues including affordability, quality of service, media literacy and perceived need. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ must take full account of the circumstances and experiences of all its audiences in planning for the future. We have therefore identified closing the digital divide as an audience priority for 2016/17.   

Northern Ireland programmes for the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s UK-wide networks  

Network television spend in Northern Ireland has increased substantially in recent years as a result of the Trust-approved strategy to commission more programmes from outside London. There have been notable peaks and troughs in commissioning from Northern Ireland year on year, and a dip in 2015/16 was reflected in public perceptions of how well the ´óÏó´«Ã½ portrays Northern Ireland in programmes. We are heartened to understand that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is on track to meet, or exceed, its target of 2.9% of network TV commissions, by spend, from Northern Ireland in 2016. The challenge will be to build on this and ensure that the intended benefits – enhancing portrayal of Northern Ireland on the networks and contributing to the sustainability of the creative industries here – are fully delivered.  

The ´óÏó´«Ã½’s partnership agreement with Northern Ireland Screen in early 2015 has been an important strategic development, although the impact on commissioning targets will not be felt until 2016. This partnership has enabled new commissions such as My Mother and Other Strangers, a Sunday night drama set in Co. Tyrone in World War Two, and Can’t Touch This, the Saturday evening entertainment programme. We are pleased that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is building on this collaborative approach and seeking to extend it to other nations.  

We also welcome the government’s support for the ´óÏó´«Ã½’s ‘out of London’ quotas in the White Paper. Under the next Charter period there should be robust measurement of progress and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ should be rigorously held to account for delivery against the intended benefits.  

´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland continued this year to produce quality daytime factual and current affairs programmes for the networks, including a significant proportion of Panoramas. It will be important to ensure that new arrangements for in-house content supply under ´óÏó´«Ã½ Studios are sufficient to support sustainable ecologies in the nations.  

Line of Duty, Series Three, was an outstanding example of quality drama from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland, achieving the highest audience approval ratings for any ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two drama, as well as critical acclaim. Although set in a fictitious English city, the series was filmed in Belfast and local audiences delighted in seeing local landmarks as the backdrop to the action. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland continued its rich tradition of radio drama for the networks, working with new and established writers.  

We were pleased to see a number of local programmes repeated on the networks, with Keep ‘Er Country and Crossmaglen: Field of Dreams  in the True North series giving viewers across the UK an insight into diverse passions and ways of life in Northern Ireland. However, we think that there is much more scope to enrich the network schedules with local content from all four nations.

Members of the Age NI Consultative Forum share their views about Radio Ulster/Foyle and ´óÏó´«Ã½ news services in Northern Ireland

Each year, in response to audience feedback, we identify areas where we would particularly like to see improvements in ´óÏó´«Ã½ services. Priorities for 2016/17 recognise progress in some key areas over the last year, as well as areas that require continued attention.  

1. Young audiences: Be relevant to young audiences and deliver value for them.  

2. Listening to audiences: Find innovative ways to build on how the ´óÏó´«Ã½ listens to its audiences, with particular attention to sections that are less well connected with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and its services. This is especially relevant in the context of changes to governance and regulation in the next Charter.  

3. Portrayal: Deliver a fuller portrayal of a contemporary Northern Ireland and its communities to UK-wide audiences; increase the volume and range of network content from Northern Ireland.  

4. News: Meet evolving audience needs for news – strengthen network reporting of the devolved UK; do more to reflect the pace of political, social and demographic change in Northern Ireland and to report the local angle on UK and international issues. Enhance the depth and range of ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Northern Ireland online, seven days a week.  

5. Access to services: Continue to work to close the digital divide so that all sections of the audience benefit from the full range of ´óÏó´«Ã½ services. 

April 2015- March 2016

Aideen McGinley, Chair

Christina Black

Robbie Davis

Diarmaid Hanna

Elaine Hicks*

Helen Jackson

Brendan Johnston

Aidan Langan

Steven Law*

Peter Mann

Paul McCallion

Niall McCaughan*

Joan Shine

Beverley Todd

Mahendra Varma

* members whose term ended during the year

If you would like a copy of the Annual Review 2015/16 in an alternative format, please contact us at: audiencecouncil.ni@bbc.co.uk or telephone 028 9033 8856 or textphone 028 9033 8100. 

´óÏó´«Ã½ Northern Ireland has also published its 2015/16 review. Read the review