TV APOLOGY STARTS NEW ROW
TV apology starts new row
By Nevin Farrell
A PROGRAMME which caused an unprecedented flood of complaints in the aftermath of the Omagh bomb sparked a fresh row last night.
London-based Carlton TV will tonight apologise for their show, which led to over 1,000 outraged viewers jamming switchboards.
But although the programme was shown across the United Kingdom the station's public show of regret will only be screened in Northern Ireland.
Civic leaders in Omagh will today attempt to get the apology screened across the ITV network.
The programme Omagh: Thursday Night Live Special was shown on August 20 just five days after the Omagh bomb.
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) agreed that the programme was in breach of programme code requirements for avoiding "offence to public feeling".
Head of the ITC in Northern Ireland, Denis Wolinski, said that as well as the huge wave of phone calls they received 47 complaints from members of the public who felt the programme was entirely lacking in sensitivity both in its treatment of contributors in Omagh and in its general approach.
The ITC said offence was caused by the audience applause and brief shots of flashing lights at the end of the programme while a phone vote caused particular offence with viewers throughout the UK voting on a simplistic question about the peace process.
In the apology - which will be shown at 10.15 tonight on UTV -Carlton will accept that despite its best intentions the programme caused offence and distress to many viewers but said technical difficulties didn't help.
Omagh district council chief executive John McKinney said the "bad taste" programme was shown throughout the United Kingdom and therefore the apology should also be networked.
He is to contact the ITC today hoping the apology can be extended to all local ITV stations.
SDLP councillor Pat McDonnell -who appeared on the programme and actually criticised its content on air -said last night: "Tragedy was reduced to a game show. I felt for the relatives of the bereaved."
He said he was contacted by people from across the UK after the show and felt Carlton was obliged to make those people aware of the fact that people in Omagh were unhappy.
Omagh area assemblyman Oliver Gibson (DUP), who lost his niece Esther Gibson in the bomb which killed 29 people, felt Carlton was "getting off the hook" by not having to show the apology on the network.
"We had only buried our dead and they tried to make entertainment out of people who were still grieving," said Mr Gibson.
A spokesman for Carlton TV said as well as the apology it had offered to make a promotional video to help Omagh rebuild.
He said it wasn't their decision but the ITC's that the apology should be shown only in Northern Ireland. FTC's Denis Wolinski said the apology would only be on UTV because the majority of people offended by the programme came from the north.
"In the 47 complaints that we received the point that people were making over and over again was that they were asking for an apology to the people of Omagh and Northern Ireland and we feel that we eventually got that," he said.
By Nevin Farrell
A PROGRAMME which caused an unprecedented flood of complaints in the aftermath of the Omagh bomb sparked a fresh row last night.
London-based Carlton TV will tonight apologise for their show, which led to over 1,000 outraged viewers jamming switchboards.
But although the programme was shown across the United Kingdom the station's public show of regret will only be screened in Northern Ireland.
Civic leaders in Omagh will today attempt to get the apology screened across the ITV network.
The programme Omagh: Thursday Night Live Special was shown on August 20 just five days after the Omagh bomb.
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) agreed that the programme was in breach of programme code requirements for avoiding "offence to public feeling".
Head of the ITC in Northern Ireland, Denis Wolinski, said that as well as the huge wave of phone calls they received 47 complaints from members of the public who felt the programme was entirely lacking in sensitivity both in its treatment of contributors in Omagh and in its general approach.
The ITC said offence was caused by the audience applause and brief shots of flashing lights at the end of the programme while a phone vote caused particular offence with viewers throughout the UK voting on a simplistic question about the peace process.
In the apology - which will be shown at 10.15 tonight on UTV -Carlton will accept that despite its best intentions the programme caused offence and distress to many viewers but said technical difficulties didn't help.
Omagh district council chief executive John McKinney said the "bad taste" programme was shown throughout the United Kingdom and therefore the apology should also be networked.
He is to contact the ITC today hoping the apology can be extended to all local ITV stations.
SDLP councillor Pat McDonnell -who appeared on the programme and actually criticised its content on air -said last night: "Tragedy was reduced to a game show. I felt for the relatives of the bereaved."
He said he was contacted by people from across the UK after the show and felt Carlton was obliged to make those people aware of the fact that people in Omagh were unhappy.
Omagh area assemblyman Oliver Gibson (DUP), who lost his niece Esther Gibson in the bomb which killed 29 people, felt Carlton was "getting off the hook" by not having to show the apology on the network.
"We had only buried our dead and they tried to make entertainment out of people who were still grieving," said Mr Gibson.
A spokesman for Carlton TV said as well as the apology it had offered to make a promotional video to help Omagh rebuild.
He said it wasn't their decision but the ITC's that the apology should be shown only in Northern Ireland. FTC's Denis Wolinski said the apology would only be on UTV because the majority of people offended by the programme came from the north.
"In the 47 complaints that we received the point that people were making over and over again was that they were asking for an apology to the people of Omagh and Northern Ireland and we feel that we eventually got that," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0242
Published Date: 09-Dec-98
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