Contempt

charge 'will
not change'
Ryan show
R TE broadcaster. Gerry Ryan, is ada-
mant that the forthright lone of his
2FM morning show will not change in
any way despite the findings of the High
Court in Dublin earlier this week which
deemed Ryan to be in contempt of court
following an interview on 6 March RTF-
was fined £500 and Mr Ryan was fined £200
as a result of an alleged victim of rape re-
counting the details of the incident on air
which, according to the man charged with
the crime, prejudiced his chances of a fair
trial. "What happened is a very serious re-
minder of how cautious one has to be when
working on live radio," said Mr Ryan, "but
it certainly won't lead to any change in edi- # Gerry Ryan: mistake Named on Muffing levels
torial policy." record of irresponsibility on the show. If
It was claimed on the accused man's be- you were to compare us with any other pro-
half that the substance of the material gramme. you would sec just how careful we
broadcast was a discussion on the merits of are. We strive for perfection but we're only-
the case before the District Court and that it human. Wc don't always meet that stan-
was a biased presentation of materials facts dard."
in a pending case. It was also claimed that Paul Russell, a co-producer on the show
the accused could have been identified by said that the mistake was largely due to the
members of the jury if they had heard the fact that stalling levels were down at the
interview. "When I was given my briefing time. "We were short of one producer which
about the material. I understood that the meant that wc weren't as scrupulous as wc
case was closed. However, in the course of would normally be. The amount of com-
the interview, it became obvious that there ment which goes out on the programme is
was, in fact, a court case pending. At that nothing compared to what we don't put out.
point, I should have slopped the interview. I For such an apparently controversial pro-
failed to do so and I admitted that in court. gramme. we have a very low level of com-
It was a serious mistake; a reminder of one's plaints. We will continue to do what wc
fallibility in these matters," said Mr Ryan. have always done which is to present human
The ebullient broadcaster who is no situations in a personalised way. People arc-
stranger to controversy having rocked the no longer treating the programme as just a
nation with the infamous "lambo" incident couple of hours of whacky entertainment.
on the Gay Byrne Show some years ago. says More and more listeners arc using it as a
that he is "very conscious" of the respon- forum to voice their feelings on a huge range
i siblc position he is in. "We have no track of subjects."