Six-One News: Encyclopedia II - Six-One News - Why Six-One?

Six-One News - Why Six-One?

Since the 1950s, RTÉ has broadcast a one minute period of silence except for the ringing of a church bell linked to the Angelus, a Catholic prayer, at 12noon and 6pm. Though periodic calls have been made for its removal, and few Irish people ever say the prayer, a number of religious faiths outside Roman Catholicism, notably the Church of Ireland, have called for its continuation, regarding the minute as offering a chance for reflection amid a busy television schedule. (The broadcast no longer carries Roman Catholic imagery, and instead focuses on images of people contemplating.) Because of this, the radio and television news bulletins start at one minute past six, hence the name.

Some broadcasters at RTÉ privately welcome the delayed start time in the belief that it gives viewers a chance to catch the headlines on BBC, UTV or Sky News before switching over to catch the start of Six One.

Some critics have mounted a campaign to abolish the Angelus on RTÉ. It is unclear whether RTÉ would move its bulletin back one minute to 6pm as that would mean that the newscast would be in direct competition to get viewers at the exact same time as other stations.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Why Six-One?", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki