Women Today (later The Women's Programme on television) was a pioneering Irish radio programme that was not only geared toward women's issues, but hosted and produced by women as well. It was a first for RTÉ Radio in that such a programme, almost completely run by women, had never been attempted before.
The 30-minute programme first aired on RTÉ Radio 1 on 31 May 1979, and thereafter five days a week until 21 October 1983. On 24 October 1983, the programme was retooled as a 30-minute programme for RTÉ1 television, The Women's Programme, airing until 1986.
Conception and broadcast history
RTÉ Radio was slow to consider women's programming compared to the BBC in the UK. RTÉ's first female-centred programme, Dear Frankie, featuring agony aunt Frankie Byrne, was only first heard on the airwaves in 1963, whereas in the UK, BBC Radio committed to ideas similar to Woman's Hour as early as 1923.
Women Today was the brainchild of Clare Duignan, who would later go on to serve as controller for RTÉ Radio. Duignan wanted to create a show that specifically addressed women's concerns while also simultaneously addressing how female journalists and media personalities had been sidelined at RTÉ until her concept came to fruition.
Duignan, with co-producer Patrick Farrelly, brought together who she felt were the top female reporters on RTÉ Radio at the time and pitched the idea of an all-female show discussing issues that were true and authentic to women, not simply what men thought would pique women's interests. Duignan picked Marian Finucane, who had served as reporter on the programme Day by Day, to host the series in-studio and Doireann Ní Bhriain to serve as the show's reporter for stories outside the studio. In addition, Betty Purcell served as co-producer and Hilary Orpen assisted Ní Bhriain in reporting duties.
Women Today launched on RTÉ Radio 1 on 31 May 1979 and the show became an instant hit with its target demographic. In the programme's first year, Finucane was critically acclaimed for her documentary-style reporting on two issues in particular. The first, the controversial opening of Ireland's first Rape Crisis Centre, saw Finucane, with the help of centre volunteer Mary Doran, clearly outline situations that were indeed scenarios of rape, such as a friend going too far after a night at the pub, even though public opinion might not have seen it that way at that time. Normalising such frank conversations allowed more women to take ownership over their bodies and seek help they might not have otherwise. In the other report, Finucane followed an Irish woman who planned to travel to England for an abortion, with the process chronicled from beginning to end. Entitled "The Lonely Crisis", this documentary would go on to win the Prix d’Italia from the Italian Press Association. Finucane was the host of the series until 1980, when Ní Bhriain took over hosting duties.
Women Today would air for 30 minutes five days a week until 21 October 1983, when it was replaced with a similar programme on television the next Monday, 24 October 1983, called The Women's Programme, with the involvement of Duignan, Finucane, Ní Bhriain, and also Nuala O'Faolain in the role of co-producer. This programme would run until 1986, when it was ended due to the concurrent involvement of Finucane and Ní Bhriain in the radio programme Liveline.
Impact of Women Today
Women Today was instrumental in bringing light to many critical women's issues. Prior to this, women's programmes mainly centred on topics such as homemaking and cooking, which, while significant to many Irish housewives, were not reflective of all women's experiences. Women Today confronted a broad array of subjects that hadn't previously been openly discussed in Irish media, with the exception of some letters to Gay Byrne on The Late Late Show. The program provided a platform for women to not only hear about issues pertinent to their lives, but also to call in and express their own opinions – albeit many times anonymously, due to the social culture prevalent at the time.