Prime Time programme fails to reflect reality of Athlone life

The name said it all, really. 'Austerity Now' was the label given to the recent Prime Time programme on Athlone. And that's what the programme focused on - austerity and its impact on the town, on businesses and on individuals. There was no room for the other more positive side of Athlone - this was not a rounded portrayal of a town, nor, it seems, was it intended to be. But whatever the focus of the programme, it's clear, in my view, that its impact was to portray Athlone in a mainly negative light. The programme was relentlessly negative. That's not to say that the stories of struggling small businesses outlined on the programme were neither true nor relevant. As someone involved in business in the town, I can fully understand the frustrations and difficulties in keeping the show on the road in such recessionary times. No, it's simply to say that the positives were noticeable only by their omission. In pure business terms, where was the local business that had managed to expand or take on staff. It was left to Galway man Pat McDonagh to speak of that admittedly less common business experience. There was very little mention of Elan, Ericsson. No mention, at all, that I can remember, of the Defence Forces, the Department of Education, the State Exams Commission. The various voluntary and community events that have popped up in recent years, including the National Community Games finals and the European Triathlon Championships were also absent. Instead, the motivation for the programme seemed suffused with negativity. Some people who were contacted by the programme in the run up have spoken to me about how they were asked to identify local developers whose loans may have been taken over by NAMA. Again, in many ways, it's the elephant in the room - and not to speak about NAMA and the banking crisis would be laughable. At this stage, I should disclose an interest. I was one of probably tens of people around Athlone who provided background information, assistance and tip-offs to the programme's researchers in advance of the show. I was also provisionally asked to sit on the show's panel, but eventually late on Monday was told I was not required - they wanted someone more negative apparently, particularly as it was felt I would probably echo many of the views of Prof Ciáran Ó Catháin. I wasn't disappointed. As a media person I understood that, for the dynamics of the show, it would be more beneficial to have a cut and thrust to the panel. As it transpired the time factor and the involvement of the studio audience meant the input of the panel was severely limited. Of course, from day one, I was somewhat sceptical of the programme as I felt the stated objective of choosing one town as a way of taking the pulse of the nation was not best served by selecting Athlone. In many ways, Athlone is not representative of the nation of a whole. Yes, Athlone at the centre of Ireland was an obvious choice - but the town does not necessarily reflect the general problems of the State. We have escaped the worst excesses of the housing boom, purely by good fortune, it must be said. By the time the motorway was built to Athlone, the property industry was no longer buoyant and the attraction of the town as a commuter location to Dublin was no longer strong. Still though the makers managed to find one such development, the apartments at the town centre, although John O'Sullivan's explanation of how Gallico had turned to a rental approach was, at least, highlighted. The three unemployed locals who were interviewed all spoke honestly and incisively about their individual circumstances. Nexans and Conor Med may have closed their doors in Athlone but, despite the almost 4,000 people signing on at the local live register, Athlone would not be one of the country's unemployment blackspots. What Athlone does hold in common with much of the rest of the nation is a rickety health service. The saga of the primary care unit, Loughloe House, the ten-year wait for CCTV and so on would have provided perfect examples of an inefficient system of capital funding for infrastructure projects. But the opportunity was missed. It's a lot to expect a short programme to capture the variety, complexity and shades of the Athlone rainbow, but RTÉ output was startlingly black and white I think the main problem was the show fell between two stools. Those involved were fearful that too localised a focus on Athlone would have alienated the national viewership. But in an attempt to create some national themes (lack of credit to business and so on), the programme lost sight of the town it was based on. It was neither fish nor fowl. And it suffered, as a result. It was left to Dessie Dolan to speak positively about the town in a manner that was both sympathetic to those struggling and also that avoided a one-dimensional snapshot. Prime Time please take note.