1987 in Irish television

The following is a list of events relating to television in Ireland from 1987.

Events

• 10 March – John Wilson is appointed Minister for Communications with responsibility for broadcasting. ^[1]
• 31 March – Ray Burke is appointed Minister for Communications with responsibility for broadcasting. ^[1]
• 9 May – Ireland wins the Eurovision Song Contest with "Hold Me Now", a song composed and performed by Johnny Logan. ^[1]
• 22 June – RTÉ Television introduces its Aertel teletext service. ^[1]
• 6 July – NBC's popular television sitcom ALF is officially launched on RTÉ's RTÉ 1.
• 22 September – Zig and Zag, two extraterrestrials from the planet Zog, make their very first appearance on Dempsey's Den . They would host the programme until 1993, when they would move on to make appearances on British television.
• 2-5 October – Airdate of pirate television station Telefis na Gaeltacht based in Connemara (not to be confused with its similarly named legal successor). Eighteen hours of pre-recorded programmes were carried in this period. Several Irish deflector systems (normally used for relaying British television signals on UHF) occasionally carried local programming. ^[2]
• 5 November – Irish television and radio presenter Eamonn Andrews, well known for presenting programmes such as World of Sport , What's My Line? and This Is Your Life , dies in London following heart failure; he will be buried in Dublin.

Debuts

RTÉ 1

• 3 March – The Return of the Antelope (1986–1988)
• 9 April – Danger Bay (1984–1990)
• 2 May – Saturdee (1986)
• 9 May – The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985)
• 8 June – The Littlest Hobo (1979–1985)
• 6 July – ALF (1986–1990)
• 7 July – / The Berenstain Bears (1985–1987)
• 9 July – Yogi's Treasure Hunt (1985–1986)
• 10 July – The Wuzzles (1985)
• 11 July – Shadow Chasers (1985–1986)
• 1 August – Galtar and the Golden Lance (1985–1986)
• 15 August – Henry's Leg (1986)
• 23 September – The Real Ghostbusters (1986–1991)
• 30 September – The Flintstone Kids (1986–1988)
• 4 October – Where in the World? (1987–2006)
• 5 October – Executive Stress (1986–1988)
• 6 October – Codename Icarus (1981)
• 8 October – Know Your Sport (1987–1998)
• 24 December – He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special (1985)
• Undated - Our House (1986-1988)

RTÉ 2

• 3 October – Marketplace (1987–1996)
• 9 November – The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979–1986)

Changes of network affiliation

Shows	Moved from	Moved to
Alvin and the Chipmunks (Ruby Spears version)	RTÉ 1	RTÉ 2
Cockleshell Bay	RTÉ 2	RTÉ 1

Ongoing television programmes

1960s

• RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock (1961–present)
• RTÉ News: Six One (1962–present)
• The Late Late Show (1962–present)

1970s

• Sports Stadium (1973–1997)
• The Late Late Toy Show (1975–present)
• RTÉ News on Two (1978–2014)
• Bosco (1979–1996)
• The Sunday Game (1979–present)

1980s

• Today Tonight (1982–1992)
• Mailbag (1982–1996)
• Glenroe (1983–2001)
• Rapid Roulette (1986–1990)
• Live at 3 (1986–1997)
• Saturday Live (1986–1999)
• Questions and Answers (1986–2009)
• Dempsey's Den (1986–2010)

Ending this year

• Undated – MT-USA (1984–1987)

Births

• 9 January – Nicola Coughlan, actress
• 24 January – Ruth Bradley, actress

Deaths

• 5 November – Eamonn Andrews, 64, broadcaster and television presenter ^[3]

See also

• 1987 in Ireland

References

1. "RTÉ Libraries and Archives: preserving a unique record of Irish life". Rte.ie. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
2. A Separate Irish language Television Channel? by Margaret O'Connor, Dublin City University
3. "Eamonn Andrews, 64; British TV Personality". The New York Times. 7 November 1987. Retrieved 2 January 2012.