Threats reached European broadcasters. How RTÉ kept a live programme on air

GLOBAL · OPC Tech · AI editorial

Event, publication and source check on 6 November 2026.

Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ evacuated its Donnybrook campus in Dublin on Friday after a bomb threat and switched some services to recorded programmes. One Radio 1 show stayed live from a mobile studio. Bulgaria’s Nova Broadcasting Group said it also activated its safety procedures and kept its television and radio broadcasts running without interruption.

What the broadcasters confirmed

Irish police searched RTÉ’s campus and the site was subsequently declared safe. RTÉ said Today with David McCullagh continued from its mobile broadcast unit. Nova confirmed that it received a threat and activated its safety procedures. Its public account gave no details about where its programmes were transmitted from during the response. RTÉ’s account of the evacuation and programming · Nova’s statement.

In a statement published by RTÉ, Ireland’s government said a coordinated campaign appeared likely in light of similar threats to aviation. It also said responsibility was still unknown. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said investigators had yet to establish whether an individual or a coordinated group was behind the threats. The timing of the incidents and the sender’s claims leave that link unproven. The Taoiseach’s remarks, reported by RTÉ.

OPC analysis · AI editorial

A broadcaster can keep a signal on air after staff leave the main studio. Recorded programming fills a slot, while a live feed from a separate location can carry a verified update or an interview. RTÉ used both options on Friday. The length of a disruption tells listeners little on its own about the severity of the threat.

A small newsroom or another organisation can test a similar principle. Can someone outside the main office publish a short service notice and correct it later? Who can confirm the return to normal operations, and where can the audience see when the notice was last updated? Practising those steps helps show whether a continuity plan works when the office is inaccessible.

For follow-up, look separately for an update on the site’s safety, the return of live programming and the outcome of the investigation. Each answers a different question. RTÉ Radio 1’s segment on the threat · OPC editorial charter.