Kenny lashes 'psychics' hotline . . . again
Friday June 02 2006
RTE's most consummate professional found things that go bump in the broadcast when it came to reading out a statement on the premium phone-in business Irish Psychics Live.
Mr Kenny was expected to read out on air yesterday a ruling against him by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.
This found he had conducted an interview last November with Irish Psychics boss Tom Higgins in an "unfair manner".
However, prior to reading out the BCC judgment Mr Kenny said: "To put it at it's kindest, the 'so-called' psychic service . . . was shown to be valueless." The RTE star added: "there is no neutrality required when vulnerable people are being exploited."
Tom Higgins, who owns Realm Communications, which runs Irish Psychics Live, said: "It is absolutely outrageous that RTE and Mr Kenny should be able to make a mockery of the BCC ruling and complaints procedure in this way."
Mr Higgins said he would be submitting another complaint to the BCC and he would be seeking legal advice on how to proceed following what he termed Mr Kenny's "defamatory statements".
Mr Higgins said Mr Kenny's researcher's "interpreting five psychic readings out of several million can hardly be said to constitute proof that all readings are 'valueless'."
Mr Higgins, who is bidding to be Ireland's first space tourist with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, said "Kenny's remark concerning 'neutrality' even seems to suggest that he believes RTE should not have to abide by broadcasting regulations requiring balanced broadcasting.
"He has accused Realm of breaching Regtel (the Irish premium phone lines watchdog) regulations while apparently suggesting that it is alright for RTE to ignore broadcasting regulations!," he added.
- Tom Lyons
