RTÉ to receive €56 million in Government funding

RTÉ will receive €56 million in Government funding, after the state broadcaster claimed in recent weeks that urgent financial assistance was required.

The €56 million is made up of the €16 million in temporary funding granted in October’s budget, with the remaining €40 million designated as part of NewERA, a division of the National Treasury Management Agency.

Minister for Media Catherine Martin said, “RTÉ’s new Strategic Vision demonstrates a renewed commitment to public service broadcasting, and addresses key areas such as governance reforms and cost efficiencies. ”

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been adamant in recent weeks that RTÉ must prove it deserves a financial bailout.

“This funding is vital as RTÉ seeks to rebuild the trust and confidence of the Irish public.  I am acutely aware, however, of how difficult and challenging this is for the organisation, and particularly for its staff. That is why the director general’s consultation with staff is of paramount importance.”

RTÉ boss Kevin Bakhurst said that RTÉ would be out of money by Spring if it did not receive financial assistance.

News leaked on Monday that RTÉ were seeking as many as 400 redundancies in a bid to cut costs, the manner in which the news was communicated being roundly criticised.

The news, initially reported in The Irish Times, stated that RTÉ would look to cut some services, ramp up spending on independent productions and weigh up the sale of the Donnybrook campus.

The National Union of Journalists criticised RTÉ for letting the news leak via the media without first consulting staff about the measures.

“Publication of RTÉ’s strategy document by way of media leaks is a further blow to the trust of staff in an organisation where morale is at an all-time low,” a statement from the union read.

The new round of funding for RTÉ comes with conditions, with the money contingent on RTÉ providing assurances that they are making progress on reforms at the scandal-ridden broadcaster.

Martin said the funding was necessary, as it “ensures the short-term operation of RTÉ.”

Acknolweding that this was an issue that required long-term commitment, Martin said “a long-term reform of the public funding model is critical to ensure the national broadcaster is on a sustainable footing, and to ensure good quality public service broadcasting into the future,” and said “this will be addressed as a matter of priority for this Government.”

Martin urged people pay the TV licence fee, which has seen a sharp decline since the RTÉ scandal broke out earlier this summer.

TV licence fee renewals were down 31% nationwide compared to renewals between January and October of last year.

“It is not only required by law, it underpins vibrant public service content which is of critical importance to our democracy and society,” Martin said.

The sharp decline in people not renewing their licence fee represented a major financial issue for RTÉ, with the state broadcaster losing out on €21 million in lost revenue as a result of people tuning out.