RTÉ's head of programme acquisitions, Mr Dermot Horan, is widely tipped to take over the €160,000 a-year position as managing director of television after the current incumbent, Mr Cathal Goan, becomes director general at RTÉ in October.

Although the station yesterday said it would not advertise the position until next month, industry players and insiders at the station believe Mr Horan's business acumen and experience in programming make him the lead candidate.

It's a high-profile job - and one viewed by many as second only to the director general - with a seat on RTÉ's executive board and total control over the station's television schedule.

But with the State broadcaster carved up into what the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, describes as "integrated business divisions", industry commentators argue it's Mr Horan's proven commercial ability that will win him the job.

As head of programme acquisitions, Mr Horan manages more than half of RTÉ's multimillion budget for programming and is credited with helping to turn RTÉ into a more commercially orientated broadcaster with greater appeal to advertisers.

His willingness to snap up mass audience favourites such as US sitcoms Friends and Frasier, and dramas such as the West Wing, 24 and the Sopranos, has helped boost the station's advertising revenues and earned him respect from both media buyers (the people responsible for placing advertisements) and his colleagues within the station.

According to RTÉ's former controller of programmes (television), Mr Muiris Mac Conghail, the position is now "very much business focused" compared with "the almost exclusive emphasis on editorial development" in the past.

Mr James Hickey, chair of the broadcasting committee of Screen Producers' Ireland, maintains programming should be at the heart of this position but said it was unclear whether the "focus will be purely on television content or whether it will also encompass TV advertising and management of the station's production facilities".

Two other strong candidates for the job are Ms Clare Duignan, head of television production with responsibility for commissioning all home-grown productions, and Mr Ed Mulhall, managing director of RTÉ news.

Sources close to Ms Duignan believe she would welcome the high-profile promotion after her long stint as head of RTÉ's independent productions unit, which has now been incorporated into the station's television section.

However, Mr Mulhall is seen as an outside runner, not only because he has no background in programming but also, as one senior reporter observed, "because we would lose a very talented news director and I'm not sure who would then replace him".

'Big Brother' losing appeal

Reality TV show Big Brother appears to be in terminal decline, according to the latest rating figures compiled by media-buying agency Mediaworks.

The figures, which are only for the Republic, show that the average number of people watching the programme between May and July this year has dropped to 102,144, compared with 153,216 for the same period last year.

The most notable decreases are in the 15-24 age group, where interest has slumped by 42 per cent, and in men above the age of 15, where there was a 43 per cent drop.

The decline in audience numbers here mirrors a more dramatic ratings erosion in Britain, where last month an average of one million viewers lost interest in the competitors' quests for audience votes.

Text 100 to cut Irish staff

Text 100, one of the first specialist global technology public relations firm, said yesterday it would close its office in Dublin.

The Irish subsidiary, which during the technology boom had at least 15 PR consultants, will become a one-man operation in the Republic from next month.

Big plans at Guardian

The cash-rich Guardian Media Group, which publishes the Guardian and the Observer newspapers, appears to be pursuing an aggressive expansion policy, with research under way to introduce a news magazine in the US following an increased following from readers there after the September 11th attacks.

Meanwhile, the newspaper organisation, which has no debt and is sitting on a cash surplus of around €245 million, is also negotiating to buy a 50 per cent stake in the Trader Media Group, for a reported €773 million.

Emmet Oliver is on leave.