Kevin Bakhurst appointed as new RTÉ director general

Kevin Bakhurst has been appointed director general of RTÉ, the public service broadcaster has announced.

RTÉ chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh said Mr Bakhurst had been the “unanimous choice” of the board. This follows earlier reports that the board held a “pretty fraught” and “not pleasant” meeting on Good Friday about aspects of the selection process.

Mr Bakhurst, from London, formerly served as managing director of RTÉ news and current affairs from 2012 until 2016 and was deputy director general for the latter half of this period. He was also acting director general for six months.

“I am honoured and delighted to take up the role of director general. RTÉ plays a central role in Irish life and has brilliant people dedicated to delivering great and trusted content for audiences,” he said.

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“RTÉ faces huge challenges and global competition, and I am confident we can deliver the ambitious change needed to remain valued and relevant to our audiences. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

His start date will be confirmed in due course, RTÉ said, with the seven-year term of outgoing director general Dee Forbes due to end on July 11th.

Mr Bakhurst previously applied for the director general position in 2016, but lost out to Ms Forbes, and returned to Britain soon after to work in a senior role for UK communications watchdog Ofcom.

At the regulator, his responsibilities included setting strategy and policy for UK broadcasting regulation, implementing a new framework for regulating the BBC, enforcing and developing editorial standards for British broadcasters and building a new online safety policy team.

Prior to joining RTÉ in 2012, he worked for the BBC as a news editor and executive. He was editor of the BBC Ten O’Clock News from 2003 to 2006, during which time it won awards for its coverage of the Madrid train bombings, the July 7th bombings in London and the Darfur crisis.

From 2006 until 2012, he held a range of senior editorial positions, including deputy head of the BBC newsroom and controller of the BBC News Channel, and was also a member of the BBC’s London 2012 Olympics steering committee.

Mr Bakhurst’s name was the only one brought forward for appointment by Minister for Media Catherine Martin to Tuesday morning’s Cabinet meeting following a lengthy – and sometimes publicly controversial – selection process at board level within RTÉ.

A small number of members of the board of RTÉ were understood to be unhappy with aspects of the process and some media reports questioned the exclusion of An Post chief executive and former TV3 Group boss David McRedmond.

Mr McRedmond issued a statement at the weekend confirming he had interviewed for the job in March but had been informed he did not make the shortlist. He said he was no longer interested in the role and wished the broadcaster well.

Ms Ní Raghallaigh is due to appear at the Oireachtas media committee on Wednesday where she is expected to be quizzed about the leaked details from the process and the delay in appointing a successor to Ms Forbes.

“I’m delighted to welcome today’s announcement of the appointment of Kevin Bakhurst as the new director general of RTÉ. The appointment follows a competitive recruitment process, with Kevin as the unanimous choice of the RTÉ board,” Ms Ní Raghallaigh said on Tuesday.

“Kevin brings an exceptional breadth of industry experience, great leadership skills and a passionate commitment to the development of public service broadcasting in all its forms. Kevin’s appointment comes at time of opportunity and change for RTÉ,” she said.

“With my fellow board members, I look forward to working with Kevin in our shared commitment to a thriving and financially sustainable RTÉ.”

Ms Martin congratulated Mr Bakhurst on his appointment.

“Mr Bakhurst will take over this role at an important and challenging time for RTÉ. He has a proven track record of leadership at the highest levels and will bring a wealth of experience to the role,” the Minister said.