A NUMBER of appointments have been made at RTE which complete a major managerial shake up begun by the new director general, Mr Bob Collins, last April.
Yesterday the RTE Authority approved the appointments of Mr Ed Mulhall as director of news; Mr David Blake Knox as director of television productions; and Ms Helen Shaw as director of radio.
Ms Shaw is the most unexpected of the three appointments. It is believed she beat over 20 other candidates for the post, including many of RTE's senior radio management.
She is a currently editor of radio current affairs in BBC Northern Ireland. She is a former RTE radio producer and was a reporter with The Irish Times. Ms Shaw is a former winner of the features journalist of the year award. She joined the BBC from RTE in February 1996.
Ms Shaw takes over as RTE Radio faces new competition from Radio Ireland, the recently launched national commercial station. Radio Ireland may not yet be a major threat but it represents further pressure on RTE's listenership.
Although work has already started on revamping the Radio One schedule, there are still important areas that need to be examined, especially the important midmorning time.
On the positive side, RTE is committed to developing FM3, the evening classical music station into a 24 hour music and cultural station. which could be on air within 12 to 18 months.
Radio One still produces quality radio programmes. Only yesterday it was announced it had won its second Prix Italia, one of the most prestigious international awards, for a documentary made by Ms Martha McCarron, a senior producer in the features department.
The appointment of Mr Mulhall, who is currently managing editor of television news, was not a surprise. He was, in effect, deputy to the former director of news, Mr Joe Mulholland, who is now managing director of television.
Mr Mulhall joined RTE as a radio producer in 1979 and is a former assistant head of features and current affairs on radio. He, too, will face competition from new news services, whether from Irish outlets, such as Independent Network News or the BBC 24 hour news service starting in the autumn.
Mr Blake Knox probably faces the greatest competition of all, with the growth of digital television and massive increases in services occurring almost weekly. He is currently assistant director of television programmes and considered one of RTE's most imaginative programme makers. Mr Pascal Sheehy has been appointed to the new post of Southern Editor (Cork). Mr Sheehy is currently news editor with the Examiner newspaper, having only recently left RTE to join the Examiner.