Sir, – The accelerating decline in licence revenue for RTÉ means that events are moving too rapidly for further reports or overly long strategising. That additional tens of millions of taxpayers’ money will be needed for this year alone to keep RTÉ afloat is all but inevitable.
That in the longer term the national broadcaster would be directly beholden to the Government of the day for funding is a notion that would fill everyone, regardless of their political leanings, with grave concern.
There is a two-part solution that could be quickly enacted and easily understood that could regain public trust.
First, announce that the current singular RTÉ entity is to be replaced by a holding company similar to what CIÉ has become, vesting all the existing physical and broadcasting critical infrastructure in this new entity. This entity would be funded in a wholly transparent way from the licence fee. In a sense, this would be similar to how we separated ESB Networks, the means of delivery, from the old monolithic ESB. Next designate RTÉ 1 radio and television as purely public service content creators. They would be funded from a new form of licence fee with no commercial forms of revenue, no ads, no sponsorship.
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There would need to be a clear demarcation of what is and is not public service content.
All employees to be directly employed, with no contractors.
The new RTÉ holding company should be tasked with a medium-term plan to move from the current location to one much more cost-effective – there are considerable opportunities for appropriate land parcels in Limerick city or the northern fringe of Dublin in Fingal.
Then designate RTÉ 2 radio and television as purely commercial entities, with advertising, to receive no licence funding or exchequer subvention. Any profits to be reinvested in the RTÉ 2 entity, shared with employees or returned to the exchequer, as can happen with Electric Ireland. A profit-orientated semi-State that is self-funding is no bad thing.
Finally, split the licence fee in two with a mandatory household charge that funds the public broadcasting infrastructure, the orchestra, Lyric FM and specific clearly defined types of public service content on all other stations, whether Virgin Media, Newstalk or Radio Kerry. The second element is a voluntary contribution that the public can choose to make to the RTÉ 1 public service stations or to other broadcasters.
Both the public service RTÉ and the commercial RTÉ would pay a market rate for the use of the physical broadcast infrastructure.
This way both of the RTÉ broadcasting entities can and must appeal to the public, not the Government, for support.
The public trust will not be restored until the public have confidence they are back in control. – Yours, etc,
DANIEL K SULLIVAN,
Marino,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I may be wrong, but unfortunately, in my personal experience, if you don’t buy your TV licence on its due date, any future purchase will be back-dated to the original due date. Like the NCT.
Stop the hand-wringing, RTÉ! You’ll get your money! – Yours, etc,
PAT QUINN,
Inchicore,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – If those who are not paying their TV licences were hit with the penalty fine of €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences) this would go some way to bolstering the depleted RTÉ coffers. I can’t do the sums but it’s never too Late Late. – Yours, etc,
BRIGID TIMMONS,
Sandycove,
Co Dublin.