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RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst. Leah Farrell

Willie O'Reilly Promising that no one at RTÉ will earn as much as the DG is pure grandstanding

The former group commercial director of RTÉ says Bakhurst has had to do a Faustian deal to get government funding, but it’s hard to see how it will work.

LAST UPDATE | 15 Nov 2023

THIS IS A week of reckoning for RTÉ and its leadership team. After the Tubridy-Forbes revelations of understated and hidden payments came shock, anger and reflection. Now everything must change as the organisation’s finances become increasingly precarious and licence fee revenue plummets.

RTÉ boss Kevin Bakhurst has laid it out clearly to staff, the organisation will shrink and with it the number employed. Cut by 400 by 2028 is his promise. This is the Faustian deal to secure government funding for a reduced organisation. The DG had promised a plan and now he has delivered it. But to my way of thinking it’s short on detail and will be very difficult to deliver.

RTÉ has a history of blowing money on voluntary redundancy schemes with vague promises of reducing numbers, but the staff numbers always bubble up to around the two thousand level. Currently, it has about 1868 employees. Perhaps this is the number you need to run a diversified national media organisation?

You can only reduce the number if you reduce the number of services or the quality of the output.

And RTÉ isn’t proposing to close anything much. A few digital-only radio stations and the time shifted service of RTÉ 1 and RTÉ 2. You can probably run these with fewer people than it takes to man the security hut at the gates of the Donnybrook campus.

Where to cut from?

And 400? That’s 20% of the current workforce. Is RTÉ seriously suggesting that one in five of the current staff are idling their way away on campus drinking cappuccinos and reading their free copy of The RTÉ Guide? It seems an outrageous admission that the organisation should be so grossly overstaffed.

For my part, I believe the figure is aspirational at best and self-deluding at worst.

There are some things that just can’t be done properly with less staff. Orchestras are a good example. You can’t cut the string section by 50% or leave out the choir in a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. It just doesn’t work that way. Orchestras can’t be downsized, which means you have to cut disproportionately elsewhere.

Good radio needs strong teams of researchers, assistants and yes even management. And TV production is inherently inefficient. You need rehearsal time, the right light and extra takes. A lot of time is spent standing around getting prepared. It’s in the nature of the medium.

Some stuff never even makes to the airwaves. I was contacted in the middle of last summer by the then BBC’s Northern Ireland correspondent. London, she told me, wanted a piece on the precarious state of public service broadcasting in Ireland. She dispatched a crew to Dublin and myself and a few others were interviewed for the piece. The correspondent apologised for not being in Dublin herself but proceeded to front the piece in readiness for network transmission.

The following day Huw Edwards, the presenter of BBC’s flagship News at Ten was suspended over claims he paid a young person for explicit photos. The BBC, suddenly caught up in its own public service maelstrom, jettisoned the report from Dublin. A considerable amount of work just evaporated, overtaken by events. That’s news reporting for you.

Promises, promises

Bakhurst also announced that no one in RTÉ will earn more than him. This is just playing to the crowd. It will be music to the ears of the TDs who complain about high salaries but surely won’t play well with RTÉ’s new commercial director, Gavin Deans.

Deans was a successful operator in the private sector and was well-regarded for his understanding of media. ‘If you want more advertising revenue, you and your shareholders have to invest more in the output’ was one of his more insightful observations.

Now his new boss Bakhurst is setting out to de-invest in the schedule and pay on-air talent less. The result may be further declines in audience. And what if Graham Norton in a fit of generosity offered to host the Late Late Show after Patrick Kielty’s contract was up? Sorry mate, we can’t hire you unless you take less than the DG. The BBC wisely don’t say that to Gary Lineker, Fiona Bruce and a host of their other front-line presenters.

Reducing pay is one thing, tying it to the DG’s salary is something you won’t find elsewhere and smacks of grandstanding. There is no compelling reason to do this.

And what of the TV licence fee? There are only two things certain in life, we are told, death and taxes. Yet the licence fee now has all the appearance of a voluntary contribution. Thousands are opting out. What does the government propose to do about the recidivist rate? Can I now inform the revenue commissions that I am opting for a lower rate of PAYE next year, or perhaps that I’ve decided to stop paying my property tax?

We are not at the end of this saga, merely moving beyond the beginning.

Willie O’Reilly has over 30 years of experience working in public and private media and is a former group commercial director at RTÉ. He is also the former chief executive of Today FM and worked as executive producer of the Gerry Ryan Show on RTÉ.

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41 Comments
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    Mute Emer Daly
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    Nov 15th 2023, 12:38 PM

    It’s only a television company why is everyone on massive wages there anyway

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    Mute F2yxfluD
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:42 PM

    @Emer Daly: What do you call massive?

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    Mute Jason Ebbs
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    Nov 15th 2023, 5:06 PM

    @Emer Daly: “everyone on massive wages”…,really ?
    Enlighten us, what is the ordinary worker in there earning, you must know.

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    Mute Paddy C
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    Nov 19th 2023, 5:33 AM

    @Emer Daly: they are on a lovely gravy train been that way for so long now it’s unfair to try slow it down or change it’s trajectory

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    Mute Pat the Baker
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:27 PM

    RTE is packed full of insiders with a colossal sense of entitlement.
    Public service broadcasting should be representative which RTE is not.

    274
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    Mute John Ryan
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:08 PM

    Now audit the HSE ,consultants on a million euros for playing golf

    243
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    Mute
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:32 PM

    @John Ryan:
    Look at the county council’s, also these are in serious need of independent auditing also.

    135
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    Mute F2yxfluD
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:44 PM

    @John Ryan: You should name these consultants who are on a million euros for playing golf

    12
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    Mute Pat the Baker
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:29 PM

    Also, all public service roles should be transparent wrt to salary – taxpayers have a right to know what we are paying for.

    I never watched the late late once Tubridy started presenting it – zero charisma just someone’s son.

    126
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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Nov 15th 2023, 12:52 PM

    Very good article, I do feel that one of RTÉ’s main aims is to get the licence and taxpayers and ultimately their paymasters back onside.
    One sector I would suggest that savings could be made is in the amount of personnel covering sports events. I am a sports addict by the way!

    107
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    Mute Mick Duvanny
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:42 PM

    @Ollie Fitzpatrick: What sport do RTÉ have left? Most of it has gone to Virgin

    53
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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Nov 15th 2023, 2:42 PM

    @Mick Duvanny: Ok Mick, well any that they do have. They normally have three pundits and a presenter in studio, two commentators and a pitch side interviewer, not including camera personnel and tekkies. Far too many for one event!

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Nov 15th 2023, 2:48 PM

    @Ollie Fitzpatrick: Dee Forbes and other directors of RTE were also directors of GAA Go ….Forbes and some of these directors have left RTE…, but there was certainly a conflict of interest in the decisions of which matches would be shown on RTE and which matches were given to GAA Go .

    46
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    Mute Ollie Fitzpatrick
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:21 PM

    @Donal Desmond: the fact that some of these directors or board members have resigned is an indictment in itself and should be seen as such. Guilty

    27
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:40 PM

    “And what of the TV licence fee? There are only two things certain in life, we are told, death and taxes. Yet the licence fee now has all the appearance of a voluntary contribution. Thousands are opting out. What does the government propose to do about the recidivist rate? Can I now inform the revenue commissions that I am opting for a lower rate of PAYE next year, or perhaps that I’ve decided to stop paying my property tax?”

    So he wants us to continue paying into a very very corrupt organisation? I can inform you here and now that I will never pay it again. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

    126
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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 15th 2023, 2:08 PM

    @David Corrigan: Where did he say that he wants us to continue to pay? He is simply pointing out that payment has plummeted and that the government have an issue to resolve as a result. No need to be telling him to put anything in his pipe – whilst he’s an ex employee, he has no skin in the game, and has simply written an opinion piece. Get off your high horse

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:06 PM

    @SYaxJ2Ts: Oh here he comes again. Captain Carlsberg and his condescending rubbish.
    I will tell him or you or anyone what I think If you don’t like it, then get back in your box.

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:14 PM

    @David Corrigan: haha hilarious- you accuse the author of saying something that he clearly didn’t. I know 12 year olds who have better comprehension skills than you

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Nov 15th 2023, 9:45 PM

    @SYaxJ2Ts: I have asked you on numerous occasions to stop twisting my words to suit your agenda. It’s not working and it’s making you look foolish. I won’t ask you again.

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 16th 2023, 7:17 AM

    @David Corrigan: I’m not twisting anything. You said the author wants us to continue to pay into a corrupt organisation. I pointed out that the author said no such thing. It’s not difficult David. You need to own your words as they’re here in black and white.

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    Mute Chris O'Brien
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:32 PM

    Loling that Willie here thinks RTE has some massive talent pool which is only there because of their insanely high salaries.

    It’s like saying, ‘golly our TDs must be the best in the world because of their outlandishly high salaries, cars, expenses, etc.”

    Turns out that something costing a lot is NOT the same as something being good.

    A concept utterly alien to most Irish people.

    Quality – instead – creates its own value. But unless you’ve been exposed to good, you’ll assume whatever garbage you’ve grown accustomed to is amazing.

    So what Ireland needs is better QUALITY – and more access to world class alternatives to home grown rubbish.

    Imagine if Ireland made its own cars. Then one day Japanese cars were suddenly allowed to be imported.

    Would the Irish car industry adapt – ie make better, cheaper cars – or would it simply demand more tax money to subsidise its worse output?

    C’mere, we all know the answer.

    They’d demand billions from government, and then their owners would be on RTE attacking ‘lazy workers on the dole’. In a 2000 euro suit bought for him by taxpayers.

    We’ve broken our society, and no one paying attention thinks anyone paying attention will live to see it made better.

    117
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    Mute Toyo Ke
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:59 PM

    Pay caps can be worked around, just ask RTE. Maybe a car, or transport allowance? I’m sure high earners will find a way not to be at too much of a loss.

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    Mute TheGood Feign
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:29 PM

    I have a serious question. Sooner or later my TV licence is up for renewal. If RTE are being bailed out with govt money (taxpayer money basically) because many aren’t paying their licence fees, and if I pay my licence, then I am effectively double paying as I am also paying the bailout (albeit a minute bit, but it’s still there). That’s inéquitable and a tax applied like that is just dysfunctional. I’m seriously considering not paying the licence fee on the grounds that I cannot see it being a fairly applied tax. The question is, would that be correct? If the bailout is cheaper than enforcing the licence fee should we not just scrap the licence altogether?

    72
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    Mute F2yxfluD
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:56 PM

    @TheGood Feign: Yes, the licence fee should be scrapped and in future RTE should be fully funded from two sources : 1) a line item in the annual budget which is paid by the taxpayers and 2) a tolerable level of advertising revenues. A situation where some people are paying their licence fee and others are not should not be allowed to continue

    30
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    Mute Stephen Purcell
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:25 PM

    I know this is facetious, but i got a letter today threatening me with legal action for not paying my TV license. This is coming from the government, so can i claim refugee status as the government is threatening me?

    52
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    Mute F2yxfluD
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:58 PM

    @Stephen Purcell: Yes but you’ll have to flee somewhere

    14
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    Mute kkjLtYn1
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:07 PM

    They’ll just outsource the work of those leaving to private contractors who won’t be subject to the pay cap. Just playing for time in the expectation that a new licensing structure that benefits them will be put in place.

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    Mute kkjLtYn1
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:18 PM

    I’m sure Willie was happy enough to ride the gravy train while he was in Montrose? Didn’t hear him complaining during his time there.

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    Mute Kevin O Brien
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    Nov 15th 2023, 2:21 PM

    Are Israel funding RTE is appears that way from the “Israel said” it must be true reports

    38
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    Mute Pato
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    Nov 15th 2023, 2:50 PM

    Willie – there is a difference between between “earning” and “getting paid”.

    33
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    Mute The Black Horse
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:51 PM

    Will they fiddle the figures again

    33
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    Mute had the same problem with them here
    Favourite had the same problem with them here
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    Nov 15th 2023, 1:07 PM

    Create a public service app for all Irish phones if they think it that important and get rid of this waste of time and money.

    39
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    Mute troolll balonius
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    Nov 15th 2023, 2:08 PM

    This entire piece is fatuous garbage and intellectually dishonest regarding most of the points made.

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    Mute Peter McCormack
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    Nov 15th 2023, 3:47 PM

    Tubrity has a lot to answer for.
    Can RTE not go back to the way it was before..

    15
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    Mute F2yxfluD
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    Nov 15th 2023, 4:58 PM

    @Peter McCormack: Ryan Tubridy did nothing wrong

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    Mute Tony O'Neill
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    Nov 16th 2023, 2:25 PM

    I’m simply furious to hear that RTE staff are to be allowed reduce their “working time” to stay within €250,000 pay cap! SCAM!!!
    Not acceptable at all Mr Bakhurst!

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    Mute Steven Schulz
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    Nov 15th 2023, 5:17 PM

    If no one can be paid more than the DG, are they going to be reading the news?

    I, for one, wouldn’t let my salary be dictated by such a promise.

    RTE should continue as it is, threaten to declare bankruptcy and shutter, and force the government’s hand.

    As for the licence. Pay or prison, like taxes.

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    Mute John Doyle
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    Nov 22nd 2023, 9:50 PM

    They can’t make us watch it.

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    Mute Max
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    Nov 19th 2023, 5:43 PM

    Good man, Willie. Have you been over to Ottweiler recently? A lovely spot indeed.

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