RTÉ FUNDING IS a “work in progress”, according to Finance Minister Michael McGrath who said that a supplementary estimate will be provided to the broadcaster in the next couple of months.
Big decisions will need to be made shortly, first on the interim funding, and second on the long-term funding model.
When asked why there was no mention of the public service broadcaster in today’s Budget speech, McGrath confirmed to The Journal that a supplementary estimate for RTÉ will be provided before Christmas.
However, any additional funding for RTÉ beyond the €16 million recommended by the Future of Media Commission will depend on the broadcaster’s strategic vision and reform plan.
The minister said the plan is expected to be delivered to government “in a number of weeks time”.
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said the responsibility as regards the station lies with RTÉ, stating he looks forward to hearing the changes that the Director General Kevin Bakhurst deems appropriate.
The government will respond to the strategic plan when it is received, Donohoe said, telling reporters this evening in the final press conference of Budget day that he was not going to get in to public negotiations with any state body.
“This is really serious,” he said, stating that a lot of people work in RTÉ and had nothing to do with the events that caused the crisis in the broadcaster.
“I think it would be disrespectful to start speculating as to what I would like to see,” said Donohoe.
Media Minister Catherine Martin said earlier this month that the government will have no role in deciding whether compulsory redundancies or pay-cuts are implemented in RTÉ.
Instead it will be the RTÉ Director General who will make this call as part of his cost-cutting decision-making at the broadcaster.
“It’s not a matter for me to engage in that sort of micromanaging of salaries,” Martin said.
Martin would not say how much money she was seeking for RTÉ (on top of the €16m recommended by the Future of Media Commission) ahead of the Budget, other than to say she would not let RTÉ fail as the public service broadcaster.
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