Serving the Public in Another Challenging Year

After eight years, this is my last year as Chair of the RTÉ Board.

My experience as Chair has reinforced my personal belief as to the value of public service broadcasting and above all, the need to fight for its future.

There are several key points I wish to make.

Firstly, RTÉ Matters. Public Service Broadcasting Matters

During the pandemic turmoil over the last two years, the critical role played by public media as a source of reliable and trusted information was crucial. In this context, I am proud of the leadership role RTÉ has continued to play in the provision of high-quality news and current affairs throughout this period.

If 2020 was a year characterised by a strong sense of empathy and community as the nation came together in response to a global pandemic, last year the dark shadow cast by COVID-19 saw some of this cohesion give way to a palpable sense of frustration and anxiety throughout the country.

Yet the public appetite for vital news and information, for discussion and debate, for entertainment, and even for companionship, meant that RTÉ remained a constant in the lives of so many of us as we looked for answers, for clarity and reassurance. RTÉ continued to be the source of cohesion in both our traditional and newly imagined communities.

While we began the year with much uncertainty, RTÉ ended the year as home to 44 of the 50 most-watched TV programmes in Ireland, reinforcing once more the truth that in times of uncertainty audiences turn to their national public media in large numbers for its unique offering of live sport, trusted news and current affairs, local Irish drama, gripping factual programmes and documentaries, as well as entertainment.

RTÉ radio also continued to keep listeners engaged on air and online, throughout the day, and across the week reaching almost 2 million radio listeners in Ireland, while we also saw more online audio streams of our radio stations, more RTÉ Player streams, more visitors to and greater usage of the RTÉ News app.

I am proud of this performance of RTÉ and the vital role played by the RTÉ Executive and the RTÉ staff during a difficult year which was meticulously planned to ensure the health and safety of all and the delivery of vital services to the public. That RTÉ has managed to do this and return a modest surplus for the year is a substantial achievement in such uncertain and challenging times.

The Licence Fee Model is Broken

The importance of public service media has become crystal clear during this period of unprecedented disruption over these last two years.

However, despite all this, support for public service media in Ireland remains under threat. It is a source of both disappointment and concern to me that at the time of writing we have not yet secured a sustainable future for a high quality and diverse media in Ireland and that we still await the publication by Government of the Report of The Future of Media Commission.

There is now, however, a consensus that the traditional licence fee model for funding public service media in Ireland is fundamentally broken. In this, Ireland is no different than other European nations. The present model is resulting in a loss to both public service media and the independent production sector of approximately €65m per year – over €500m in the last decade. In the case of RTÉ, the current level of evasion is 15% and the number of No TV homes is also 15%, giving a combined leakage of 30%.

More Can Be Done for Independent Production

It is not just RTÉ that is impacted by this broken licence fee model, but also Ireland’s independent production sector. RTÉ is an important catalyst for the growth of the sector and a catalyst for innovation and diversity, but its capacity to invest in the sector has halved since 2008. In addition to the crippling effect of the global pandemic on the sector, RTÉ has had no other choice, due to financial constraints, but to cut back on independently commissioned programming. The most meaningful stimulus for this sector would be a reformed licence fee model.

After eight years as Chair of RTÉ and having spent most of my working lifetime in the Irish broadcasting and creative sectors, my belief in the importance of public service broadcasting is deeper than ever. I believe that RTÉ, at its best, can be the glue that binds the cultural wellbeing of the nation together. It can be the prism through which we construct the idea of ourselves, and it is often the voice of Ireland for the global diaspora.

Time is Running Out – It’s Time for Decisions

At the same time, however, I am deeply concerned for the future of RTÉ and that time is running out, and that we will not appreciate what we have until it is no longer in our possession. Future generations will not forgive us for letting these assets slip through our fingers.

The forthcoming debate on the future of the media should be open and thorough. But it should not be open-ended. Ultimately, decisions must be made, not least regarding a reliable and effective funding model, one that recognises all who have a stake in the complex processes of representing fully a nation’s cultural, economic and social identity.

The last few years, and in particular the last few months, have seen the rise to dominance in the media of what can be termed ‘untruth’. Untruth is not merely the opposite of truth, it is the construction of a discourse of deception, propaganda and disinformation grounded in political and ideological movements determined to undermine the civic and democratic space. Public service media is one of, if not the, last platforms capable of challenging this untruth which it does by constantly striving to speak the truth of the social, cultural and economic nation it represents. It can only do this if supported and protected both financially and legislatively. The alternative is, quite simply, unconscionable.

Moya Doherty

Chair