A former secretary of the IRTC has said that the Commission was concerned about Century's contact with the former Minister for Communications, Ray Burke, during contract negotiations in 1989. Sean Connolly agreed that the degree of ministerial involvement in Century's negotiations with the IRTC was unusual.
Sean Connolly was being questioned about comments he made at a lunch meeting with Century executives shortly after the station went on air. At that meeting, he said that the commission felt Century were too highly politicised and there was a degree of suspicion behind their motives. He also said that Century felt empowered to enlist the support of the minister wherever and whenever they wished. They were in almost daily contact with him on matters which really should have been discussed with the commission, he said.
His comments were recorded by a Century executive, but Mr Connolly agreed the record was largely correct. He said that the commission was angry at the way Century conducted its business on many matters. He agreed with counsel for the tribunal that at a minimum, the level of ministerial involvement at that stage of the negotiations was unusual.
Mr Connolly said relations with Century deteriorated after they got the licence and the ministerial directive on transmission charges. Negotiating the contract with century was traumatic, and one of the most difficult he said.
Earlier, the former secretary of the IRTC told the Flood Tribunal that he believed the RTÉ fees for transmission were deliberately set high to frighten contenders for the first independent radio licences. Mr Connolly said that the Commission noted the transmission charges and then decided to refer the matter to Ray Burke. However, he agreed that the Commission did not carry out any analysis on the figures. He also said that Mr Burke did not tell him how the Commission should be run. He said that the Minister was only anxious that the IRTC should be set up quickly, to combat pirate stations.
Seán Connolly told the Tribunal that he knew that RTÉ had reached agreement with the department on transmission fees. That was the day before the Commission's oral hearings for radio licences. The matter was of key importance for the licence applications. Century had said they would not pay any more than £375,000. The agreed figure was almost double that. In effect Century could have been ruled out at this stage but the Commission decided not to ask them about this matter during the public hearings.
Mr Connolly said that he could not fully explain why the question was not asked. However he believed that the Commission did not want to tie Century's hands in its ongoing negotiations with RTÉ. He said that he believed the agreed figure was not a final one, and there was still room for negotiation. He was also asked about a meeting he held with Century the day after the oral hearings. He said that meeting was ordered by the then chairman of the Commission to see how Century would deal with the transmission charges issue.
