RTÉ staff told no room for complacency

The media market remains highly competitive, with no room for complacency, RTÉ employees were advised yesterday at briefings given by director-general Noel Curran.

RTÉ continues to make representations to the Department of Communications in relation to inefficiencies in the licence fee collection system, Mr Curran is understood to have told staff.

The creation of a new diversity policy, employee training sessions and the implementation of its Irish language strategy are on the organisation’s priority list for this year, alongside a stepping-up of digital activity to reflect modern methods of media consumption.

Intensified

Although the television advertising market – RTÉ’s main source of commercial revenue – grew last year and is forecast to do so again this year, competition has intensified following the launch of

UTV Ireland

and a move by

Channel 4

last year to begin selling advertising in the Republic.

Since 2013, RTÉ has been campaigning for greater security in the public side of its funding. However, the Government last year postponed indefinitely a plan to replace the licence fee, which is collected by An Post, with a household broadcast charge not dependent upon owning a traditional television set.

RTÉ's new chairwoman Moya Doherty told an Oireachtas committee hearing last week that the broadcaster "needs much more certainty" about its future.

“Why is it acceptable that over €30 million is lost every year to licence fee evasion when the sector is crying out for investment, and our culture is increasingly being diluted with more and more UK and US programming?” she said.