Media

Minister Martin has ‘challenge on her hands’ to convince colleagues of funding plan

Niamh Smyth, head of Oireachtas Media Committee, says she personally supports ‘buy-in’ of TV licence model

Catherine Martin has said a decision on future funding should be made before summer recess. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times

Vivienne Clarke
Wed Jul 3 2024 - 09:16

The Minister for Media Catherine Martin faces a “challenge” to convince Cabinet colleagues that her preferred RTÉ funding model is the way to go, the chair of the Oireachtas Media Committee has said.

Ms Martin supports a multiannual State funding model for the broadcaster, as recommended by the independent regulator Coimisiún na Meán.

However, some Cabinet colleagues, including Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Tánaiste Micheál Martin, have expressed reservations about taking such a step.

Ms Martin has said she wants the decision to be made before the Dáil rises for summer recess in coming weeks.

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Niamh Smyth, who chairs the joint committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sports and Media, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme that her personal view was that there should be “buy in” from the public in the form of the TV licence to partly fund public service broadcasting.

“I think if the last 18 months or 15 months have taught us anything around deep controversies within RTÉ, [it] is that the public do value public service broadcasting,” she said.

“They do value trusted, media outlets. In 2022, €156 million was collected through the TV licence. And I certainly don’t think you can just write that off.

“The minister has a challenge on her hands to convince her Government leaders and colleagues that that is the way forward.”

[ RTÉ funding options a source of conflict with no clear resolution in sight ]

While she supported the TV licence, Ms Smyth said that the mechanism for collecting it wasn’t the right one.

Ms Smyth was commenting on the report “Future Business Model Plans and Long-Term Vision for the Media Sector” which is to be launched today. The Cavan Fianna Fáil TD said there was a “palpable” sense of dissatisfaction from the public about “the goings on” within RTÉ in relation to severance packages.

The report on the future of the media sector was “a very extensive and comprehensive report” that included 29 recommendations covering everything from funding of public service broadcasting, community and regional content, digital development and digital transformation.

The report covered far more than public service broadcasting funding, she said. “It talks about very motivated and multiannual funding arrangements and to have that indexed link. We do talk about community hopes for media. We do talk about bursaries for journalism into the future.

“And I think that the really overarching thing here is that misinformation, disinformation and the impact on democracy and how important all of that is when you come to public service broadcasting.”

Vivienne Clarke

Vivienne Clarke is a reporter

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