The chairman of the RTÉ Authority has welcomed the decision to establish a forum on broadcasting to examine the future of Irish public-service broadcasting.
Mr Patrick Wright said RTÉ would co-operate in every way with its chairman, Dr Maurice O'Connell, a former governor of the Central Bank, and other members of the forum, which has been established by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera.
"The forum's remit is very challenging and it assumes responsibility at an important time for all broadcasters. Minister de Valera's initiative is both timely and appropriate and I would like to wish Dr O'Connell and his colleagues on the forum every success in their work," Mr Wright said.
Ms de Valera said yesterday the forum would have four months to "map the future of public-service broadcasting in Ireland".
It could decide apparently that part of the station, such as 2FM, had no public-service remit and should be sold off.
"I am trying to make RTÉ cost-effective and we all know there are very high costs in RTÉ. I have set up this forum and I will be giving it four or five months to take submissions from broadcasters and individuals and look at the area of pubic-service broadcasting and the structure and regulation of RTÉ," she said in the Sunday Independent yesterday.
The licence fee, she said, was public money. "I have to ensure that we are getting value for it," she said.
Mr Wright said the importance of a public-service broadcaster, uniquely Irish in ownership and content, had never been more evident and the demands on such a broadcaster would continue to increase.
"RTÉ will respond to these demands - as it has always evolved and expanded to meet changing audiences needs and incorporate technological developments. We will continue to put the audience first and look forward to the work of the forum resulting in a secure future for public service broadcasting in Ireland," he said.