RTÉ will today promise viewers that in exchange for the recent licence fee increase they will get an expanded range of home-produced programmes, more news and politics, and a new emphasis on Irish drama.
The station's "statement of commitments", which will be presented to the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, will give viewers criteria by which they can judge the station each year.
Before Christmas the Minister increased the licence fee to €150 a year.
The main thrust of the package is a move away from imported programming from Britain and the United States, and a new emphasis on Irish-produced programmes. The station will commit itself to a 15 per cent increase in Irish-produced drama.
An investigative unit for breaking stories and following up news is to be established. Coverage of the Oireachtas, the European Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly will be expanded, particularly on radio.
In line with the greater emphasis on news and current affairs, 2FM, traditionally a channel reserved for pop music, will increasingly carry news and current affairs-type programming, mainly for the under-35s. RTÉ is also committing itself to greater regionalisation, and prime time radio programmes like Today with Pat Kenny, Liveline and the Marian Finucane Show will come from the regions on a more frequent basis.
The station is promising a new corporate regime and greater transparency in its financial operations.
It will operate under a code of fair trading which will commit it to charging a fair price for use of its transmission network. This has long been a contentious issue, with TV3 complaining that RTÉ's current charging regime is unfair.
The summary of the statement of commitments is expected to be published in the RTÉ Guide this morning and the station will be urging viewers to keep a copy so they can make sure the station meets its commitments by the end of the year.
Staff at RTÉ were last week surprised by the news that their director-general, Mr Bob Collins, has decided to step down six months before his contract expires. The process to select his successor has begun. The early favourite is the director of television, and former TG4 head, Mr Cathal Goan.