If RTE was to maintain public service broadcasting, a "substantial" increase in the licence fee was essential, the chairman of the station has said.
Speaking on the RTE programme Moneymakers, Mr Paddy Wright said if the Government and the public wanted a good service, they would have to pay for it. Asked if the increase would be between £40 and £50 a year, he said the application was now before the Minister. However, he agreed it was "substantial increase" and it was "in that region."
The BBC licence was twice that of RTE and they get £2.5 billion. RTE got £65 million and that was only one-third of its revenue. RTE was good at certain things, such as news, documentaries and sport. It could also be good at drama and light entertainment, but needed more money to create that situation.
Asked about those who said there should be no licence fee, he said if that was what the Government wanted, that was fine. If it wanted a commercial station, it could do what TV3 did and import everything. "Then we will not be an Irish company and we will not be an Irish broadcasting unit. We will not broadcast to the minority. We will not broadcast the language. We won't look after the orchestras."
RTE ran Lyric, two radio stations, three television stations for £65 million. "If anyone can do that, well let them in and at it," he said.