Sir, - D.K. Henderson's suggestion (September 20th) that RTE might be best advised "to hang up its microphones and advertise its cameras for sale" might or might not be well-founded if purely commercial criteria were the yardstick by which its performance should be judged. But RTE cannot be judged on such narrow criteria quite simply because those overlook the vital role of public service broadcasting in our democracy.
Effective citizenship can be exercised only on the basis of informed choices. Such choices, and the debates from which they emerge, depend vitally on the availability of a space in which alternative views can be aired and differences negotiated. As a public service broadcaster, RTE's function is to ensure that the many different perspectives, interests and values which enrich the cultural life of our society, as opposed to those of the economically powerful, can be heard.
This will not be achieved through commercialisation. Quite apart from the issue of editorial independence, commercial television, because it is dependent for survival on advertising and subscription revenue, cannot provide this space. On the contrary, experience to date suggests that commercialisation has been accompanied by a flowering of channels and a withering of choice, marked by a proliferation of niche programming in which the like-minded address the like-minded, blissfully unaware of alternative perspectives.
Regrettably, many of the necessities of a healthy democracy come with a price tag. In this case that tag takes the form of a hefty licence fee, unless of course we add RTE to the long list of Lotto-supported causes. Why not? - Yours, etc.,
Noel Coghlan, Hillcrest Park, Lucan, Co Dublin.