I once worked as a producer with RTÉ. Looking back, the line from Wordsworth, “The world is too much with us”, comes to mind. I spent my days absorbed in programme-making without thinking about the bigger picture. How did this large organisation function?
Six months into my time as chair of the organisation where I learned my trade, I realise I’ve arrived in a place I never really knew. I had expected, after 20 years in the commercial sector, that the public service might be like stepping back to a different time. I was guilty of those old assumptions about RTÉ that so often go unchallenged.
I encountered the same assumptions about the national broadcaster from many well-wishers who felt they were being complimentary. “No better woman being sent in there to sort them out!”
My assumptions were thankfully short-lived. I discovered that leadership within RTÉ is strong and firm, and open to challenge. I found people seeking better ways to engage and represent; and I found people willing to listen. The management is focused. The fiscal control is as you would wish your own purse to be managed; and so it should be – it is your purse.
RTÉ enjoys a unique position in Irish life. RTÉ itself is a subject of scrutiny and debate. There have been issues of genuine public concern (presenters’ salaries, the Dublin 4 factor, the groupthink factor). There are the programmes we hate, those we feel should be made, the presenters who irritate, those we celebrate. Already during my short time as chair I have heard RTÉ accused of being a “recruiting ground for the left” and “a mouthpiece for the State” in the same day.
We, the board, must negotiate these contradictions, mindful always of objectivity and fairness. This matters, because trust in RTÉ is hugely important not just for RTÉ but also for Irish life.
RTÉ must maintain its role as a key prism through which our news and current affairs are filtered; the station must occupy a reflexive position at the cultural heart of the nation.
When major national events emerge, such as the 1916 commemorations, RTÉ should take the lead in telling the story of the nation to its people. The recent success of the Road to the Rising event proves RTÉ is more than capable of undertaking this task.
Putting the audience first
RTÉ should always be about putting the audience first. This task is not easy or uncomplicated. With the explosion of social media and mobile devices, with aggressive competition from big players such as Sky, and the responsibility to defend a fair and balanced public discourse whatever the challenge, it is a crowded ocean through which to guide the national broadcaster.
At its best, RTÉ can provide a compelling response to these challenges. It ensures that society can have inclusive and open debates where all viewpoints are fairly represented. Crucially it ensures there is a home for Irish creativity and high-quality Irish programming and content of sufficient scale to compete with global providers.
The RTÉ board is made up of people who care: technologists, business people, media professionals and leading artists, academics and economists – a solid, diverse, committed band of people who believe in the value of public media. I am confident we will be able to guide and, more importantly critique, whether the issue be the sale of land, or relocation, or whether the broadcasting levy being proposed by Government is supported. Whatever the fix, a fix is needed to sustain RTÉ into the future.
Most importantly this is an independent-thinking board that will not be afraid to let the RTÉ executive know if the strategy does not meet the need or expectations of its audience.
Sustaining and reinvigorating RTÉ matters. As a nation we are closely connected to our news, our stories, our languages, our arts, our sports. RTÉ provides on all these counts, but the cost is significant. Within the creative industries RTÉ is both a leader and the biggest employer of writers, actors, artists, directors, musicians, technicians, designers, composers, producers and journalists. The continuing strength of RTÉ is dependent on keeping this talent in the country.
We know that the health of the Irish creative economy is intrinsic to Irish culture. Now, more than ever, it is important that RTÉ be properly resourced to lead the growth of the creative sector, along with Screen Producers Ireland, the Arts Council, the Irish Film Board and others.
We are all weary of the platitudes aired when public representatives travel abroad. It is now time to take a forensic look at the economic value of the creative sector in Ireland, and the importance of its survival and growth. We need to support the vibrant and talented independent production sector that Ireland is lucky to have. We need to support our graduates by investing in creativity.
Much-needed stimulus
A strong RTÉ will act as a much-needed stimulus for this creative thrust – it will create more quality Irish programming and jobs across the independent sector.
In considering the future of RTÉ we need our public representatives and politicians to see beyond their own personalised responses to individual stories on RTÉ news and see instead a creative organisation that has the wherewithal to lead the way in the growth of the creative sector, together with our partners in the industry, in academia, in the arts. As Apple founder Steve Jobs famously said: “It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing.”
As chair I’ve sought to learn, to listen and now to look at the RTÉ future rather than to the RTÉ past. Of course I care deeply about the role of public-service media. The independent voice of a national broadcaster is more important than ever and must be protected. If not, can we assume anyone else will be free to lift the lid, ask the questions, tell the stories, unfold the dramas that matter to us as citizens?
Moya Doherty is chair of the RTÉ board