The Director General of RTÉ, Mr Bob Collins, gained points for the national broadcaster when he told the Forum on Broadcasting last week that RTÉ's full accounts will be published from next year.
Mr Collins and his predecessors in office have argued passionately for improved funding for public service broadcasting. One of the infirmities in their argument has been a lack of transparency in the station's affairs. This has enabled its critics to claim that it is operated inefficiently and wastefully.
Mr Dermot Hanrahan, of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, correctly pointed out that RTÉ's licence-fee revenue is not separately accounted for. The public does not know how or in what way it is spent by RTÉ. Mr Hanrahan was on less solid ground, however, in jibing at RTÉ for its use of non-Irish soaps, by comparison with TV3. "It could be difficult to spot the public service broadcaster," he said. True, RTÉ carries more imported soap than many would like. But can one speak of its public service commitment and TV3's in the same breath?
The Forum brought the fundamental economic issues in Irish broadcasting into focus. Independent operators believe they should be entitled to a share of public funding - to be defined or collected. But they were vague about what the listening and viewing public might expect to get back for this beyond a non-specific indication that it could be used for public-service work. Mr Collins presented the parsimonious reality of RTÉ's public funding in comparison with EU averages. RTÉ gets less than half of the average across the Union.
In short, the private operators want a share of public funding - at present that means the licence fee. RTÉ wants a bigger subvention from the public purse - presumably by way of higher fees. Far-reaching issues of public policy are in question here. The broadcasters themselves cannot resolve them - it is a matter for Government.
In the globalised 21st century, small countries cannot expect indigenous media to compete unassisted against the international giants while maintaining standards and range of services. The previous Government did not square up to the reality that if Ireland wants serious, quality broadcasting it has to pay more for it. Hopefully Mr Ahern's second administration will show more courage and vision.