New RTE director-general concedes broadcaster ‘may have to become smaller’

RTE’s new director-general has conceded the broadcaster may have to become smaller going forward as he declined to rule out future redundancies.

Kevin Bakhurst also acknowledged the potential for more damning revelations to emerge about Ireland’s embattled public service broadcaster.

In his first major act as RTE boss, Mr Bakhurst stood down the broadcaster’s executive board and replaced it with a temporary interim leadership team as he moved to restore confidence in the crisis-hit organisation.

RTE has been reeling since it emerged last month that it under-reported the salary paid to star presenter Ryan Tubridy and failed to disclose 345,000 euro of additional payments to him between 2017 and 2022.

The furore has since widened amid further disclosures about RTE’s internal financial, accounting and governance practices and its expenditure on corporate hospitality for advertising clients.

On his first morning in the job, Mr Bakhurst announced a series of changes in response to what he described as the “shameful” revelations that have emerged in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly are to appear before two parliamentary committees probing the affair.

Fielding media questions on Monday afternoon at RTE headquarters in south Dublin, Mr Bakhurst said Tubridy’s future at the organisation remained undecided and signalled his fate could be determined by what emerges at the two highly anticipated hearings of the Media Committee and Public Accounts Committee.

RTE operates on a dual funding model, with the majority of its revenue secured from a licence fee and the rest generated from advertising revenue.

The Government has paused discussions on a new long-term funding arrangement until the current crisis abates.

Mr Bakhurst urged anyone thinking about not paying their licence fee in response to the scandal to look at the quality of programmes he said RTE continued to produce.

The experienced media executive, who previously worked at RTE before becoming group director at Ofcom, said the Irish broadcaster may have to slim down in the future.

“We have to look at all services, we have to look at everything we do and what we can afford to carry on doing and it may be that RTE needs to be smaller in the years to come,” he said.

“I mean, my immediate priority is to stabilise where we are, to rebuild trust.”

The Irish government has already announced two separate external reviews of RTE and also moved to send in a forensic auditor to examine the broadcaster’s accounts.

Mr Bakhurst, who said his 250,000 euro a year salary was less than he was paid at Ofcom, predicted that further uncomfortable disclosures may emerge from the series of probes into RTE.

“I suspect there is more to come because we are trying to crawl over everything,” he said.

“And when we discover stuff, we will make it transparent. We’ve got a forensic accountant coming in from the Government. I suspect there may be more stuff to come out. But when it comes out, all I can say is we will put it out in the public domain. I don’t want to say there’s nothing more because I genuinely don’t think that’s probably right.”

Mr Bakhurst said he wanted to look at issues that have been flagged around how certain workers at RTE are treated.

He said he wanted to drive down pay rates for top on-air talent but, on the prospect of rises for other lower pay staff, he said they needed to be “realistic” about the potential for widespread uplifts given the “constrained financial environment”.

He did however signal an intent to act on concerns around maternity pay and flexible working arrangements.

The new director general said he could not promise staff there would be no redundancies.

“I said to them I would do my utmost to make sure there are not redundancies and, if there are, there’ll be an open and fair process around it, respectful of staff and liaising with unions,” he said.

“I’d love to be able to give a guarantee because I know job security is the most important thing to most people. But, you know, what I did say was knowing the reality of our financial situation, I can’t take anything off the table, I’m not going to promise anything that I can’t deliver.”

The new boss also confirmed he had recused himself from an examination of a car loan arrangement involving RTE sports reporter Marty Morrissey due to his friendship with the broadcaster.

Morrissey apologised last week for taking part in an “informal” arrangement where he used a Renault car after emceeing a dozen events for the car brand.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Bakhurst announced the replacement of RTE’s executive board with a new interim leadership team.

Former director-general Dee Forbes resigned two weeks ago. She was initially due to leave post last week, and Mr Bakhurst had already been appointed as her successor before the recent crisis broke.

RTE’s director of strategy Rory Coveney announced his resignation on Sunday.

On Monday, RTE’s commercial director, Geraldine O’Leary, announced she was taking early retirement with immediate effect.

Chief financial officer Richard Collins has been replaced in that role and his long-term future at RTE is subject to discussions with the new director general.

Mr Bakhurst announced several other measures on his first morning on the job.

In respect of finances, he said all significant decisions will now have to be agreed by the whole leadership team, with a record of discussions leading to the decisions being compiled.

“There can be no repeat of the siloed and, at times, secretive decision-making that has been at the root of the shameful events of the past weeks. As custodians of public money, our financial integrity must be on a par with our editorial integrity,” he said in an email to staff on Monday morning.

Mr Bakhurst said he was also expediting the establishment of a register of interests for staff and contractors. In this regard, RTE managers will also be asked to provide clarity on any potential breaches of journalism or content guidelines.

The new director general said he would also oversee a “culture change” at the broadcaster. He said he was initiating a review of roles, grades, pay and gender equality. He also pledged to improve communications with staff and enhance their input in decision-making.

In his email to staff, Mr Bakhurst said: “Like you, I have been appalled by recent events and the impact it has had on the public perception of RTE, the impact on the trust the public places in us, and the impact it has had on you all.

“I look forward to working with Siun Ni Raghallaigh (chair of oversight board) and the RTE board as we collectively set out to rebuild trust in RTE, inside and outside, starting from today.

“I know that all of you are deeply upset and angry.

“RTE is full of talented and hard-working people who remain committed to delivering a vital public service to our audiences, and you have been let down by RTE management.

“I have heard many of your concerns already and I will continue to listen to what you have to say.”

Chair of RTE’s oversight board Ms Ni Raghallaigh welcomed the initial measures taken by Mr Bakhurst.

“They are the first steps in an ongoing process of change that will last for many months,” she said.

Irish Media Minister Catherine Martin also commended the statement from Mr Bakhurst.

“Confidence in RTE starts with its own staff and board. And from there it can start to build trust with the Oireachtas (parliament), its audience, the independent production sector and the public,” she said.

The RTE Trade Union Group (TUG) and the National Union of Journalist also welcomed Mr Bakhurst’s actions.