RTÉ Trade Union Group 'dismayed' by funding cut

A row has broken out between RTE and Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan after it was confirmed that funding to the national broadcaster for twenty twenty-seven is twenty million euro short of what was agreed. In twenty twenty-four, RTE brokered a written agreement with government for multi-annual funding up to twenty twenty-seven. The broadcaster was due to receive two hundred and sixty million euro next year, but will instead receive two hundred and forty million euro. At a press conference yesterday, Minister Patrick O'Donovan defended the move, saying RTE is getting a significant sum of money from the Exchequer. He indicated the cut in agreed funding was due to his dissa-satisfaction with the pace of reform in RTE.

It is well, uh, documented that, uh, you know, that there was issues with regard to, to the voluntary redundancy, um, that could be achieved, um, i-in the last round. And obviously, we would hope that that would be able to be a-advanced and ameliorated. But look, we will constantly en-engage with, as we do on a weekly basis, with RTE at the moment. But it is im-important to p-point out, and I think it is a, you know, a very significant sum of money, uh, from the Exchequer, uh, and from the taxpayers as a whole, th-that next year RTE remains at a static allocation of two hundred and forty million euros. Th-that is not an insignificant amount of money. It's a quarter of a billion. Um, and there are very few organizations, um, ac-across the state that can point to a, a resource, uh, allocation of that order, and it certainly represents a, a-an enormous part of the current expenditure amount that is available to me as minister to be able to allocate.

Well, RTE Director General Kevin Bakhurst spoke to Ailbhe O'Monachain for Nuacht, the RTE in Donegal yesterday, and he said the move leaves the broadcaster with difficult decisions to make.

Sadly, we only got about three hours' notice ahead of the budget that we were not going to get the expected amount, uh, as part of the multi-annual agreement, so yes, it came as a shock to us.

Are you dismayed?

Uh, yes, because I think we have a, a deal in writing with the government. We'll deliver the strategy, which we are doing, and the funding will be there, and we need the funding to deliver, uh, the strategy as the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach at the time underlined. So, you know, it is very disappointing and, you know, uh, if nothing changes, we're gonna have some pretty difficult choices to make.

And what is the reason, do you think, for the U-turn?

Uh, I genuinely don't know. I've had no explanation. I saw the minister today, and I know he had pressure on him, uh, from other arts institutions, and I appreciate that. Um, but, uh, we haven't had an explanation. We just were told that we were not getting the amount that we were expecting to get.

But are you expecting that they'll, um, stick with their promise for the three-year funding plan?

Well, the promise of the three-year funding plan was that we get two hundred and sixty million euro, including the license fee next year, which is what we put in our projections and what we budgeted for, and what we've commissioned sport and drama and so on, on that