RTÉ has to be ‘prudent’ about how money is spent, says director general

The new director general of RTÉ has pledged to continue an overhaul at the broadcaster and said that projects involving 1916 centenary commemorations and the Olympics will mean a larger financial deficit this year.

Dee Forbes also said RTÉ had to be “prudent” about how it spent its money, particularly given the expected volatility when Britain triggers its exit from the EU next March.

Ms Forbes, appointed to the top job in RTÉ three months ago, said 2016 was a more difficult year financially than had been expected, but welcomed moves by Minister for Communications Denis Naughten to crack down on people not paying the licence fee.

“Not only is it not good that this money is not being collected, it’s not good for the wider creative industry,” Ms Forbes told the Sunday Independent.

Other cost-saving and revenue-raising measures are already being progressed, such as the restructuring of RTÉ’s commercial division which merged television, radio, and digital sales into one unit, and the likely sale of land at the Montrose campus in Dublin 4.

Ms Forbes, originally from Drimoleague in West Cork, said that there was a need to manage costs at the broadcaster but said no decisions had yet been made about specific measures.

“It’s too soon to say we’re going to cut services, we’re not going there because it is very much exploratory for now,” she said.

“We are managing cost incredibly tightly. We are being responsible because the world is changing around us. Every manager here is being very prudent.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure the money we are spending is being spent in the right ways. Everyone is aware it is a challenging time.”

The cost of covering major events such as the 1916 commemorations and the Rio Games has been exacerbated by falls in advertising revenue.

Ms Forbes said: “The world of media and broadcasting is changing and what we have to do, and every media organisation has to do, is look at where they are right now and re-engineer and rethink the shape of the organisation and delivery of output.”

She said new funding models would be considered and stressed the importance of co-funded programmes in areas such as drama, while adding that she wanted to see a bigger focus on RTÉ’s cultural output.

As for Brexit and its aftermath, she said: “It’s having a wider impact than I think people foresaw.”