RTÉ 'fully committed' to Cork operations as building suitability 'being assessed'

NUJ and SIPTU members who work at RTÉ protest outside the studio on Father Mathew Street, Cork in the wake of the payment controversy. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

RTÉ has said the "suitability" of the Father Mathew St studio in Cork is being assessed following speculation around the building's future.

However, RTÉ said contrary to such speculation, it "remains fully committed to its operations in Cork".

The broadcaster issued a statement on Monday after reports that it may be forced to sell off assets.

While the statement said RTÉ was fully committed to operations in the county, it added: "The suitability of the current building for the full range of RTÉ's operations in Cork is being assessed".

The Cork studio is based on Father Mathew St in the city centre and RTÉ's Today show, hosted by Maura Derrane and Daithi Ó Sé, is filmed there. 

It comes as Media Minister Catherine Martin insisted the Government has no plans to force RTÉ to introduce widespread job cuts or sell off its assets, including 2FM.

Ms Martin said she does not want piecemeal reactions but rather “fundamental change” at the troubled broadcaster.

RTÉ is bracing for another week in the spotlight[/url] over not just its hidden payments to Ryan Tubridy through a ‘slush fund’, but also its wider financial practices which have been laid bare in recent days, with officials due to be grilled by the Oireachtas media committee on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Cabinet will rubberstamp the appointment of an external auditor to examine the accounts and books of RTÉ.

Catherine Martin will seek approval to invoke Section 109 (7a) of the Broadcasting Act, which will allow her to appoint the auditor.

Ministers are also due to sign off on the long-awaited terms of reference into the external review of corporate governance and culture at the broadcaster.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will not be bringing RTÉ officials before it this week. Its members will instead scrutinise the existing evidence that they have already received from the broadcaster.

Media Minister Catherine Martin speaking to reporters on Saturday in the wake of the revelations of RTÉ's undisclosed payments to Ryan Tubridy. Picture: Nick Bradshaw/PA

However, PAC chairman Brian Stanley said the matter remains “fluid”, and he did not rule out bringing RTÉ officials before PAC at short notice in the future.

Mr Stanley said the committee is “anxious” to hear from both the former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes and head of content Jim Jennings, as well as Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly. Both Ms Forbes and Mr Jennings have been unable to appear before the committee, citing health reasons.

“The fixing of this won’t be done with a sticking plaster,” said Stanley.

It won’t be done with day surgery. This is a major transplant that has to happen here at the top of RTÉ. It’s major surgery. 

Media committee chairwoman Niamh Smyth said it intends on Wednesday to find out what knowledge there was of the hidden payments to Mr Tubridy.

“The crux of this is about secret payments and the deception of that, and I suppose the intended mechanism that was put in place to deceive, not just the public, but the Government and the taxpayer, ultimately,” she said.

“I don’t think it’s revenge on anybody’s heart or mind in trying to sort out this in RTÉ.”

Her comments followed reports in the Irish Mail on Sunday that up to 400 jobs could be cut at RTÉ in a redundancy scheme.

The report has been categorically denied by a spokesperson for Ms Martin.

“There are no proposals by the minister for staff redundancies or selling assets,” a spokesperson said. “These, and related issues, would be matters for the RTÉ board, in the first instance.

“However, the minister has met with representatives of staff and is acutely aware of their concerns.”

Emma O’Kelly, RTÉ journalist and chairwoman of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Dublin Broadcasting Branch, criticised the suggestion that jobs could be cut at the public service broadcaster. She said: 

It’s ridiculous to be talking about job cuts at RTÉ when the last week has shown where the real problem is.

She was also critical of the suggestion that RTÉ could be broken up into two entities.

“The past week has shown us what happens when you starve a public service broadcaster of public funds and force it to rely on a commercial strategy,” she said.

“To my mind, the breaking up of RTÉ into two separate entities, one commercial and the other only publicly funded, would just be more of the same — business as usual, only with added job cuts.”