Minister White must explore new avenues for financing RTÉ

Communications Minister Alex White is to ask the Cabinet to consider a proposal to fund RTÉ by television license fee revenue, or commercial income, but not both.

The minister seems to have lost sight of the benefits of public service broadcasting for Irish society and, with a 17% delinquency rate, the failure of the government to collect television licence revenue from all who are liable to pay.

Public service broadcasting is defined by UNESCO as being created, financed andcontrolled by the public, for the public, neither commercial nor state-owned, free from political interference and pressure from commercial forces.

Through public service broadcasting citizens are informed, inspired, educated and entertained. This is achieved through a guarantee of pluralism, programming diversity, superb quality, editorial integrity, appropriate funding, autonomy, accountability and transparency.

There is no television licence regime in the United States where public service broadcasting is an essential component of audience choice and is substantially funded by voluntary personal donations in cash and kind, which are eligible for income tax relief and through corporate sponsorship and philanthropy.

Public service broadcasters in other jurisdictions do not rely on revenue from advertising to the same extent as commercial broadcasters. This approach allows for the transmission of topics that serve the public interest with impact, but are not necessarily commercially viable in the mass market.

Why is Irish society denied an authentic public service broadcasting regime?

Myles Duffy

Glenageary

Co Dublin