Kevin Bakhurst’s “town hall” meeting with RTÉ employees in Studio 4, the set of The Late Late Show, began with an apology. Leaks from the director general’s 29-page strategic plan, titled A New Direction for RTÉ, were “unfortunate” and “not helpful”, he said.
There was some not-terrible news: with the Government confirming it will give the broadcaster an additional €56 million in funding between now and the end of 2024, RTÉ will not run out of cash next year, barring unforeseen circumstance, while the broadcaster will invest more in digital services and in an “expanded production centre” in Cork.
Otherwise, there was not much to be upbeat about. Some 40 voluntary redundancies will be immediately sought out of a total of 400 departures between now and 2028, while targeted savings of €10 million in 2024 alone mean there will be both cuts to content and delays…
