A TD has suggested that The Late, Late Show may have run its course and it might be time to consider “moving on entirely” after host Ryan Tubridy stands down at the end of the current season.
However, surprised by the suggestion, the new chair of the RTÉ board, Siún Ni Raghallaigh, who was appearing before the Dáil’s Media Committee, refused to comment directly and said it was “an editorial decision”.
Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin said The Late, Late Show had “perhaps...run its course with the impending departure of Ryan Tubridy”. He said the outgoing host “has done a really good job in my opinion”.
He then asked the new RTÉ chair if she believed it was time to consider moving on entirely – meaning scrapping the programme in its current format.
Ms Ni Raghallaigh said it was a matter for the executive board. She added: “It doesn’t really matter about my personal opinion – it’s an editorial decision, and as a board we don’t get involved in that.”
Meanwhile she told the committee that leaks about the interview process for the new RTÉ Director General and reports of tensions at board level were “most unfortunate”.
But Ms Ni Raghallaigh added: “I can’t un-happen it.”
Kevin Bakhurst, a Montrose favourite, has returned to Donnybrook as DG after a period as head of the British broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
Fianna Fáil senator Shane Cassells said the leaks about the DG interview process had caused reputational damage to the people concerned, not just the successful candidate, but also the unsuccessful candidates.
Ms Ni Raghallaigh replied: “We learn from this. As a board we have certainly had discussions about it. It is unfortunate.”
Mr Cassells said it was “more than unfortunate”, but he did want to congratulate the successful candidate, Mr Bakhurst.
Another candidate, An Post CEO David McRedmond, was “a man who could turn around the finances of RTÉ,” having revolutionised those of An Post, Mr Cassells said. “But he did not get to the fence,” he said.
Mr McRedmond issued a statement at the weekend in which he said he had been interviewed for the position but was not shortlisted. He said he accepted that decision and has no further interest in a role at RTÉ. He said recent publicity linking him to the DG role had been “damaging” to RTÉ and his own company.
Mr Cassells suggested that Mr McRedmond’s style did not reflect the culture at RTÉ.
Fianna Fáil senator Malcolm Byrne asked what assurances Ms Ni Raghallaigh could give as chair of the board “with regard to similar processes in future in order that such events will not recur”.
She replied: “l would say that the process that we went with was a rigorous process. It was competitive.”
She said the choice of Mr Bakhurst to be the successor to Dee Forbes “was a unanimous decision by the board”.
But she added: “It was very unfortunate what happened. Nobody wanted to see that. I can't stop it -- I can't un-happen it, so I have to deal with it.
“And that's what we're doing. We have healthy, vigorous debate on the board. I think that's as it should be. And that's part of the process.”
Mr Cassells said it was far from politicians to ask about leaks, since everything in Leinster House leaked, often to RTÉ journalists. But the questions still had to be asked because of the damage done to individuals.
Senator Timmy Dooley said board members had a fiduciary duty to maintain confidentiality, and any internal RTÉ person might in future find it difficult to trust that any matter shared with the board would “stay within the four walls”.
Ms Ni Raghallaigh said: “Moving forward, I think everybody would agree that it wasn't ideal, but it happened.”
On the issue of the licence fee or a broadcasting charge, she said: “I don't think any of us think there's a magic solution, but I think the nettle has to be grasped here at some point. And I think we have to work together.”
Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster asked if Ms Ni Raghallaigh had an issue with An Post collecting the licence fee, with a 15pc evasion rate and its lack of access to various databases.
“I'm positive that An Post is doing the best job they can in the circumstances, I really do,” the RTÉ chair replied.
“It's not just the 15pc evasion rate. It’s also the fact that the percentage of people that are paying is carrying the others that are consuming but not paying. So I think that's the key issue.”
She resisted putting a figure on what she would like the fee or charge to be, but pointed out that it had not increased in several years and was not index-linked, so that RTÉ had to absorbed increased costs through inflation and other pressures.
