Irish public broadcaster RTÉ will cut 200 jobs, shut its digital radio network and close its Limerick studios, according to plans leaked to the media.
Following a review of the broadcaster’s financial situation, RTÉ found the need to cut costs by €60 million (£52 million) over the next three years.
This will also involve selling off its magazine, the RTÉ Guide, and cutting some presenters’ pay by 15 per cent and executive board members’ by 10 per cent.
Chair of the RTÉ board Moya Doherty called for immediate reform of the TV licence system, expected to be replaced with a broadcasting charge in five years, with 12 per cent of Irish households currently thought to be evading the licence fee.
“In order to support this process of transformation that we are embarking on and to achieve financial stability, the TV licence must be reformed,” said Doherty. “This is the responsibility of government alone.”
“This is one of the most defining moments in the RTÉ’s 93-year history. RTÉ has set out an ambitious journey of transformation which will support it to provide audiences with the quality public service broadcasting that it wants and deserves,” she added.
