The RTÉ Board is a body of up to twelve people which makes policy and guiding corporate direction for RTÉ, Ireland's state public broadcaster.[1] The board membership includes the broadcaster's chief officer and one elected staff representative.

History

The Board was established as the Radio Éireann Authority under the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960. It later became the RTÉ Authority. The Authority was actually the legal entity known as Raidio Teilifís Éireann and the body which had legal responsibility to run the services authorised under the Broadcasting Authority Acts 1960–2002 but actual management of the services was delegated to the Director General and the staff of the Authority, and all these together comprised RTÉ. The Authority met monthly and acted as RTÉ's board of directors, making general policy and overseeing the operations of RTÉ on a non-executive basis. The RTÉ Authority was appointed by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The RTÉ Executive reported to the Authority via the Director General.

Under the Broadcasting Act 2009, the RTÉ Authority was succeeded by the RTÉ Board. Having been self-regulating, it lost the regulatory function to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (itself succeeded by Coimisiún na Meán in 2023). The final RTÉ Authority was appointed on 24 February 2009 on a six-month interim basis, pending the coming into operation of the Act.[2]

The new Board of RTÉ and the four nominees of the Joint Committee with responsibility for broadcasting for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland members were to be appointed in early 2010[3] by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The RTÉ Executive would now report to the board.[4][5]

In November 2022 Moya Doherty completed her term as chair of the RTÉ board, and Siún Ní Raghallaigh was appointed as the new chairperson.[6]

In June 2023, RTÉ admitted that it paid its top presenter Ryan Tubridy €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022.[7][8] Dee Forbes was suspended as Director General by the RTÉ Board a day prior to the controversy,[9] and ultimately resigned with immediate effect on 26 June.[10] Adrian Lynch, Director of Channels & Marketing, was appointed to the position of Deputy Director General;[11] he also assumed the role of interim Director General following the suspension and resignation of Forbes and prior to the arrival of Kevin Bakhurst into that role in July 2023.

Ian Kehoe did not ask for a second term, his term ended in 2023 after 5 years on the board, Connor Murphy stepped down from the board in 2023 also, having joined in March of 2020. [12] Robert Short will move from the board when he takes up the position of Company Secretary with RTÉ in 2024.

Structure

The Board sets out strategy, policy and other goals for the RTÉ Executive who then directs the organisation and works to preserve RTÉ's editorial independence.[13] It has an audit and risk committee and a remuneration committee, which are authorised to seek any information they require relevant to their terms of reference.[14][15]

It consists of up to 12 members – six nominated by the Minister, four nominated by the Minister on the advice of the Oireachtas Joint Committee with responsibility for broadcasting, one worker director and the Director General.[12]

Current board members

As of 2023, there are 12 members, 6 sourced via the Public Appointments Service, 4 nominated by the relevant Oireachtas committee, the current chief officer and a staff representative. [12]

Name Role Term start
Siún Ní Raghallaigh Chairperson 22 November 2022
Kevin Bakhurst Director General (ex-officio) 10 July 2023
Anne O'Leary (second term) Chair of Board's Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) 4 November 2014
P.J. Mathews (second term) 4 November 2014
Robert Shortt (second term) RTÉ staff representative 29 May 2018
Daire Hickie 13 July 2021
Susan Ahern 13 July 2021
David Harvey 13 July 2021
Jonathan Ruane 3 March 2022
Aideen Howard 29 November 2022

References

  1. ↑ "About RTÉ". RTÉ About. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "Minister announces new RTÉ Authority". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "Oireachtas Communications Committee Ratifies New Members of RTÉ Board and Broadcasting Authority of Ireland". Houses of the Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "Major changes heralded in broadcasting as new laws enacted". Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 20 July 2009.
  5. ↑ "Broadcasting Act 2009". Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2009 – via YouTube.
  6. ↑ "New chair of RTÉ board appointed by Government". Irish Independent. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  7. ↑ Goodbody, Will (22 June 2023). "RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared". RTÉ News. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "Statement by the RTÉ Board – June 22, 2023". rte.ie. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  9. ↑ Burnhill, Eleanor (23 June 2023). "Minister made aware of Forbes suspension yesterday". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes resigns amid payments controversy". RTÉ News. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Woods, Killian (22 June 2023). "RTÉ appoints new deputy director general". The Sunday Business Post. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 "Board of Radio Telefís Éireann". State Boards (Ireland). Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Keena, Colm (26 June 2023). "RTÉ pay controversy: how the national broadcaster is structured". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  14. ↑ Bowers, Shauna (29 June 2023). "Who were the RTÉ board members and executives who appeared before Public Accounts Committee?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  15. ↑ Keyes, Sean (4 July 2023). "RTÉ pay committee chair, Moya Doherty, didn't attend remuneration meetings for almost four years". The Currency. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
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