director general of RTE resigns and RTE maybe privatised

The Cush

Last week Leo Varadkar Fine Gael Communications Spokesman expressed his concern about the procedure to fill the position of Director General of RTÉ (didn't see any mention of it in the printed media).

RTE Director General must be selected by public process not secret, backroom search

September 15th, 2010

New process used to fill RTE Authority but old, backroom process being used to fill RTE DG post

The position of RTE Director General was advertised this week but it is wrong that the search to fill it is being carried out in a secret, backroom manner according to Fine Gael Communications Spokesman, Leo Varadkar TD

The search for the DG is being carried out by Merc Partners a firm that specialises in executive selection in the private sector. Instead, Deputy Varadkar has called for the new Director General of RTE to be selected by a public process involving the Public Appointments Service and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications rather than by an executive search behind closed doors.

“Not that it ever was, but it is no longer good enough that one of the most prestigious positions in the country should be filled on the basis of a secret search.

“It is the normal practice for chief executives of semi-State organisations to be selected by a private recruitment firm with final approval from the company’s board but I believe that the time has come for this practice to change. The new Director General of RTE should be selected by a public process using the expertise of the public appointment service involving the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications.

“This process has already been used to select members of the RTE Authority, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and TG4 and is currently being used to select members of the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

“RTE is a €400 million organisation providing public service and commercial television and radio to over a million homes across the State. It also has a major role in supporting the arts. The company is increasingly involved in digital media and will be responsible for providing multi-channel digital television from 2012. Uniquely among media organisations, RTE receives over €160 million in public money through the licence fee every year.

“I believe that the public and Oireachtas should have a real input in to the future of RTE and an opportunity to have debate about the kind of public service broadcasting that we want for our money.

“The Director-General’s position combines the role of Chief Executive, editor-in-chief and board member of RTE. It is a hugely important position and the new Director General will lead and mould the organisation into the future. A public competition for the job with Oireachtas scrutiny and involvement would allow this debate to occur and ensure that the new Director General has a clear mandate from the public to deliver what the public wants from RTE.”

http://www.leovaradkar.ie/?p=1121

RTÉ replied the following day

RTÉ Board responds to Varadkar claim on DG selection process

At its regular monthly meeting today, the Board of RTÉ responded to the claim by Fine Gael spokesman Leo Varadkar that the position of its Director General is being filled through what Mr Varadkar termed "a secret search" carried out in "a secret, backroom manner".

A statement this week by the party's spokesman on Communications, carried on Fine Gael's website, stated that the process of selection for a new Director General should be handled by the Public Appointments Service and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, which considers Broadcast matters.

Commenting on the current process to appoint a successor for outgoing Director General Cathal Goan, the Chair of the RTÉ Board, Tom Savage, said today:

"There is nothing secret or backroom about this process and it is disappointing that Deputy Varadkar has characterised the process in this manner."

The position of Director General of RTÉ is currently being advertised in a number of national Irish newspapers and UK newspapers as well as in the international broadcasting industry trade press and on RTÉ's own website. The multinational recruitment firm Merc is handling the process, at RTÉ's request, and is to augment the search through its own established communications network.

RTÉ's Chairman added: "This process was set out publicly in law, following public debate and enacted by the Oireachtas. The Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for the appointment of a Board through a combination of direct Ministerial selection and nomination by the Joint Oireachtas Committee following public application. The task of selecting a Director General falls to the Board of RTÉ under that Act.

The RTÉ Chair also queried Deputy Varadkar's proposal that the Public Appointments Service, which recruits for the civil service and for services such as the Garda and the HSE, is the appropriate route for selection of a Director General. "RTÉ is not part of the civil service. It is a statutory corporation with no State shareholding. Successive statutory and regulatory provisions have identified the need to define RTÉ separately from the State so as to allow it to operate in an independent manner," he said.

Mr Savage noted that the final nomination to the post of Director General by the RTÉ Board goes to Government for approval, giving a further dimension of public accountability.

Advertisement for RTÉ Director General post: http://www.rte.ie/about/pdfs/rte-dg.pdf

RTÉ Corporate Communications

16th September 2010

http://www.rte.ie/about/varadkar_response.html

Owen

Privatise the whole lot. I'm sick to death of paying an expensive TV license which funds TV channels I never, ever watch.

STB

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Privatise the whole lot. I'm sick to death of paying an expensive TV license which funds TV channels I never, ever watch.

There is question of a Public Service Broadacaster being privatised!

Fianna Fail would like to sell everything in form of a jumble sale to hide the hideous mess that they were and continue to be responsible for in pumping money into the Anglo Irish drain.

Selling off networks hasnt really being beneficial in the past. We dont need another Eircom.

Elmo wrote: »

Goan did go to TG4 for a number of years and was a surprise selection for Director of TV as was Stephen Carson last year, whos only connection to RTÉ is his wife!!! *

*waits

What are you waiting for ? Steve Carson has worked in TV production for years in the BBC and RTE via Independent productions (Mint).

rlogue

My money would be on Conor Hayes.

watty

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Privatise the whole lot. I'm sick to death of paying an expensive TV license which funds TV channels I never, ever watch.

That won't affect the Licence fee, you can be sure and it would destroy what we have. Look at Eircom.

BAI blames RTE for failure of Pay TV on DTT, some people as a result are calling for the privatisation of RTE NL.

Look how well that worked for eircom.
The extra Debt incurred by Vultures doing leveraged buyouts and not result of any investment would have paid for Universal 100Mbps fibre to home TWICE for everyone. Even the meanest mountain top hovel. Negative investment (asset stripping, debt from leveraged buyouts etc) has been over €4Billion since privatisation.

via techtir: Leprechaun Gold?

watty

rlogue wrote: »

My money would be on Conor Hayes.

Seems likely.

Elmo

STB wrote: »

What are you waiting for ? Steve Carson has worked in TV production for years in the BBC and RTE via Independent productions (Mint).

I know but some people would turn Miriam O'Callaghan's job in RTÉ TV as an issue. Like those who want to sell the lot.

The Cush

Cathal Goan's contract has been extended for 3 months to mid- January according to an article in last week's Sunday Business Post while the search continues for his replacement.

The article also indicates Conor Hayes has not applied for the job.

Search intensifies for RTE director general
10 October 2010 By Samantha McCaughren

RTE director general Cathal Goan’s contract has been extended by three months to allow the hunt for a successor to continue.

Consultants have been appointed to ‘head hunt’ a new director general. It is understood that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is keen for an outsider to get the job and at least two potential candidates with links to the BBC have been approached about the position.

Goan was due to finish last Friday but will stay on until mid-January.

Well-informed sources said chief financial officer Conor Hayes, who has been tipped as a possible successor, had not applied for the job, and would not be applying.

The source was adamant that his mind would not be changed.

Hayes is credited with implementing a hard-hitting cost-cutting programme last year, significantly reducing losses at the station when the downturn suddenly diminished ad revenue.

Pól O’Gallchóir,TG4 chief executive, has been mentioned as a possible candidate. Claire Duignan, RTE head of radio, may also be interested.

It is believed that Noel Curran, the former head of television at RTE, has not applied, but speculation continues that he could be approached. It is also understood that two BBC men have been approached.

The first of these is Pat Loughrey, who formerly had responsibility for the BBC’s television, radio and online programmes and services in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the 12 English Regions.

Donegal-born Loughrey left the BBC at the end of 2009.He is currently vice chancellor of Goldsmiths, University of London.

The second BBC person to have been approached is Ken MacQuarrie, who became director, BBC Scotland, in April 2009.

Another potential candidate is TV3 chief executive David McRedmond.

While he has said publicly that he is not interested in the director general role, his success in steering TV3 through difficult commercial times has been noted by RTE insiders.

He would have to take a drop in salary in his move to RTE but it would be viewed as an extremely prestigious position.

http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/search-intensifies-for-rte-director-general-52180.html

Elmo

The Cush wrote: »

Cathal Goan's contract has been extended for 3 months to mid- January according to an article in last week's Sunday Business Post while the search continues for his replacement.

The article also indicates Conor Hayes has not applied for the job.

Conor Hayes will be soon DG of AerSuil, I like that as a name for the new Semi-State body that will replace RTÉ NL.

rlogue

Nice one Elmo, what would the collective noun of AerSuil managers be? A bunch?

Elmo

rlogue wrote: »

Nice one Elmo, what would the collective noun of AerSuil managers be? A bunch?

Took a while :rolleyes: too long really

The Cush

Yesterday was the closing date for RTÉ internal applications for the position of DG. Another possible canidate for the DG's job, Claire Duignan, RTÉ head of radio has not applied according to an article in the Irish Times on Tuesday. She is the second RTÉ Executive Board member to indicate they would not be applying for the job, Conor Hayes did so previously.

Cathal Goan has agreed to hang around until Feb.

Duignan not to seek director general role

CIARÁN HANCOCK Business Affairs Correspondent
Tue, Oct 19, 2010

RTÉ HEAD of radio Clare Duignan has decided not to seek the post of director general with state broadcaster RTÉ.

Ms Duignan was considered by many as the favourite to succeed Cathal Goan, who decided in July to step down from the €326,000- a-year role.

Ms Duignan has been in the headlines recently, commenting on the high salaries paid to some RTÉ presenters and warning that funding cuts would affect its quality of programming.

Many saw this as a signal that she was positioning herself for a tilt at the director general job after 33 years with the broadcaster.

Instead, the Monaghan native has decided to continue in her role as managing director of radio at RTÉ, a position she assumed in February 2009.

She is also a member of RTÉ executive management team.

Today marks the final date for internal applications for the director general post. A “refresher note” was posted by RTÉ last week to staff reminding them of the deadline for the post.

The field of internal candidates has narrowed in recent weeks with RTÉ finance director Conor Hayes also ruling himself out of the running.

RTÉ is running a parallel search for external candidates. This is being led by recruitment consultants MERC Partners.

Mr Goan has agreed to remain at Montrose until February but it is understood the RTÉ board hopes to install a new director general before then.

Interviews for the job are expected to be held in the near future. RTÉ is expected to set up a sub-committee of the board to oversee this process.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1019/1224281444590.html

Elmo

Noel Curran new DG starts in Feb 2011.

http://www.rte.ie/about/pressreleases/2010/1109/dgnoelcurran09112010.html

mike65

Any man with Kenny Live on his CV needs to be better than adequate. I wonder did he need much tempting back into the warm bosom of the semi-state sector?

The Cush

From today's Irish Times

Curran beat two others to RTÉ's top

RTÉ’S APPOINTMENT last week of Noel Curran as its new director general will have been welcomed by many within Montrose.

Curran was always highly regarded within RTÉ and seen as a future DG, before his surprise decision to leave earlier this year.

RTÉ threw the net far and wide to find a successor to Cathal Goan, via executive search firm Merc.

Curran is believed to have been one of three candidates who met the full board of RTÉ – the others being from Canada and New Zealand.

This week, I became aware that ex-Sky executive Gerry O’Sullivan was tapped for the post.

O’Sullivan, an Englishman with Irish roots, was director of strategic product development at Sky, playing a role in developing its high-definition and 3D services. He saw the position as a “dream job”, especially with RTÉ preparing for digital switchover.

He was interviewed twice and described the process as “thorough”.

While Curran is clearly a good choice as DG, it would have been interesting to see how an outsider would have shaped what is considered by many to be a sleepy organisation in need of reform.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2010/1119/1224283708713.html

The Cush

Noel Curran has taken over from Cathal Goan as RTÉ DG according to the RTÉ Executive webpage even though no official press release yet.

watty

Slightly OT: New UPC girl in Charge in Ireland
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/01/31/strong-candidate-for-ceo-upc-ireland/

UPC Ireland has appointed Dana Strong as its new CEO. The current COO of AUSTAR will take up her post on May 1, 2011.

Strong is replacing Robert Dunn, who has been appointed as managing director, UPC Netherlands. She joined the Australian satellite pay-TV provider in 1999 as managing director of AUSTAR United Broadband and in 2001 was appointed group director, strategy, technology and infrastructure for AUSTAR Communications. She became COO in 2002.

UPC Ireland’s parent Liberty Global owns a 54% indirect majority share in AUSTAR.

Elmo

watty wrote: »

Slightly OT: New UPC girl in Charge in Ireland
http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/01/31/strong-candidate-for-ceo-upc-ireland/

I am assuming she is Australian or has been living in Australia for a number of years. Could they not find someone currently living in Ireland to take up that post.

eddy121

mike65 wrote: »

Any man with Kenny Live on his CV needs to be better than adequate. I wonder did he need much tempting back into the warm bosom of the semi-state sector?

Wonder what odds Paddy Power will offer on him quitting early in this one as well
Wonder how Helen Shaw would have done in the job ?