BBC licence charge in highlight as Ireland ponders defunding state broadcaster RTE | UK | News | EUROtoday

BBC bosses have been urged to be aware of “an emerging political consensus” that the licence charge which funds RTE, Ireland’s state broadcaster, is “unsustainable”.

Ray Bassett, Ireland’s former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, was commenting on rising stress on RTE within the wake of revelations about secret funds made to high-profile figures together with presenter Ryan Tubridy.

Mr Tubridy, who hosted his personal present till June of this yr, give up after it emerged that he had picked up nearly £300,000 in undisclosed revenue between 2017 and 2022. The 50-year-old is because of start presenting a mid-morning present on Virgin Radio UK in January.

Figures revealed in June instructed such was the extent of public disillusionment, the broadcaster is anticipating a income shortfall of £18million on account of individuals opting to not renew their licences.

Last month, it was broadly reported that Media Minister Catherine Martin was pushing to abolish the TV licence charge and exchange it with a system of direct taxpayer funding, with the Green Party politician saying: “I don’t think the decision will be easy, but what I’m saying is we will take the decision, we will be the government that do this and I will be the minister that will deliver on this.”

While he didn’t recommend there have been any related secret funds within the UK, Mr Bassett believed company bosses would regard latest developments with some concern.

He informed Express.co.uk: “There are clear implications here for the BBC which is facing many of the same criticisms as RTE.

“It may be very prone to see opposition to the licence develop stronger within the UK except it might exhibit that it’s a priceless service for all of the inhabitants. It can’t be perceived as having a political agenda.”

Addressing the situation across the Irish Sea, he continued: “Opposition all through the Republic to paying a compulsory subscription to 1 station, by way of a licence charge, is rising and growing numbers of persons are merely refusing to pay.

“This has caused a large drop in the national station’s (RTE) income and resulted in the need for an emergency subvention from the Government to stay afloat.”

Meanwhile Ireland’s courts have been exhibiting a “marked reluctance” to make use of their powers to punish the growing variety of non-licence holders who have been showing earlier than them, Mr Bassett identified.

Recent revelations about what he referred to as “under-the-counter payments” have been “the last straw for many”, he stated.

He added: “Hearings by a Parliamentary Committee uncovered a culture of entitlement among senior corporate executives and some questionable accounting practices. RTE is also attracting a lower proportion of the overall audience and there have been multiple criticisms about political bias in the station’s presentations.

“There is a large unfold notion that RTE and the Irish Times have been down taking part in a sequence of horrific incidents, together with homicide, rape, violent assault, and so forth, involving immigrants.

“Therefore, a section of the public are angry that their tax Euros are being used to promote political views which are not supported by them.”

There was additionally a rising unbiased media sector within the Republic which survived with out the cash of taxpayers, Mr Bassett identified.

He stated: “Politically a consensus is now emerging that the current model, namely the licence fee, is unsustainable.

“Also earlier proposals of a cost on all households to finance public service broadcasting, seems lifeless within the water.

“The debate now seems to be about whether direct taxation should be used to fund public service broadcasting, but there is no clear definition of what constitutes public service broadcasting. The future looks bleak for RTE.”

RTE is looking for a bailout of roughly £30million to proceed broadcasting.

Speaking in September, Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar instructed any future funding would have “strings attached”.