Public urged to have their say on what programmes they would like to see on RTÉ
Coimisiún na Meán’s call for inputs has 22 questions around the future of public service media in Ireland.
The public has been urged to have their say on the future of public service broadcasting, with the media regulator launching a new call for input on Friday.
Coimisiún na Meán said it wanted views on what sort of content people care about most on their screens and on the airwaves, and what platforms they use to watch programmes.
“Ensuring that Ireland’s media landscape serves the needs of Irish audiences is a priority for Coimisiún na Meán,” its broadcasting and video-on-demand commissioner Aoife MacEvilly said.
“We know that the media landscape is constantly evolving, technology is changing and the way audiences engage with content is transforming rapidly.”
This call comes against the backdrop of RTÉ’s efforts to cut costs, with the Government recently signing off on a redundancy scheme at the broadcaster as it aims to reduce its headcount by 400 in the coming years.
Last July, Cabinet signed off on a decision to provide €725m in funding for RTÉ over the next three years. It came after a sharp drop in licence fee revenue in recent years in the wake of scandals surrounding payments and finances at RTÉ.
The decision to provide a mix between direct exchequer funding and the existing TV licence fee was approved after months of wrangling between ministers on how the broadcaster should be funded.
Coimisiún na Meán’s call for inputs has 22 questions around the future of public service media in Ireland.
It said its role as regulator was to ensure RTÉ and TG4 are open and responsible about how they use public money, and provide the level of service the audience expects of them.
Questions they ask of the public include summing up public service media in three words, if they watch, listen or read Irish public service media, how they decide what media they consume and if they feel well represented by public service media here.
It also asks parents if their children consume this media and what they would like to see more of.
“The public service broadcasters, RTÉ and TG4, and the licensed broadcasters all have a crucial role to play in educating, entertaining and informing the public,” Ms MacEvilly added.
“This call for inputs is the first step to developing a new position paper on audience needs and the principles and values of public service media, which will be completed in 2026. I would encourage the public to take this opportunity to let us know their thoughts by Friday May 23, and to help us shape Ireland’s media landscape into the future.”
