Screen Producers Ireland welcomes Terence O’Rourke as the chair of the board of RTÉ
Tue 5th March 2024
Tuesday, 5 March 2024: Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) welcomes the appointment of former KPMG Managing Partner Terence O’Rourke as Chair of the board of RTÉ. It also welcomes the announcement of two additional appointments - Terri Moloney, a Human Resources professional, and Dr. Neasa Hardiman, an award-winning executive producer, director, and writer, as members of the board. The news comes during significant, ongoing governance issues at the national broadcaster.
Susan Kirby, CEO at Screen Producers Ireland, stated, “We wish Mr O’Rourke every success in his new position. RTÉ is our national broadcaster, recognised by politicians and policymakers, through the delivery of its public service broadcast remit, as a key pillar of our democracy. It has a significant cultural role in Ireland, and its cultural and public position is fundamental to the Irish public.
With the new appointment of the Chairperson and two new board members, the critical next step in the reform of RTÉ is its funding model. Without this, RTÉ will be unable to invest in the next stage of the organisation and evolve from the past. SPI members, the Irish independent production sector, are key creative partners to RTÉ and are extremely concerned about its short- and long-term future, much of which is unknown. There are concerns among our members that the issues within RTÉ and issues related to the financing of RTÉ have resulted in delays in decision-making that impact programming. We look forward to meeting with the new Chair and the board of RTÉ to ensure collaboration between them and the independent production sector.”
David Donoghue, Chair of the Board at Screen Producers Ireland said, “I look forward to meeting Mr O’Rourke and the board in the coming weeks, we all know that decisions are required at Government level to enable a more sustainable model for the broadcaster, without which the board can only do so much. Mr O’Rourke’s tenure as Chair could be an opportunity for RTÉ to deliver its strategic goals, but he will need support to make the needed changes.”
The time is now to announce direct exchequer funding of RTÉ and publish the legislation to underpin this move.
ENDS
For media queries please contact:
Orlaith FitzGerald
Communications Manager