RTÉ Board
Introduction 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. 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.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 by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The RTÉ Executive would now report to the board. In November 2022 Moya Doherty completed her term as chair of the RTÉ board, and Siún Ní Raghallaigh was appointed as the new chairperson.In June 2023, RTÉ admitted that it paid its top presenter Ryan Tubridy €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022.Dee Forbes was suspended as Director General by the RTÉ Board a day prior to the controversy, and ultimately resigned with immediate effect on 26 June. Adrian Lynch, Director of Channels & Marketing, was appointed to the position of Deputy Director General; 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.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. 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.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.
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. NameRoleTerm startSiún Ní RaghallaighChairperson22 November 2022Kevin BakhurstDirector General (ex-officio)10 July 2023Anne O'Leary Chair of Board's Audit and Risk Committee (ARC)4 November 2014P.J. Mathews 4 November 2014Robert Shortt RTÉ staff representative29 May 2018Daire Hickie13 July 2021Susan Ahern13 July 2021David Harvey13 July 2021Jonathan Ruane3 March 2022Aideen Howard29 November 2022
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