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Noel Curran delivers speech on public service media

Noel Curran, the Director General of RTÉ

Noel Curran, the Director General of RTÉ, delivered the inaugural lecture in the ‘Media and the Public’ series on October 17th in the Helix Theatre. It was in many ways a homecoming for Mr. Curran, as he is a graduate of the School of Communications. His lecture, ‘The Future of Public Service Media in Ireland' outlined the strategy for RTÉ not only for broadcast media, but for all platforms including online content and services. In an at times hard-hitting speech, Mr Curran said  that RTÉ was entering a new era where it would be “open to broadcast partnerships and collaborations around key areas of content like sports rights and new digital television”. This new era would be symbolised by the “Analogue Switch off” in 2012, a “defining moment in the evolution of Irish media.”

However, Mr. Curran stated restructuring and pay cuts were inevitable for staff at all levels up to 2013. “Despite these new changes, RTÉ will maintain its Irish identity”, he said. “Above all we need a media service that is accountable, not to shareholders, individuals or the government of the day, but to the public. Public trust is the critical measure for public service broadcasters”.

Mr. Curran said the six future priority areas for RTÉ would be investigative journalism, arts and culture, science, technology and innovation, children and young people, 24-Hour news on demand, and national events.