Reforms to RTÉ should not come at a cost to the national broadcaster’s regional public service role, Senator Rónán Mullen has said. Responding to statements that RTÉ is considering selling its Cork Leeside studio, the independent senator said this looked like “a calculated act of limited self-preservation for a model of operations that is already excessively Dublin-centric”.
Adding that “there is already a significant disparity in how the regions beyond Dublin are served”, Senator Mullen agreed that difficult structural changes are inevitable for RTÉ, but said any changes should maintain the current cost-effective and publicly engaging regional presence.