I welcome the four candidates for nomination to the board of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Mr. Larry Bass, Mr. Michael Moriarty, Professor Colum Kenny and Ms Siobhán Ní Ghadhra. We shall use the same format as we did for the previous session. I shall ask each person to make a presentation of approximately three or four minutes to outline who they are and how they believe they can contribute to the board, after which members may ask questions.
Nominations to Board of BAI: Discussion.
Mr. Larry Bass
I thank the members for the opportunity to contribute. This is a novel way to select members of any public board and I am privileged to be asked to serve on the board of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.
I have been involved in broadcasting from a very early age. I first worked in what was colloquially called local radio at the age of 13. I have worked in all areas of entertainment since then, mainly in the music business. In 1992, I returned to college as a mature student to study film and broadcasting in the Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street. Following my degree, I set up a post-production facility and ran it for two years in Dublin. Ten years ago, I set up a company called ShinAwil Productions, now called Screentime ShinAwil. We are involved in a joint venture with Australia's leading production company, Screentime, and we produce programmes for all the broadcasters on the island of Ireland, including RTÉ1, RTÉ2, TV3, TG4, Setanta Sports, UTV and BBC Northern Ireland. We recently opened our first UK office in Hillsborough, County Down.
As a member of the broadcasting community, I served on various boards. I was the chairman of Screen Producers Ireland and was the Irish representative of the European Coordination of Independent Producers, the European producers' association that lobbied Commissioner Reding for changes to the audiovisual media services directive. I am on the board of Screen Training Ireland, the industry training body for film and television in Ireland, and I serve on the board of Entertainment Master Class, a global training organisation for excellence in entertainment television production. I serve on the advisory board for Europe's largest and best known entertainment award, the international Rose d'Or in Switzerland. I am a member of the International Emmy organisation in New York and am also on the jury for the Banff World Television Festival in Canada.
The vision and expertise I will bring to the broadcasting authority derive from a range of programming. We are probably best known for producing "You're a Star" for RTÉ, which programme chose Ireland's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest for several years and introduced premium-rate telephone voting to Ireland for the first time. We discovered we were not just dealing with one regulator under RTÉ or the BCI but also with ComReg and RegTel. Grouping all the regulators under one body is one of my ambitions.
I have experience of delivering programmes such as "Dragons' Den" for RTÉ and "The Apprentice" for TV3. The second series of "The Apprentice" finished on Monday night. I am concerned about the future of funding for television in Ireland and how it will be raised in a fast-moving, changing environment. Regulation has a very important part to play in the funding of television, be it public service, independent or commercial television. The same applies to radio.
Rapid global change will have an impact on Ireland. If we do not move quickly to embrace the change in the broadcasting landscape, we will leave ourselves open to having the Irish cultural vision dominated by international programming rather than Irish programming. The embracing of digital terrestrial television needs to be addressed quickly. We must consider how to stretch from linear, narrow-cast broadcasting to the global use of the Internet and programming via servers. We must consider how we will collect a licence fee. Its collection is based on the possession of a television receiver at present but, in the future, we could be watching television on a laptop, mobile or palm pilot. I will bring a global and commercial view to the board.
Mr. Michael Moriarty
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil don choiste as ucht mo mholadh don phost ar Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann. It is a particular honour for me to have been nominated and to attend today. I will certainly work to the best of my ability to serve the board and meet its objectives.
I have 28 years of experience as a senior management executive in both the public and private sectors. For the past 13 years, I have served as general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association, the national association for vocational education committees, VECs, which are statutory authorities. As general secretary, I represent the interests of all member VECs and negotiate on their behalf with the Department of Education and Science, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, other relevant Departments and various agencies and bodies, in addition to teacher and other unions. I have more than 20 years of extensive industrial relations experience in addition to human resource management experience in both the commercial radio sector and the education and training sectors.
I served for a long time as a negotiator, having represented the interests of my member VECs at the Labour Relations Commission, the Labour Court, teachers' conciliation councils and a number of other arbitration committees and boards. My experience of industrial relations and negotiation will be of help and will bring added value to the board of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. I am a member of the Education Sector Performance Verification Group.
Partnership is very important and I am chairman of the partnership committee within the vocational education sector working with trade unions and working in partnership in the pursuit of common objectives. It is important that this be stated because it is the cause of recent success.
In my role as general secretary, I have extensive experience of operating within a statutorily governed sector and a statutorily controlled environment. My discipline and experience are of particular relevance to the role of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, which is also governed by statute. Like my colleagues, I have strategic management experience at senior level. I have spent years delivering strategic plans, progress reports, annual reports, statements of objectives, and so on. This is key to any senior management role and it will be of relevance.
My role as general secretary representing 33 statutory education authorities is very wide ranging. For example, the VECs cater for a significant proportion of children and adults with special needs, irrespective of whether those needs are economic, social or educational or whether they pertain to emotional behavioural difficulties or to children of families whose first language is not English. We have some experience of addressing these needs with the National Council for Special Education. As the members know, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 governs the sector.
Children with special needs are now mainstreamed so they feel part of mainstream education and totally included. I am very committed to this principle. Over recent years, I fought for additional resources for children and adults with special needs. There are many adult learners with special educational needs in the vocational education sector.
Vocational education is all about skills enhancement. The future of this country rests in our capacity to climb the skills ladder and engage in a world market at a highly skilled smart-economy level. Just over two weeks ago, I addressed a European Commission conference in Brussels on behalf of educational employers in 19 countries on the issue of future skills for future jobs. The conclusion is that skills at the highest level in all disciplines are essential if we are to maintain the competitive edge. This is very important to both public and private commercial broadcasters, in addition to the community broadcasters.
I compliment RTÉ and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland on the resources they have provided for skills enhancement. We need to consider apprenticeships and training. Reference was made to a placement programme and this could certainly be considered. I would like to do that in terms of the future role of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. The authority has a very important developmental role to play in enhancing the skills and job potential of those in the production sector.
I mentioned my role in radio. I was the first chief executive of Carlow Kildare Radio, CKR, the first licensed commercial radio station of the franchise. I was involved in the establishment of the station because of a deep involvement in community activity such as the local chamber of commerce. I saw that local radio was an important voice for the local community. It is a fantastic community asset that brings considerable pride to a community.
Local radio, whether commercial or community-based, regional radio and television provide not only opportunities for local employment but local skills enhancement. The 1980s were also a time of recession and the granting of local radio licences in 1989 was a great boost then to local communities. I have a great commitment to the voice of communities and I hope to bring this to the BAI.
Working with local radio gave me insights into what it meant to be a professional broadcaster. It also gave me an insight into the financial and operational experience required in the commercial radio sector. That business experience I have will be beneficial to my role, if confirmed, in the BAI.
Everyone has a role in enhancing public service broadcasting and enhancing the quality of its programming which is an important objective to maintain at authority level. I cannot match Larry Bass for his level of representation on prestigious boards. However, I have been on a county development board and president of a county chamber of commerce. I was chairman of Independent Radio Sales, many years ago, and I am on the education sector performance verification group. I have some experience of board membership as well as of senior executive level.
Notwithstanding my 13 years dealing at national level, I have not forgotten my community roots. It is important to keep in touch with the local community. I hope I can bring this to the whole philosophy of broadcasting and I will be a voice for this on the BAI.
I thank the chairman and the committee for hearing my nomination. I look forward, if confirmed, to contributing as much as I can to the work of the BAI.
Professor Colum Kenny
I thank the Chairman. It is an honour to attend the committee. The school of communications at DCU is at the forefront of media research and teaching in Ireland. As one of its team of academics and as a member of the school's research centre for society, information and media, I am familiar with current theory and practice in the broadcasting field. I am also acutely aware of the needs of young people facing into an uncertain future in this area because I work with them all the time and am the father of three young men.
As chairperson of the masters in journalism programme in DCU and as a trade unionist, I am particularly interested in the standards of programme making and production. Every radio and television company has a responsibility to employ enough well-trained personnel to deliver to their particular audience an intelligent, engaging and constructive schedule. They can do so not least by means of arts and current affairs programmes, clever comedy, documentary, religious programmes and drama that suit their particular demographic. They can do so best if potential conflicts of interest are clearly identified by, for example, a register of programme makers, journalists' and presenters' interests. As a lawyer and former broadcaster with RTÉ, I have long believed that measured regulation of broadcasting and other economic activity is a positive social force that benefits citizens.
That said, my family background, which is in advertising, as well as my involvement in various media enterprises and my familiarity with economic reality makes me strongly aware of the commercial pressures of the media world. Audiences are real people who listen or watch what they like and seldom tune into programmes on the basis of what someone else thinks they want to see or hear. My experiences as a member of the Independent Radio and Television Commission and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland between 1998 and 2003 enhanced my knowledge of the market place.
My appointment last year by the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, to the media mergers advisory group heightened my awareness of commercial realities in the audio-visual sphere. My work co-authoring the final report of the group impressed on me the converging relationship between various forms of media, including the Internet.
Getting the balance of commerce and culture right is a challenge not only for Ireland but for states and regions across the globe. As a professor immersed with students and studying current trends I am aware that the challenge is a complex one. I am also convinced that no economy can be smart unless its audio-visual landscape guarantees cultural diversity in terms of class, creed, race and gender. Trusting solely in the marketplace may result in short-term economic gains but later will likely result in costly long-term cultural and social loss and the degradation of professional skills. We are ultimately human beings not consumers.
My grandfather, Kevin J. Kenny, founded one of the first advertising agencies in Ireland. Among his clients was Pádraig Pearse who had just bought St. Enda's in Rathfarnham and desperately needed revenue to keep the school going. In a letter to my grandfather in 1910, Pearse listed various traders whom he suggested my grandfather approach for advertisements for the next issue of An Macaomh and stated they must make this issue pay with no time to be lost.
Pearse's words are a common refrain of media owners. TV3 cannot produce the additional Irish programming that it is now trying to at last unless the audio-visual market is structured so that it has sufficient revenue to make its schedule pay. RTÉ must not be allowed abuse its dominant position in the media market. Community and local radio stations also need commercial space in which to breathe. RTÉ is to have sufficient public funding if it is to maintain high standards and Ireland is not to remain bottom of the EU league when it comes to digital terrestrial television. Producers, independent of any particular radio or television employer, also cannot thrive or survive unless they have access on their terms across the airwaves.
As a founding board member of the EU's media desk in Ireland, I am well aware of the great efforts made at home and abroad by independent Irish film and television makers just to bring their projects to fruition.
I can bring to the BAI with its powers to regulate RTÉ, TV3 and the rest of the broadcasting spectrum, a range of knowledge and experience. As professor of school of communications at DCU, I place these at the disposal of the public service.
Ms Siobhán Ní Ghadhra
Go raibh maith agat. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an coiste as ucht an deis labhairt roimhe inniu.
I am living in Inver, County Galway with my husband and a young family. I work with a company called Telegael, based in Spiddal, an independent production company. We were involved in a management buy-out in 2007, so I am now a shareholder and director of that company also. We employ about 50 staff on a full-time basis with offices in London, Los Angeles and Belfast.
In 2001, I was appointed head of production and oversee all in-house productions that the company undertakes. A long time ago, we realised we could not depend solely on the Irish market. We have become very much involved in international co-productions, particularly with animation and children's programming. We have worked with broadcasters in the US, Australia and Europe. As companies go, Telegael has a more international dimension than many in the domestic independent production sector.
My main interest in becoming involved in the BAI is through my involvement in children's programming and having been brought up through Irish. It is very important, particularly for children and young people that high quality Irish language programming should be available to them as they grow up. This is something that was lacking in the past, certainly when I grew up, but the situation has improved dramatically, although there is more room for improvement.
The independent sector is struggling at the moment. I would know Mr. Bass through business encounters, and independent producers are struggling somewhat, as are broadcasters here. We need to look at more innovative ways and perhaps tap in more to the international market and the exploitation of Irish programming abroad, which is not being done at a sufficiently serious level at the moment. Irish programming of a high quality could be watched the world over, I am certain, and it is not an area that is being sufficiently exploited.
From a technology viewpoint I have a good understanding of what is happening the world over in broadcasting. I attend conferences regularly, international television markets all over the world. Mr. Bass has stolen some of my points on "pay for view" television, online viewing and digital television, all areas we need to keep abreast of. Otherwise, we shall be left behind in that race. As to my educational background, I have an arts degree in economics and Irish from NUIG and a postgraduate diploma in communications. In recent years I went back to do an LLB in NUIG as well because over the years I have become more and more involved in the business and legal side of producing television programmes. The projects I am involved with tend to be very complex from a financing and contracts viewpoint. This is an area in which I have become more involved. Through that experience I am getting to understand better how different deals may be put in place and how to maximise benefit for the production companies.
I have been involved in boards and committees locally but nothing of this stature. I am on the board of Telegael and a number of other companies at a commercial level.
I welcome our guests here this morning and congratulate them on getting so far. I am sure the final hurdle is just a formality. I wish them well in their posts and thank them for coming along to brief us. I shall just seek comments on the three issues I raised with the last people who were before the committee. It is interesting to hear Professor Colum Kenny quoting Pearse. It reminds me of Deputy Brian Lenihan's famous or infamous budget, when he invoked patriotism among us all. I prefer to quote Collins who said that the wealth of the nation should be defused equally among its people. That could apply, perhaps, to some of the questions.
Coming from a rural background, I am somewhat concerned about local and community broadcasting, and I should like to hear our guests' opinions on that. Some of our guests will already have dealt with this, but what is their vision and do they see a role for further development? It is critical that it is developed. I would like to hear any fresh thinking on this and whether it can be given priority on any agenda.
Another question I asked related to standards in broadcasting, particularly in our role as politicians. If we exclude the tabloid role in journalism, there seems to be a perception among the general public — apart from politicians — that standards may be slipping. What are our guests' views of standards in broadcasting at the moment, as regards accuracy, for example, rather than the tendency to spin stories? The media to a large degree can dictate trends and policies in their presentation of events. I am interested to hear opinion on this, and the proposals, if any, our guests might like to see being considered by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to ensure that what is being presented to the public is accurate and real, and reflects what is currently happening.
In congratulating our guests on being appointed, I would like to hear how they will work with this committee. Will they be available to come here on an annual basis, say, to discuss issues that might be relevant to the committee, and how might they address concerns that we, as members of the committee might have, as regards the future? I wish our guests well agus go n-éirí leo.
I agree with the latter point made by Deputy Coonan on interaction between our guests as board members and this important committee. That would be worthwhile in terms of democratic input and as a goal it is worth pursuing on a regular and consistent basis.
I join in welcoming all our guests. The other panellists will excuse me if I refer to the fact that I have a long association with Mr. Moriarty, not directly, but as a veteran of many IVEA conferences down the years, and they were always excellent events. I can certainly vouch for his competence in that sphere and I welcome him, having met him at several those in the past, in a previous incarnation.
A point raised by Mr. Moriarty was the whole issue of life-long learning and our response to change, including the present large level of unemployment and the transformation in the structure of the demographic representing the unemployed now. We now have an enormous number of graduates unemployed and very highly skilled people. People need to evolve and develop new skills, so I am interested to hear a response about the whole area of life-long learning and how the media and our broadcasting service can help in this area. In practical terms, perhaps our guests might comment on how this could be done.
Ms Ní Ghadhra's point on making money abroad from Irish productions is interesting. I notice from my dealings with local radio that there is a great shortage of revenue accruing to the commercial sector. Advertising has fallen and is under tremendous threat. Mine is just a layperson's knowledge, but it appears to me that our domestic productions, independent or otherwise, are capable of standing up to any international competition and in many cases are greatly superior. For that reason I believe her concept of how they might be marketed more aggressively abroad to provide an income source, is very interesting. Perhaps she might expand somewhat on this. There is potential to be explored and it is worthy of being pursued.
Like everyone else, I am interested in standards and the whole area of ethics and objectivity, fairness and so on, to which my colleague Deputy Coonan referred. I talked with the previous group about preserving oidhreacht na tíre, the heritage and values of the country, and what is distinctly Irish. Our culture is of crucial importance. I am interested to hear our guests' comments on this. We should be unashamed about that. I do not see why we should have a complex about it. In the pursuit of commercial success we cannot become too "tabloid" and we have to preserve a distinctly Irish identity in our history and heritage. I would like a response to that.
We as politicians collectively and individually — and other groups could say the same — are concerned about being pilloried in the media. There has to be fairness and independence within broadcasting and the media generally, but the viewpoints of our guests would be interesting in this regard, too.
As my colleagues have done, I add my congratulations to our guests for getting to this point and welcome them here today.
I have one brief question. My colleagues mentioned standards and I shall comment on one aspect of this. Recently children have become a very real target for broadcasters. Broadcasting has a very significant influence on the development and behaviour of children. It has a very real impact in shaping people's opinions and perceptions. What are the challenges for the authority and its role in this regard? When it comes to the more vulnerable, perhaps the minority sectors of our community, how do the delegates see the role of the authority and what are the challenges? Think of the more vulnerable people and minority groups. I do not refer only to multicultural issues but to people with disabilities and those who face mental health challenges.
Many questions have been asked and a vote is approaching so I apologise if some members have to leave in the middle of the reply. I have three short questions. The delegates will agree that we need to have a balanced, public and independent broadcasting service on the island. How can they balance the licence fee issue to avoid distorting advertising rates and revenues for the independent sector? What measures do they think should be put in place to avoid abuses of the dominant position of the national broadcaster in the current structure?
My second question relates to standards and much has been asked about this point. I put it under two headings: impartiality and balance; language and visual content. In that regard I refer specifically to the watershed which is set at 9.p.m. in the interests of protecting children. Do our guests consider that time to be too early? Should it be somewhat later? Should any standards apply after the watershed?
The third question relates to culture, language and all things Irish regarding the national broadcaster where these matters should be very much in evidence. How will our guests ensure their preservation and promotion in the programming of the national broadcaster? It is now to be under the control of the BAI whereas previously it was not.
I am conscious of the time and the fact that votes may be called on the Order of Business in both Houses. Several questions were asked and I call our guests individually, to dip in and out as to which questions they wish to answer. The watershed, culture and heritage were raised by Senator Walsh. Marketing overseas was mentioned as were lifelong learning and local community broadcasting. The one question that comes through all round concerns standards. I call first on Ms Ní Ghadhra, who may pick and choose.
Ms Siobhán Ní Ghadhra
From a culture and heritage point of view, I agree that we should embrace our Irishness and everything Irish. Ultimately, the standards of the programme unit tie in with exploiting Irish programming in a more international way. If a programme is good it will sell, regardless of where it is from or whether it seems too Irish. Without sounding flippant, one does not want a programme to be twee Irish. I deal with broadcasters in France and Germany and I can guarantee they are not backward in coming forward about their Frenchness, their background and where they come from. That is important and is probably the factor that will makes us stand out from the crowd. It concerns who we are and where we come from.
When it comes to commerciality, I do not believe the two are mutually exclusive. There can be very commercially viable projects that are inherently Irish and reflect Irish society and culture. That is definitely something I would see in the role of public service broadcasting as such. Such programming is also what Irish people want to watch. I have a Sky box at home with hundreds of channels, as have many people but nine times out of ten one comes back to the same four at the top of the list. Again, one does not want to see stage-Irishness, as such, but one wants to see high quality Irish programming that attracts an Irish audience. It makes sense that it would do so.
Professor Colum Kenny
Local radio concerns me greatly and I believe it is a matter of resources. When I served on the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland there were times I was concerned that the value of some of the stations seemed to be far greater than anticipated but relative to that value they were not perhaps investing as much as they might in employing people who could make the kind of programmes required.
Community radio is extremely important and on the media mergers advisory group I went to considerable lengths to try to ensure it would be protected in any future media environment. It is crucial. I understand Deputies and Senators are very busy but the report of the media mergers advisory group made strong representations for new measures in that area. We have not been able to get these yet and they are crucial.
On standards in broadcasting, a register of interests is very important, particularly for some of the presenters in RTÉ who are represented by agents who have other commercial clients. It is important that for transparency reasons people see what is there. I am not casting any aspersions but in the same way Deputies have a register of interests it would be good if programme makers of various kinds had a register of interests.
Concerning meetings with the Oireachtas, mentioned by Senator O'Reilly, that is appropriately handled through the chairman of the BAI. Members will find that the BAI will be willing to meet the committee at any stage that is appropriate.
Culture, about which members are concerned, is a very important matter. The UNESCO convention on cultural diversity is a very important document although there is some tension with regard to the GATT agreements. It is an international issue. It is important to protect cultural diversity in a globalised economy.
Pillorying politicians is partly deserved but in part is also an issue that relates to the degradation of national parliaments and politics in general and is part of the process of globalisation which reduces the respect for national institutions. That is an issue.
It is very important that we try to protect children and minorities against exploitation. There are codes and standards in place to achieve that. In the same way, regarding the abuse of RTÉ's dominant position, the Minister has powers under the new legislation to ensure the BAI can take steps to monitor RTÉ's commercial conduct. It is important that this be done to protect local radio and national television stations in competition with RTÉ from being disadvantaged by RTÉ enjoying both licence fee and commercial revenue.
On the watershed, there should be standards after 9 p.m. We expect a certain standard in programming from RTÉ, and from stations that competed for scarce licences other people wanted. I do not believe we always get that from either the commercial sector or RTÉ, considering some of the programmes the latter has made. It needs to up its game in that respect.
Mr. Michael Moriarty
Briefly, regarding local radio, I mentioned being the voice of the community. I have concerns about the commercial pressures on local radio, particularly commercial radio. It is a cascade effect of the lack of review of the licence fee. That is a contentious issue for RTÉ. It was due to be looked at again in 2007 but this has not happened. The fee has diminished as a proportion of the station's overall income and this puts RTÉ in pursuit of commercial advertising. People referred to that and I understand from reading press reports that the station has been discounting its rates. This is a cause of concern to TV3 and other independent producers. All of that should be examined, including the funding of public service broadcasting because it is important and it is a statement about what we are and our values. They may be some ideas of a fairer way to address the issue of the licence fee.
I refer to lifelong learning. The authority has a role to play in developing strategic partnerships or alliances with training authorities and other bodies. For example, some VEC colleges, the Ballyfermot College of Further Education and Dún Laoghaire College of Art and Design train people on FETAC courses for radio and television broadcasting. I wish to see that role developed because in this period of an employment downward spiral there is great potential to be tapped and I wish to see that take place.
I was disappointed that RTÉ has put the international proposal on hold. The country really needs an international service that broadcasts worldwide such as that provided by Chinese television, France 24 and other international stations broadcasting on Sky. Such a service is an important part of promoting Ireland and international communication not only with our diaspora, but to promote the values of our culture.
I refer to heritage and culture generally. No one has referred to TG4 today. It has done a fabulous job in promotion. In its statement it has committed to 200 hours of broadcasting independent productions aimed at children which is very important. I commend it in this regard as well as for the quality and level of broadcasting which is uniquely available to everyone in the country whether they speak Irish. That is very important. It is not precious about its use and treatment of Irish, a very important part of its role for which I have always admired it.
The media and everyone in education have a role to play in reflecting the values of society. I agree with my colleague, Professor Kenny, that all institutions are being pilloried, whether the churches, the education sector, the political establishment or others in public life. There should be some standards. I have often held concerns about the invasion of privacy to which anyone in public life is exposed. This matter should be addressed in some way.
Senator Corrigan referred to standards in broadcasting, especially the way in which they impact on children and their behaviour. I advocate an independent review or audit of the programming of broadcasters to determine their impact on young people whether good, bad or indifferent. That should apply whether organisations are in the public service or the commercial or community sector. I also believe vast potential remains to be tapped in the development of programming for young people, and the development of digital terrestrial television, involving bundles of stations, will provide greater opportunity for this to take place. There should be specialised channels, whether aimed at young people or particular groups and the media has a very significant role to play in this regard.
It is very important that we recognise cultural diversity in Ireland. The subtle training and messages coming from the media should respect diversity, difference and should be inclusive of society. We have a role to play because young people are the generation of tomorrow. I have no wish to ramble on too much and believe I have covered most of the points I wished to cover.
Mr. Larry Bass
I will preface what I intend to say by pointing out that I have probably been one of the strongest critics of commercial television in Ireland and RTÉ, but also one of the strongest suppoRTÉrs of RTÉ and TV3. We should keep a constant highly critical and highly supportive pressure to get the balance right. I am a firm believer in light touch regulation. A regulatory body should set the framework for the business of broadcasting. Many of the points made by Deputies and Senators could be addressed by putting broadcasting and the industry at the heart of a creative smart economy. We are the commercial drivers of a new opportunity for Ireland. We can increase exports from Ireland and the ability of Ireland to put itself on the map. Some 18% of visitors to Ireland state they come because they have seen Ireland on film. This could be increased and could be a commercial revenue earner in a difficult time for Ireland.
I refer to some of the individual points made. Ireland has been well served by public broadcasting in terms of standards. Let us compare our public broadcasting with what is available throughout Europe. RTÉ has a role in protecting the body politic and providing advice to the people. "Prime Time" and the news are at the heart of the prime time television schedule and this is a credit to the work RTÉ does to protect the body politic. It would not be served well by a drop in standards. Public service broadcasting should be funded across the board. RTÉ should not be the sole domain of what represents public service broadcasting. Public service broadcasting includes news on local and commercial radio. Funding for this will also create more dynamic and healthy competition in the world of broadcasting. Funding from licence fees should go towards the funding of local and commercial radio news to free up other revenues and invest in programming for the people.
I refer to Irish stories for Irish children and this should address Senator Corrigan's points about children. RTÉ is the largest purchaser of animation in Europe. However, it is the smallest single investor in animation in western Europe. The time has come for the available funding for broadcasting in Ireland to be invested in Irish stories for Irish children. Australia is a example of where, through quotas and regulation, there has been great investment in programming for Australian children. This has resulted in such series as "Home and Away" and "Neighbours" becoming very substantial export earners for Australia Inc. They are both shown on Irish screens and throughout the world. If we invested in this way in Irish drama for Irish children, it could be seen as an export driven market that protects Irish heritage.
Broadcasting could take its place as the heart of the driver of Irish heritage. There is also a commercial remit for the country. We have a fantastic record of exporting literature, music and dance for centuries. The occasional film has escaped and won an Oscar. Why not television? I envisage greater investment and backup from such organisations as Forfás and Enterprise Ireland to put television at the heart of a new, smart economy. It is an area that can harness all the output from the colleges of Ireland.
The colleges of Ireland suffer from what I believe is a commodification of education. Too many resources have been put into setting up media courses in too many colleges. We must also consider centralising the expertise in some of the courses. DCU, Dún-Laoghaire College of Art and Design, DIT and the University of Limerick have a history of expertise in broadcasting. It is not possible to have expertise in every college in the country. Graduates are leaving these courses and there should be a place for them in the economy. The television industry could be a part of an English language dominated global world in which we are one of the leading players.
There is a very high standard in Irish television production when it is benchmarked against the best television production in the world coming from Britain, including ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC. Our quality of television production based on meagre resources stands significantly higher than most countries throughout the world. We can tap into that. Such shows as "The Tudors", made by Showtime in co-production with an Irish company and TV 3, have won international awards, including Emmys and have been seen by audiences throughout the world. We should seek even more of such commercial productions in Ireland to create sustainable jobs, a heritage and an ability to export our language, message and music throughout the world.
The dominant position of RTÉ must be examined and kept in check. However, it is also the primer for many programming ideas. It should take account of the ability of Irish programming to be export generating. If it continues to seek only Irish stories for an Irish audience, it reduces the opportunity for Irish commercial producers to export their work. It is limiting if they only make programmes to be seen by a small population. Irish audiences should also be able to consume and watch drama that reflects a world view and not simply a parochial Irish view.
I am delighted to welcome the witnesses here this morning and hear their contributions. I look forward to a very positive input from them in the future. I have a number of questions, many of which have been answered, about our cultural heritage, something which it is very important to protect. How do the witnesses feel about the demise of Independent Network News? Do they have any views on it? Mr. Denis O'Brien is now handling the majority of the news in our country.
I thank the witnesses. This is the fifth time they have been put through the processor. It is important to recognise that we heard four different people from four different backgrounds. Mr. Bass has an international background. The one phrase which is likely to strike terror into the heart of any politician and one which I ask him not to use again is "light touch regulation". We do not want to hear it any more. We have been there and done that; it did not work.
Mr. Larry Bass
There is a world of difference between banking and financial services and broadcasting.
That is the debate which is currently taking place.
I remind Senator O'Toole that there is a vote in the Dáil.
Yes. We would like to hear more on the Independent Network News issue. RTÉ is a free-to-air station. This is a bugbear of mine. I ask the committee to take it on board and give me its views. It is the only free-to-air station one cannot receive on satellite television without paying money to Sky. One can receive all the BBC, ITV stations and French and Russian stations, but one cannot receive RTÉ. I would like to hear from RTÉ on this matter. Professor Kenny and Mr. Moriarty have practical, academic and legal experience. We should note that Ms Ní Ghadhra collected three Emmys during her career, her work is shown from coast to coast in the United States, and she brings a lot of experience with her.
When the committee sits again, it may be able to discuss the lack of career paths in broadcasting, something upon which Mr. Bass touched. We should attract people into the industry, ensure that there is a career path and that people are paid well, rewarded and retained properly. It is an issue about which I am concerned. Professor Kenny touched on the issue.
Do members want to suspend the committee and come back or try to complete our business now?
We should try to complete it now.
In that case, Professor Kenny can speak briefly on the Independent Network News issue.
Professor Colum Kenny
There is cause for concern about the consolidation of resources in one area. I regret deeply the loss of jobs at Independent Network News. The way in which the service is provided nationally is something which needs to be examined. It is of greater importance that the traditional way of dealing with it as a service supplied to a licensee suggests. I share the Senator's concern and strongly feel that if we want standards, we must have investment in print and broadcast media journalism. We cannot get high standards in broadcasting if one does not invest money in it.
Is it agreed that Mr. Stuart Switzer, Ms Orlaith Carmody, Ms Eunice O' Raw and Ms Aileen O'Meara be recommended by the committee to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for appointment by the Government to the board of RTÉ? Agreed.
Is is agreed that Mr. Larry Bass, Mr. Michael Moriarty, Professor Colum Kenny and Ms Siobhán Ní Ghadhra be recommended to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for appointment by the Government to the board of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland? Agreed.
I thank the committee secretariat for its help during the process, Mr. Brian Andrews and Ms Margaret McCabe from the Public Appointments Service for their invaluable assistance and my colleagues who sat on the board to conduct the interviews.
The joint committee adjourned at 11.55 a.m. until noon on Wednesday, 13 January 2010.