RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst told the broadcaster’s board in March he was working on a “more definitive plan to address cost constraints” and no show’s funding is “untouchable”.
Minutes of the meeting in March show board members raised concerns with Bakhurst about the progress being made on a voluntary exit programme that has aimed to cut 400 jobs and save €30 million annually.
Two board members told Bakhurst they lack confidence the process can achieve the cuts required.
Media executive and board member David Harvey questioned if the leadership team was considering cuts to “bigger spending decisions” within its independent production unit, which funds productions such as Dancing With the Stars and Room to Improve, to address cost issues.
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Bakhurst said no show funded through the independent production unit was “untouchable” and the board would be informed this month about new cost-cutting measures being taken into consideration.
A spokeswoman for the board said RTÉ management has reverted to the board about cost constraints and talks are ongoing. She did not provide information about what options were being explored.
RTÉ’s redundancy scheme was approved by the Government in March 2025. Last year 97 people were made redundant through the programme.
The minutes show board member Noreen O’Kelly voiced “low confidence in the plan” to cut staff numbers. Fellow board member Jonathan Ruane, a lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also expressed “some doubts about the organisation’s ability to reduce headcount”.
O’Kelly, who served on the ESB board for 10 years, also asked why an analysis of lessons learned from the 2025 redundancy programme “appeared to be absent”.
RTÉ’s deputy director of content Niamh O’Connor said management had been “very aggressive in the past year and had substantially stood down all internal TV production except Fair City and the Late Late Show”.
The minutes showed some board members also questioned why compulsory redundancies could not be considered.
In response, Bakhurst said reduction in headcount could only be achieved voluntarily. He added the RTÉ leadership team would return to the board with a “more definitive plan to address cost constraints” in June.
RTÉ has aimed to cut 60 roles this year through the redundancy programme, which is only open to staff at the broadcaster with more than two years of service. Those employed for two to five years can receive four weeks of pay per year of service, while those with five to 10 years are entitled to five weeks per year. Staff at the broadcaster for more than a decade can receive six weeks pay per year. Last month the state broadcaster said it was now seeking to modify packages to boost take up.
