'Left-wing' RTÉ should share licence fee with independents

A GOVERNMENT backbencher criticised RTÉ and said that some of the licence fee should go to the independent broadcasting sector.

Noel Treacy (FF) claimed RTÉ was "a left-wing organisation that has not committed itself to enunciating and promoting policies" laid down by Government and parliament.

"Following the recent Budget, RTÉ had all left-wing commentators on programmes without balance," said Mr Treacy. "Audiences were loaded against Government representatives."

Labour chief whip Emmet Stagg, who disagreed with Mr Treacy, interjected: "Where is this fellow coming from?"

Mr Treacy claimed that a Government representative was brought on to a panel on either RTÉ radio or television in circumstances where the other panel members held opposite views.

"That situation is distorting the balance," he added.

Speaking during the resumed debate on the Broadcasting Bill, Mr Treacy, a former minister of state, said the public paid a hefty licence fee to support RTÉ. TG4, he said, should be an independent entity.

"It is time for one-third of the licence fee to go to TG4; another one-third should remain with RTÉ and one-third should go to TV3 and the independent radio sector," said Mr Treacy.

He said he had been on an RTÉ radio programme with a "highly paid celebrated broadcaster", who had 17 staff assisting him. "The questions he asked on-air were automatically generated on a computer screen and he had only to read them out," said Mr Treacy. "That gave the impression to the world that he had researched all those questions himself and that he was a highly intelligent man."

Mr Treacy said that "members must be accountable for their staff and the amount of money that is spent, including Ministers, and it is time we examined that situation". Claiming that there had been serious invasions of privacy, he said that the State broadcaster had sent couriers to push messages through letter-boxes seeking an interview.

He said that another woman was confined to her home as a result of utterances in a Dáil debate, which RTÉ covered almost in its entirety because it involved more drama than fact.

"That woman,whose house was surrounded by the media, died a few weeks later as a result of the pressures that were put on her following unfortunate allegations made against her beloved son."

Mr Stagg said he was sure "the members of the board of RTÉ, who are appointed by Fianna Fáil, would be very excited at the prospect of being described as left-wing" by a Fianna Fáil deputy.

Mr Stagg suggested that they might be "some of the leftover socialists" from Bertie Ahern's time.

"I am not in RTÉ very often, but any time I am in its studios, I am treated with respect," Mr Stagg added. "I have no complaint in that regard whatever."