Broadcasting talent

Sir, – Hugh Linehan says “it’s plain wrong to suggest . . . that the country is full of people who could easily take on the job of presenting such a show for a modest fee” (“Talent is now a dirty word at RTÉ, even though the broadcaster badly needs more of it”, Culture, July 22nd). He argues: “the success or failure of a project generally rests on the quality of the work of a small number of key creative people.”

But does the number need to be small? Or is it kept small?

He defines talent as “a combination of aptitude, personal drive and professional experience”. The first and third are clear. “Personal drive” is more complicated. Many film and media stars are indeed driven, but often by ego or to seek fame, which is fine for the entertainment industry, but not for public service media. There, the drive should be to seek things like truth, authenticity, and empathy. This idea of personal drive – beyond a desire to be in the media – widens the pool considerably. It is RTÉ's navel-gazing selection criteria, as Linehan suggests, that narrows it down.

A much bigger space to test aptitudes and gain experience already exists. Each week on community radio, volunteers conduct hundreds of interviews on a great variety of topics to produce “last-mile” public service content. It is appreciated by their listeners, and they do this for free.