Kevin Bakhurst

Uh, I've just read the statement from the DG of RTE, and I can see nothing else but a head-on collision here between the minister, the government, and RTE.

That was Wednesday, but by Thursday afternoon, talks between Minister O'Donovan and his department and DG Kevin Bakhurst.

I just wanna say, we had a extremely constructive meeting with the minister.

Um, and we've agreed that we're gonna carry on working with his officials, uh, to try and find a resolution to this.

What was the body language like today?

Well, not exactly peace in our time just yet, Colum, but it appears both sides are trying to find a resolution in relation to this bitter row between Montrose and the Department of Media.

Uh, Kevin Bakhurst-

All eyes war averted, it seems.

Now, the Housing Minister, James Browne, says it was frustrating to see, but what we don't need is to gang up on young people or students in general.

The funding row between RTÉ and government is described as being delicate, despite a meeting between the DG Kevin Bakhurst and Minister Patrick O'Donovan yesterday.

It came after the government reduced the planned budget for RTÉ by 20 million euro next year.

In Budget 2027, Screen Ireland and TG4 were both allocated the same funding as last year.

I'd like him to punish me like that, frankly, like-

And I, I love, I love how, like, the RTE director, Kevin Bakhurst, comes out and he's like, "We, like, our plans hinged on this 20 billion." [laughs] Like, what about the 240 million?

Yeah, no, he, like, frankly, I'm worried about him now.

Like, I think he might starve to death.

And this is according to the Mail.

And i-it's emerged as, uh, station chief Kevin Bakhurst, uh, yesterday said, "I don't know," when asked, following an emergency meeting with, uh, Media Min-Minister, uh, Patrick O'Donovan, if RTE would receive the funding, uh, shortfall.

The Irish Times, and again, the lead story on The Times today is that RTE story, and their headline: "RTE likely to receive last 20 million if reforms are on track." Uh, also leading on The Times today, the Land Development, uh, Agency, the LDA, um, paid more than €2 million to buy a dormer bungalow in South Dublin to settle a High Court case by the owner that threatened to further delay almost 1,000 new homes at the former Central Mental Hospital in Dublin.

And also, an interesting one on The, uh, Times, uh, nationalist politicians are among those who have received letters from the PSNI over their participation in the protest to blocking the Orange Order's march on Portadown's Garvaghy Road.

Uh, what we are clear on is really that both sides want an off-ramp to this dispute this lunchtime, and there is a sense, uh, both senior levels of government and in RTE that a resolution can be found, uh, pretty quickly, uh, this afternoon.

A meeting is scheduled to take place, uh, n-not so long from now between the Media Minister, Patrick O'Donovan, the Director General of RTE, Kevin Bakhurst, and the Chair of RTE, uh, Terence O'Rourke.

Uh, that taking, uh, place this lunchtime.

But the coalition perhaps keen to put the budget focus back on the measures, uh, it announced on Tuesday in the speeches by Simon Harris and Jack Chambers, and RTE perhaps keenly aware itself that perhaps public sympathy may not extend, uh, that far, uh, for its plight in relation to this, uh, twenty million euro.

How did it come about? Well, officially, Patrick O'Donovan did mention his frustration with regards reforms, but at that press conference yesterday, which I was there for the whole hour, he also pivoted back to budgetary constraints, uh, within his department as well.

So it does seem a little bit clear, even though senior government figures are keen to stress today in, on the airwaves at least, that RTE hasn't been fulfilling its reform, uh, proposals, but, uh, from RTE's perspective, they were very much blindsided by yesterday's announcement, uh, and indeed Tuesday's details as well, with Kevin Bakhurst, of course, saying he was both shocked and dismayed.

The matter was also raised at this morning's meeting of the Dail's Public Accounts Committee.

What happened there, Barry?

Um, we'll come to you first of all, James.

We are hearing that the meeting that occurred this afternoon between, um, the head of the board of RTE, Terence O'Rourke, uh, the director general, um, Kevin Bakhurst, and indeed, the minister, Patrick O'Donovan, that it was very positive and constructive.

Are we going to see everyone tiptoe softly away from what has been occurring over the past 24, 48 hours?

Uh, good afternoon, Ciara.

[laughs] Uh, still not, not quite sure on that, but it might be heading towards that trajectory.

Just a, a few moments ago, the RTE director general, Kevin Bakhurst, and the chair, Terence O'Rourke, they, uh, exited the door here in front of me.

They'd been in there for just over an hour or so, less than 24 hours since that shock funding announcement.

And Mr. Bakhurst, uh, speaking to reporters, he said he wanted to keep his comments brief and that he wasn't going to answer any questions, saying that the situation still remained very delicate.

On that key question of the 20 million funding, will it be returned to the broadcaster? Well, um, Mr.

Bakhurst saying, "We'll see," in that regard.

And in relation to that charge from the labor, um, uh, uh, comm- labor TV, Alan Kelly, the chair of the Oireachtas Media Committee, he'd said, could Mr. O'Rourke, Mr. Bakhurst, to Mr. O'Donovan, the Media Minister, Patrick O'Donovan, could they continue to work together, or would relations be strained? But pointedly, Kevin Bakhurst saying that he still had confidence, uh, in the minister, uh, wh- when emerging from the door here.

So peace perhaps not in our time just yet, but it's very much perhaps on the way, one would suggest.

Longford-Westmeath TD, uh, for Fine Gael, and a member of the Oireachtas committee, Micheál Carrigy, essentially, uh, rowing in behind his party colleague, Patrick O'Donovan, on, uh, his decision, uh, to cut 20 million from the RTÉ budget for 2027.

Uh, Kevin Bakhurst, in an email, uh, to staff yesterday, says he complete re- completely rejects the assertion that the pace of reform has been too slow.

Uh, 083-3010103, what do you think? Have you seen reform in RTÉ? Does it actually transfer from, uh, the boardrooms and the Oireachtas hearing committees onto the front room televisions across our homes in Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath? Uh, give us a shout.

Uh, next, we are going to meet, uh, a Midlands woman, uh, who is seeking to raise awareness and vital funds, uh, for the cause of breast cancer support.