Contenders for €31k RTÉ poisoned chalice
IT is difficult to imagine a more unattractive job in public life than becoming the new chair of RTÉ – and the question that everyone watching the Montrose car crash unfold is asking is: ‘Who will be prepared to take on the thankless job of reforming the crisis-plagued national broadcaster for €31,500 a year?’.
Speculation has already gone into overdrive about who will replace Siún Ní Rathallaigh in the hotseat, with a few well-known names emerging as early contenders.
NIAMH BRENNAN
The spouse of former Justice Minister Michael McDowell is a regular designated firefighter when it comes to rescuing failing State organisations. Currently playing a key role in an examination into the unique culture of the station, Ms Brennan would not require any catch-up time to know RTÉ’s weak points. The Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at UCD is a former chairwoman of the National College of Art and Design, the Docklands Authority, and has served as a Director for the HSE and Children’s Health Ireland. She would inspire public and political confidence, but would she want to be dragged into the bogs and marshes of an organisation that makes FÁS look like a model of good governance?
DAVID McREDMOND
The current chief of the increasingly successful An Post semi-State didn’t even get past the screening process when he applied for the director general job which ultimately went to the current incumbent, Kevin Bakhurst. Despite being overlooked, Mr McRedmond noted he still cared ‘deeply about RTÉ’, adding: ‘I have a personal grá for the organisation through my late father and late sister who both worked there.’ At the time, he said he had ‘no further interest in a role at RTÉ’, but some believe Mr McRedmond, a highly successful chief of TV3 in its start-up phase, could be persuaded to have a rethink.
DEIRDRE McCARTHY
RTÉ’s Managing Director of News and Current Affairs – the role formerly held by current DG Kevin Bakhurst – and a current board member, Ms McCarthy knows RTÉ intimately, having worked her way up through the ranks including key roles in Morning Ireland and The Week In Politics. Despite being on the board, she has escaped controversy to date and would have the confidence of Mr Bakhurst, the station’s workers and the minister – but she may be astute enough to prefer to keep her current job.
MARK LITTLE
The former RTÉ journalist and media tech entrepreneur is another high-profile figure who has intimate knowledge of the workings and politics of RTÉ. He presented Prime Time for RTÉ before taking a leave of absence from the broadcaster to develop a digital media project called Storyful, which he later sold to News International in 2013. Two years later, he joined the social media giant formerly known as Twitter, first as vice president of media and partnerships for Twitter in Europe and later becoming managing director of Twitter in Ireland. He resigned from the position in 2016.
DAVID HALL
The firefighter of choice when it comes to restoring order to chaos in bankrupt charitable organisations, Mr Hall played a key role in sorting out the Console charity debacle and is a high-profile mortgage arrears advocate and successful businessman. Direct and forceful, he is respected by politicians across the divide. He is keenly aware, however, that resolving the housing crisis may be easier than sorting out this Montrose mess.