Montrose search for news boss begins 2
RTÉ’s hunt for a new chief for News and Current Affairs is officially on after the previous incumbent’s surprise departure this summer.
The station has advertised internationally for the crucial €180,000-plus a year post as Montrose management attempts to fill the large vacuum at the top of the station’s news operation.
Journalists and station bosses were shocked when both Jon Williams and his deputy, Hilary McGouran, announced their departures within days of one another in June.
Director general Dee Forbes’ attempt to find a temporary replacement for Mr Williams fell flat on its face after some members of staff rebelled against her chosen candidate.
Sources said Forbes had approached former RTÉ news editor Ray Burke, who retired in 2018, to come back and temporarily step in for six months on contract.
Mr Burke, who is collaborating with his former colleague Charlie Bird on his memoir, to be published this autumn, initially accepted the position before staff complained that current editorial employees should have been offered the temporary job.
Deirdre McCarthy, who was number three in the newsroom, will now stay on as managing director of News and Current Affairs on an interim basis, RTÉ has confirmed.
Paul Ferris, managing editor at News, has also been named as interim deputy managing director of News and Current Affairs.
The rebuke over Ms Forbes’ plans for a temporary replacement for Mr Williams was regarded as a slap in the face for the director general.
When asked about the botched appointment, Mr Burke told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘Out of loyalty to RTÉ News, where I spent 23 very happy years, and out of respect for the DG Dee Forbes, I don’t wish to make any comment.’
However, one well-placed source said some journalists and managers were incensed when Mr Burke was mooted as a replacement.
The source told the MoS: ‘Ray was a very popular editor when he was here but the job has moved on since then and it’s a very busy, demanding role where you could be starting at 8am most days and not finishing till close to 11pm.
‘It’s not a role for someone who was in retirement.
‘That was the feeling in RTÉ and it was made very clear to the director general.
‘The big worry now is that they won’t attract the talent that is needed for the job, because there has been so much negative publicity around RTÉ lately.’
Liverpudlian Mr Williams quit the station this summer, saying living apart from his family during the pandemic had caused him to reassess his career.
Mr William’s partner continued to live in Britain while he worked here. He is currently working on a book about Brexit.
The advertisement posted this week also points to the challenges facing RTÉ if it is to ensure its continued viability.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that a ‘controversial’ report on management style at RTÉ’s current affairs department, which was completed in May, has still not been made available to staff.
The report, carried out by external consultants Resolve Ireland was commissioned
last year.
Employees who took part in the review were given a broad outline of its findings but were not allowed to see the finished report.
Many who took part in the process were extremely disappointed at events.
A staff member told the MoS: ‘Let’s just say, nobody had much good to say who was interviewed for the review.
‘The questions [put by Resolve Ireland] were very soft but people answered back hard.’