RTÉ, Ireland’s national public broadcaster, has been at the centre of a national drama for the past eighteen months. It all started after an undisclosed payments scandal broke out involving one of its star presenters. Further revelations regarding lavish spending and a doomed and costly musical, only ramped up the pressure on the organisation.

The crisis saw trust in the broadcaster plummet and a subsequent financial headache, as audiences en masse refused to pay their licence fee. The Director General at the time, Dee Forbes, resigned. 

Yet out of this, RTÉ has emerged with a new five year strategy, a new leadership team headed by new Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, and a more secure funding arrangement for at least the next three years. Efforts remain underway to restore trust in RTÉ, from both the audience, and from the existing staff members, who felt let down by their leaders.

In this episode, we speak to Kevin Bakhurst about how this turnaround has happened, and how RTÉ are still striving to restore trust in the organisation, from both audiences and staff. 

Presenter: Harry Lock. Producer: Jamie Tahana. Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson & Tom Brazier.

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