Kevin Bakhurst has revealed he is “not looking at compulsory redundancies” as part of RTÉ’s cost-cutting programme.
The broadcaster’s General Director appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday morning along with a number of other RTÉ representatives.
During the appearance, Mr Bakhurst claimed RTÉ will run out of cash early next year without financial aid, saying €21million in savings is needed in the meantime.
He told the committee that investment in digital projects and work on independent productions would have to be scaled back.
Mr Bakhurst said that while pay accounts for 51% of RTE’s overall expenses, he is “not looking at compulsory redundancies”.
The broadcaster is also considering selling part of its Donnybrook campus, however Mr Bakhurst has said a complete sale of the site is unlikely at present.
In June, RTÉ was plunged into chaos when it was revealed that Ryan Tubridy’s earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
The issue was identified during a routine audit of RTÉ’s 2022 accounts, prompting an independent review of the matter.
The RTÉ Board issued an apology over the error, and later Ryan also apologised for not questioning RTÉ over his published earnings.
