The Government’s proposed reforms to the RTÉ licence fee will mean continued “death by a thousand cuts” for the media in Ireland, an industry insider has claimed. 

Following last year’s State bailout of RTÉ, Media Minister Catherine Martin has been drawing up proposals to reform the licence fee. 

It is expected that the Government will hand responsibility for collection of the licence fee to Revenue - where it will be reduced from its current rate of €160. 

Some form of additional exchequer funding is also being considered by Ministers. 

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, ShinAwiL production company CEO Larry Bass said he is disappointed that the Government is not considering more radical reform to the current model. 

“I cannot understand why the Government insists on continually kicking the can down the road when they pretty much have all party support or just get on with reforming the licence fee for public service media,” he said. 

“It’s needed so badly, never more so than now. 

“What are they afraid of? Just make a decision and get on with it.”

A TV and remote control. Image: Deyan Georgiev - Premium RF / Alamy

Mr Bass described licence fee reform as “one particular nettle they won’t grasp” and said the industry needs it to be increased in order to produce quality Irish content. 

“Why are the Irish Government looking to reduce the licence fee when right across Europe, people have not only paid standard fees that have protection against inflation and have risen to protect public server media?” he said. 

“In some countries, they have actually voted to retain it when it was potentially going to be scrapped; in Switzerland, they had a referendum to retain it. 

“Here, we’re looking to reduce it; it’s already been death by a thousand cuts for over 15 years by not increasing it in line with inflation.” 

Mr Bass said he understood the public’s anger with RTÉ after the controversies of last year but added that the licence fee is “a really, really important part of our democracy”. 

“They need to sort out management, they need… to make it transparent and funding needs to go to programming where it’s required and badly needed,” he said. 

“But every media organisation - including independent newspapers - have barter accounts… There’s nothing new or extraordinary about it.” 

Since last year, tens of thousands of Irish people have declined to renew their TV licence.