Larry Bass, one of Ireland’s most prolific film and TV producers, says RTÉ will remain a basket case until funding issues are sorted – as he reveals what he believes is the solution to national broadcaster’s problems
Larry Bass, one of Ireland's most prolific television and film producers, has said that RTÉ will continue to struggle as a broadcaster until its underlying funding model is fixed. He argues that the national broadcaster's ongoing difficulties stem primarily from unresolved financial issues rather than from other operational or editorial failings.
Bass, whose production credits make him a significant figure in Irish broadcasting, has put forward his own view on how RTÉ's funding problems could be resolved, though the specific details of his proposed solution were not included in the available article text. His comments add to the long-running public debate in Ireland over how the state broadcaster should be funded following years of controversy and financial pressure at RTÉ.
- Larry Bass says RTÉ's problems stem from unresolved funding issues.
- He believes RTÉ will stay a "basket case" without reform.
- The producer has proposed his own solution to fix funding.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those sympathetic to Larry Bass's view argue that RTÉ cannot deliver reliable public-service journalism, Irish-language programming, or ambitious homegrown drama and culture while its finances swing year to year on a shrinking, evasion-prone licence fee. They contend that a settled, adequately resourced funding model – whether direct exchequer funding or a reformed household charge – is essential so RTÉ can plan long-term, retain talent, and compete with well-funded streaming rivals, and that endless short-term patches simply guarantee repeated crises.
The case against
Sceptics of this argument counter that handing RTÉ a more generous or guaranteed funding settlement before addressing its governance, transparency and past mismanagement – including the recent payments scandals – would reward poor accountability rather than fix it. They argue any funding reform should be conditional on demonstrable value for money, real oversight and public trust being rebuilt first, since taxpayers and licence-fee payers have legitimate reason to doubt that more money alone would resolve an institution they see as having repeatedly failed to manage the resources it already had responsibly.