RTE denies outsourcing behind decision to close in-house documentary unit next year

"The announcement was made on Wednesday that its documentary unit, which has produced hard-hitting case studies on Irish social affairs through the likes of Bishop Casey's Buried Secrets, The Stardust Disaster, and Garda Maurice McCabe, will cease production in the coming months. It comes as SIPTU members at RTÉ declared the decision "another example of poor judgement" by the public service broadcaster, urging it to immediately reverse its decision."

"However, RTÉ Director of Video, Steve Carson, said that documentary output will not be negatively impacted by the change. "We're in year one of a five year transformation plan in relation to documentaries," he told Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1. "We've calculated this year we'll offer around 72 hours of documentary programming, of which about nine hours are made by our excellent in house team. Next year, we're looking at about 75 hours.""

RTÉ will close its in-house documentary unit in the coming months after producing major investigations including Bishop Casey's Buried Secrets, The Stardust Disaster, and Garda Maurice McCabe. SIPTU members at RTÉ called the move "another example of poor judgement" and said it showed a fundamental misunderstanding of public service broadcasting, urging an immediate reversal. RTÉ Director of Video Steve Carson said documentary output will not be negatively affected and outlined a five-year transformation plan. RTÉ plans around 72–75 hours of documentary programming annually, expanding commissioning through the independent sector while keeping a significant in-house production base and redeploying staff.

Read at Irish Independent