The BBC has once again shown why it remains one of the world’s great public service broadcasters, not only through what it produces, but through how confidently it communicates its values.
Its recent campaign, ‘What Has the BBC Ever Given Us?’, fronted by Romesh Ranganathan, revisits John Cleese’s famous licence fee advertisement with wit, confidence and purpose.
It made me wonder: if RTÉ launched a similar campaign, which television classic would best capture its present predicament?
My choice would be “Are You Being Served?”
The great 1970s sitcom was set in a department store where the staff downstairs served customers, solved problems and generated the revenue. Upstairs, management often appeared more interested in tea, biscuits and internal bureaucracy than in what was happening on the shop floor.
It is an uncomfortable analogy, but an increasingly relevant one.
RTÉ has reported a €22.5 million surplus. On the surface, that sounds encouraging. But the broadcaster has also received substantial additional State support, alongside licence fee and commercial income, while its longterm structural problems remain unresolved.
Younger audiences continue to migrate towards streaming platforms, YouTube, podcasts and social media. Commercial income remains under pressure. Public trust has not been fully restored.
There are also legitimate questions about priorities. At a time when RTÉ is being asked to demonstrate reform, stories about redesigned cafés, outdoor seating and generous senior management remuneration risk reinforcing the impression that too much attention remains focused upstairs.
That raises a fundamental question: has the balance shifted too far from the people who make programmes and serve audiences towards the administrative structures surrounding them?
The lesson from ‘Are You Being Served?’ remains surprisingly relevant.
Department stores succeed because of what happens on the shop floor, not in the boardroom.
Public broadcasters are no different.
Audiences value excellent journalism, compelling documentaries, quality drama, children’s programming, major sporting occasions and trusted news. They judge RTÉ by what appears on their screens and devices, not by organisational charts, management reviews or restructuring announcements.
The BBC campaign works because it reminds the public of tangible value. It reconnects the institution with the people it exists to serve.
RTÉ must do the same.
Before asking households to contribute more through a future media levy or platform neutral charge, it must prove that the organisation has changed not only financially, but culturally. In every successful department store, the tills ring because the people downstairs understand the customer.
The future of RTÉ will not be secured upstairs over another pot of tea. It will be secured downstairs where programmes are made, audiences are won and public trust is earned.
