RTE receive licence fee increase

The Irish government have approved a €43 (£28) hike in the RTE television licence fee, a move that increases the annual charge to €150 (£97) from January 2003.
The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Dermot Ahern, also announced that RTE may seek an annual licence fee increase up to the level of inflation. The RTE Authority said the application of an annual inflation-based increase was "an important step towards protecting the financial security of RTE on an ongoing basis".
For their part, RTE have agreed to undergo a further restructuring, including fully completing their job cutting plan and providing greater visibility on expenditure. Control of content regulations will transfer to a new Single Content Regulator and the minister will establish RTE as a semi-state company subject to the Companies Act.
Also announced was the abolition of the black-and-white licence.
The minister further declared that the sale of RTE lands and the transmission network were not a solution to the organisation's cash needs.
(GB)