Miriam O'Callaghan's husband one of two people hired to fill RTÉ role

RTE has hired two new executives, including Miriam O’Callaghan’s husband Steve Carson, to replace its director of content Jim Jennings who is still employed by the broadcaster a year after he went on leave.

The broadcaster has hired a new director of audio and a director of video to replace the role of director of content. Jim Jennings, who has worked in RTÉ since 1985, became director of content in 2017, but has been on leave since July last year. He has never appeared at any Oireachtas committee hearings into the crisis at the broadcaster, citing health issues.

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The Irish Daily Mail asked RTÉ if Mr Jennings is still employed by the broadcaster, what type of leave is he taking and whether he is still receiving his full salary. A spokesman said: ‘Jim Jennings remains an employee of RTÉ. RTÉ is not in a position to comment further at this time.’

Pic: VIP

Director general Kevin Bakhurst said he was recruiting two new members of his executive – head of audio and head of video – instead of the role of director of content. As part of reforms agreed by RTÉ to access a Government bailout, they will disclose executive salaries in their annual reports.

Salaries of these new roles – understood to be six-figure sums – will not be disclosed until next year. Ms O’Callaghan’s husband Steve has announced he will step down as BBC Scotland director to take up the role of Head of Video this autumn. He currently earns between £165,000-£169,999 (€194,397- €200,286) in his role with the BBC.

Originally from Belfast, Steve began his career with the BBC before setting up an independent production company and working for RTÉ Television. He rejoined the BBC in 2013 as head of BBC Northern Ireland Productions. He joined BBC Scotland as head of multi-platform commissioning in 2017 and in July 2020 was appointed director of BBC Scotland.

Miriam and husband Steve Carson Pic: VIPIreland.com

He said: ‘I have been blessed to work with a brilliant team in BBC Scotland, helping to support programme-makers to make great work for our audiences. I’m looking forward to doing the same with the world class creative talent that we have in Ireland as we focus on delivering the ambitious New Direction strategy.'

Miriam and Steve met in June 1995 when they were both working on a film on the Irish famine and in Strokestown Museum, a famine museum in county Roscommon.

'Our wedding rings still say, 'ALWFS, A long way from Strokestown.' We had the initials,' she previously said.

Miriam O'Callaghan and husband Steve Carson. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Newstalk managing editor Patricia Monahan has been appointed to the role of director of audio. She controls content across all of Newstalk’s platforms as Managing Editor. She is also a member of the Bauer Media Audio Ireland Senior Leadership Team.

Mr Bakhurst said: ‘The Director of Audio, along with the Director of Video, will be two pivotal positions in the reshaping and transformation of RTÉ.’ The broadcaster is still in the middle of a freeze on recruitment, announced by Mr Bakhurst last September, and is attempting to make €10million worth of cost cuts this year alone.

Newstalk managing editor Patricia Monahan has been appointed by RTE to the role of Director of Audio. Pic: Supplied

A spokesman for RTÉ said both roles were ‘business critical’. RTÉ also revealed last month they were considering another exit settlement of around €400,000 to a senior staff member. The station revealed earlier this year former chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe received €450,000 in redundancy in 2020.

Its former head of finance Richard Collins and the former head of strategy, Rory Coveney, were also paid a total of €700,000 – including legal fees – in termination benefits after they left in the wake of the payments scandal. In July last year at his first appearance before an Oireachtas committee, Mr Bakhurst said that Mr Jennings was ‘very unwell at the moment’.

New RTE director general Kevin Bakhurst speaks to the media outside the broadcaster's headquarters in Donnybrook, Dublin. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire

He also said he had spoken to Mr Jennings, and said once he had recovered, he would be ‘open’ to coming before the Oireachtas committee to give evidence. As recently as February this year, when the Media Committee held its last hearing with RTÉ representatives, Mr Jennings still declined the invitation, citing health issues.

An RTÉ spokesman said the Leadership Team will be in place once the director of audio, director of video and chief financial officer join RTÉ this autumn. Rory Coveney’s director of strategy role was suppressed when he left last year, and the responsibilities were taken on by the deputy director general, Adrian Lynch, the RTÉ spokesman added.