RTE PLAN TO MAKE A LOTT' OF CUTS...

Draw gone but news & sport to stay in house

- BY CILLIAN SHERLOCK

RTE will outsource production of the Lotto coverage to cut costs, its director general told the Oireachtas Media Committee yesterday.

Kevin Bakhurst was asked by Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney what services it aims to source from the commercial sector.

He replied: "Radio, sport, news and current affairs will remain in-house.

"The Lotto will be going out, because that costs us a lot of money and there's a better way to do it. It also enables us to let a few more people leave.

"We've already talked about Fair City and The Late Late publicly, and we're doing feasibility on those."

Mr Bakhurst added Fair City will have to be made "off site" as RTE's presence on the Donnybrook campus reduces, adding the organisation was exploring whether it would continue as a "fully independent" or "hybrid" production.

He also said it was working with a production company to create religious services programming, replacing the studio mass on Sunday.