RTÉ have finally broken their silence after rumours surfaced that Fair City could be outsourced as part of the national broadcaster’s cost-saving drive.
Yesterday, fears started growing that one of the nation’s favourite soaps, Fair City might be moved out of RTÉ – as the national broadcaster looks at all money-saving possibilities.
The public service broadcaster shocked the nation earlier this week when it confirmed that it’s going to stop making it’s own young people’s tv programmes, and instead outsource the content.
This big change lead to worries over how the nation’s longest running soap would fare while the station is implementing cost-cutting measures.
Although outsourcing Fair City has been considered over the past number of years, the station’s recent bold move with the young people’s department has caused growing concern over what will happen next.
“That option has always been on the cards and two or three years ago they did try and cost it off site,” a source told the Irish Independent. “There was a rumour about the young people’s department in recent months which has now come true. So people are concerned about what will happen next.”
However, yesterday evening Adrian Lynch, Channel Controller of RTÉ One and RTÉ Two, alleviated fans’ worries by announcing that, despite speculation, RTÉ will not be outsourcing Fair City.
“Fair City is not going to be outsourced,” he told RTÉ Radio One’s Drivetime.
Unfortunately, the channel controller wasn’t just delivering good news. He admitted that the station will have to make a number of “extremely unpalatable” decisions in the months ahead due to Brexit.
“(RTÉ) will have to make some difficult decisions if Brexit keeps rolling on.” he said.
