Noel Curran

Curran was born in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, where he attended both primary and secondary school. He studied Communications in Dublin City University, where he specialised in Irish and International Broadcasting Policy, writing his final year thesis on the future of Public Service Broadcasting.[3] He also wrote about European broadcasting policy while studying for post-grad.

He joined Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) as a business and investigative reporter in 1992, after a period working as deputy editor for Business & Finance magazine. While working at Business & Finance Curran was involved in several prominent investigations. He became deputy editor of Business & Finance before leaving for RTÉ. He joined Current Affairs as a senior financial journalist before becoming a television producer. Curran went on to win national and international awards as a documentary producer and Editor.

He then became executive producer of live entertainment series and productions,[4] producing several live television shows at the Point Theatre, before being appointed as executive producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, held in Dublin, presented by Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley. He was a member of the EBU Eurovision group. His younger brother is Richard Curran, deputy editor of the Sunday Business Post and presenter of TV's Dragons Den series.

Curran left RTÉ in 2000 to become a director of a private independent production company. As an independent, he won an IFTA award as executive producer of the investigative documentary Bad Blood'.

He returned to RTÉ as Editor of Current Affairs, where he helped launch the Prime Time Investigates series of documentaries. He was editor of the award winning Mary Raftery documentaries Cardinal Secrets and Broken Trust. He spoke on Radio 1's 'Drivetime' programme about Mary Raftery's contribution to journalism after her death in January 2012.

In 2003, he was appointed managing director of TV, at 37 the youngest person to hold the position, according to the Irish Independent and Irish Times.[5] He led a policy of increased investment in Irish TV production during his tenure, as RTÉ's commercial income grew to its highest historic level. According to the Sunday Business Post Curran's tenure marked the first time editorial and commercial departments in TV were integrated under one managing director.

Programme investment reached a peak of over 170 million euros, with record hours for drama production, TV Factual and Entertainment. RTÉ lost the rights to Heineken Cup and Formula One, but negotiated the renewal of the rest of its sports portfolio - including Olympic Games, World Cup, European Cup, Six Nations Rugby, Autumn Internationals, GAA and Ireland soccer internationals, although competition from the new private sports channel Setanta and from TV3 Ireland made the domestic and international market more difficult.[6] RTE's programming, Commercial, Acquired and Technical areas were integrated through one TV Board for the first time under Curran as Director-General. With the upheaval in international markets in 2008 and collapse in advertising, RTÉ cut costs substantially. Based on press reports, RTÉ reduced costs by over 70 million euros in the next two years.

In March 2010, Curran left RTÉ to pursue a consultancy and other private business interests before being interviewed and then appointed DG by the RTÉ board effective from 1 February 2011.[1][7] Commenting on his appointment in an article headlined 'Hard Station', the 'Sunday Business Post' stated that RTÉ 'is financially strapped', has 'zero chance of a licence fee increase' and 'has major structural issues' to deal with. The 'Sunday Times' said RTÉ faced 'difficult circumstances'.[8] Both profiles quoted industry figures praising his leadership of RTÉ TV but pointing out the challenges.

RTÉ also faced press and public criticism for two current affairs programmes it broadcast, Curran describing one of them as "one of the gravest editorial mistakes ever made at RTÉ". News and Current Affairs was restructured in response. Securing "an invigorated and confident strand of investigative journalism" after this period was credited by investigative journalist Michael Heney as one of Curran's most important legacies as DG. (The Irish Times, January 6th 2016)

New programming strategies were introduced (in Radio 1 after presenter Pat Kenny departed and in 2FM after Dan Healy joined as station manager) and on TV. RTÉJnr and RTÉ NewsNow were launched. RTÉ restructured in 2011 and 300 staff left the organisation. Top ten presenter fees were cut by over 40 per cent.[9][10][11][12]

Since becoming Director-General, Curran has made a number of speeches on the theme of the digital future of broadcasting in Ireland and on the role of public service media.[13]

Speaking at his alma mater Dublin City University in October 2011, Curran admitted RTÉ had paid its presenters too much money and "We may, during this process of renegotiation lose some of our most talented and loved presenters to our competitors. That would be very regrettable, but if some choose to leave, we will adjust, find new voices and new ways to deliver services and programmes."[14][15]

He returned to Dublin City University in April 2016, where he criticised Irish broadcasting policy and warned that RTÉ and public media faced a difficult financial future without changes in policy and funding.[16]

Noel Curran is married to musician Eimear Quinn.