RTÉ has confirmed that Kevin Bakhurst is stepping down as managing director of news and current affairs in October to become content group director at Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK. Bakhurst joined RTÉ four years ago as MD of the news and current affairs division and was later made deputy director-general to Noel Curran. He was most recently acting director-general, following Curran’s departure from Montrose.
Bakhurst leaving follows the recent departures of TV executives Glen Killane and Bill Malone.
Bakhurst led the creation and development of the RTÉ Investigations Unit and its investigative programming, including stories on Ireland’s creches, care facilities, the charity sector and criminality. He revamped RTÉ’s TV bulletins and expanded digital news and social media services and built partnerships with local institutes of technology. He was previously deputy head of the BBC Newsroom, overseeing all news output.
Born in Barnet, north London, he went to Haberdashers’ Aske’s in Elstree and studied Modern Languages at St John’s College, Cambridge. He was editor of the BBC Ten O’Clock News between 2003 and 2005, during which time the programme won several awards. He spent four years with RTÉ. Director-General Dee Forbes paid tribute to Bakhurst’s work in RTÉ and congratulated him on his new role at Ofcom.
A competition to appoint his replacement will be announced soon.
To listen to Bakhurst’s interview on News at One on RTÉ Radio 1…
https://soundcloud.com/rte-radio-1/kevin-bakhurst-interview
