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The death of Tom Hardiman, who was only 39 years old, became the third CEO of RTÉ in 1968.
Hardiman started his career on Radio Éireann after graduating from UCD in 1952, and then moved on to RTÉ television.
He was the engineer in charge of the inaugural transmission of Telefís Éireann from the Gresham Hotel, Dublin in 1961 and quickly advanced through technical and program management positions to become Managing Director at the age of 39 in 1968.
His tenure included the initial period of turmoil in Northern Ireland and he presided over a radical transformation of radio broadcasting in Ireland, including the launch of Raidío na Gaeltachta on Easter Sunday, 1972.
Following his departure from RTÉ in 1975, Mr. Hardiman became Chairman of the National Board of Science and Technology and Chairman of the Irish Industry Confederation, the Marketing Institute of Ireland and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.
He was the first chancellor of Dublin City University and a member of the Royal Irish Academy.
Mr. Hardiman’s subsequent duties included president of the International Institute of Communications; Chairman of the UNICEF Foreign Relations Committee in Brussels and Chairman of the Irish Institute for European Affairs in Leuven.
He was a member of the board of the Association for the Monetary Union of Europe in Paris, a member of the supervisory board of the Center for Industrial Cooperation EU-Japan in Tokyo and governor of the Asia Europe Foundation in Singapore.
RTÉ CEO Dee Forbes said: “We were very saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Tom Hardiman, who served Radio Éireann and RTÉ with such distinction, becoming the organization’s third CEO at such a young age.” .
“Although he did not know Tom personally, he was aware of his important contribution to RTÉ’s early development, his strong public service ethic and his belief in the editorial independence of the national broadcaster, something he vigorously defended during his time as Director General.
“Tom made important contributions to Irish industry, commerce, finance, education, science, public service and cultural life in a career spanning seven decades and has left an impressive legacy, both within and beyond RTÉ Our thoughts are with his wife and family at this sad time. “
Tom is survived by his wife, Rosaleen Thornton, their three daughters and two sons.
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