What do you think of RTE?

condra

Hi.

What do you think of RTE?

Personally, I am often frustrated by RTE constantly playing it safe, and being really, REALLY OLD SCHOOL.

Feckin TG4 and TV3 pull off many things better than RTE and their budgets are pretty tiny in comparison.

Its like as if RTE has been run by a little group of very very old wrinkly guys for the last 25 years, and I have this "any day now" feeling, that one day a few old farts will croak it and some young, open minded, professionals, will take over and shake things up, and sort things out.
Will it ever happen?
Why do we, the general public ["plebs" in RTE-speak] have so little say on whats on our national broadcasters schedule?

What do you think of RTE?

Mossy Monk

womoma wrote:

Feckin TG4 and TV3 pull off many things better than RTE and their budgets are pretty tiny in comparison

such as?

i am especially interested in what TV3 do better. could it be the bland reproduction of the prime time ITV schedule? perhaps that shambles they call a breakfast news programme. not those? maybe it is how they lost coverage of Champions League football? Judge Judy? maybe it is the home grown programming, but then the news shouldnt really count in that, should it? oh please tell me what TV3 do better than RTÉ

what do i think of RTÉ. it caters for my needs

Rb

TV3 is absolutely shíte TG4 has the odd good programme with the perks of some nice looking female presenters scattered around.

RTE/RTE2, for the most part, is fine.

Thrill

RTE has a bit of everything. Nothing wrong with it at all.

Oobie

Too much sport at the weekends.

User45701

i stopped watching tv years ago buying dvd's and just watching stuff on the pc is much better. the only things i watch on TV are shameless and SG1 from Jan-March the last 3 years

r3nu4l

Hand on heart I have to say I didn't really appreciate RTÉ when I was at home. I regularly watch some of the shows and clips on the web these days.

It's hard to understand exactly how "Irish" and how tailored RTÉ programs are to an Irish audience until you are deprived of it and have to watch BBC and ITV/C4 all the time.

I think that compared with TV3 and TG4 RTÉ does a better job on most comparable content but I do think there is a lack of innovation in RTÉ (e.g. Eddie Hobbes' show was basically a rip of the kind of show done by Alvin Hall).

kevmy

Some of the stuff RTE do is good, some is absolutely atrocious.
Whoever buys in the American programmes for RTE is very good most of the best of America is on RTE and on early than England. Whoever schedules the stuff for RTE is diabolical, programmes often on in poor timeslots and aimed at the incorrect audiences while some very good commerical progammes get shunted out to 2.30 am.
The current affairs and sport on RTE are really good for Ireland. All the main GAA, most of the interesting soccer and rugby (with the best analysis) and horse racing quite good to. Although the really dropped the ball losing the Rugby World Cup to TV3.
Homegrown stuff is there main problem they seem to have no quality control. They seem to give some lads some money and tell them to bate away into it. It might be good (Bachelors Walk, Love is The Drug) or absolutely crap (Trouble in Paradise, The Cassidys etc.) it doesn't matter RTE will show it and advertise it.

So IMO if they sorted out the scheduling by showing the programmes they have at correct times for the proper audience and didn't mess around with their timeslots it would be a step in the right direction.
Second to sort out the homegrown drama department by getting a younger, fresher person in to run it and actually keep an eye on the projects on the go. Also try and bring back the better programmes (they have only done this with Bachelors Walk) or at the very least bring back the guys who made them and get them to make something new.

DublinWriter

There's a similar and current thread regarding the privitisation of RTE.

Personally, I think they're a joke and I resent having to fork over the licence fee to pay in part for the .5 million Euro contracts for Gerry 'three chins' Ryan and 'The Plank'.

Revelation Joe

The only thing that annoys me about RTE is having to pay a licence fee for them to spend, when they generate an income by selling advertising

Dont be at yourself

I absolutely loathe RTE, and judging by most of their output, it would not surprise me that the things that they well almost happen by accident.

They import US TV shows, and schedule them in ridiculous time slots. Ugly Betty, a show which beat Desperate Housewives' viewership on C4, is put on at 7pm on a monday, and then moved mid-season.

Meanwhile, absolutely shockingly awful programmes from the archives like Patterns and As The Crow Flies (has anyone SEEN this???) are showed in the evening time, even on the supposedly youth-centric RTE2. If you want to save pennies by taking programmes from the archives, surely there is something better than a helicopter flying over Galway for 30 minutes or an hour long documentary on a mulchhead making a ****ing handbag.

They've got a great brand in The Late, Late Show, which is capable of attracting big-name guests, and yet its wasted as Pat The Plank performs Alan Partridge for us every night. This man should not be on television, I do not know a single person who likes this guy. Still, he's better than that other tool, Turbridy.

Their attempt of getting down with the yoof, as in The Big Bow Wow etc, are laughable, and really do smack of a corporation completely detached from reality.

Even their most successful show, The Panel, is handicapped by an inability to select 5 funny people to sit at a table for one night - instead insisting on shoehorning unfunny women into the line-up, and rotating the host. Podge & Rodge is a one-joke show and regurgitates the same guests as appear on other RTE shows.

Their football coverage is like watching a car crash. Constant technical hiccups, and it is saved only by Dunphy, Brady and Giles.

They show films often just days after they've been shown on ITV/BBC, and often put decent films on at ongodly hours.

Carcharodon

Mossy Monk wrote:

Judge Judy?

Hey Hey Buddy, Judge Judy Rocks !

mike65

I think RTE is stuck.

Mike.

mike65

r3nu4l wrote:

It's hard to understand exactly how "Irish" and how tailored RTÉ programs are to an Irish audience until you are deprived of it and have to watch BBC and ITV/C4 all the time.

Eh? RTE is Irish so does'nt 'tailor' its programmes for its natural audience.

NekkidBibleMan take back your swipe at As The Crows Flies thats one of RTEs greatest programmes, a pristine evocation of Ireland when the roads were empty!

Mike.

simu

RTE has many flaws but it's still one of the channels I watch the most as it's relatively non-trashy.

mickd

kevmy wrote:

Some of the stuff RTE do is good, some is absolutely atrocious.
...........................Also try and bring back the better programmes (they have only done this with Bachelors Walk) or at the very least bring back the guys who made them and get them to make something new.

Well put I would agree with this analysis!!

Jello

simu wrote:

RTE has many flaws but it's still one of the channels I watch the most as it's relatively non-trashy.

That's exactly my opinion. They show many decent programs and I'd probably watch RTE the most. But, like all TV stations, it has its flaws.

r3nu4l

mike65 wrote:

Eh? RTE is Irish so does'nt 'tailor' its programmes for its natural audience.

Eh? All stations tailor their programming to their audience, otherwise the audience would be alienated and revenue would be in freefall

What I meant was for example, many formats such as the Eddie Hobbes vehicle "Show me the Money" is a rip of similar shows such as those by Alvin Hall on British TV (which was probably ripped from somewhere else). They are tailored to Ireland by having an Irish presenter, with Irish people giving views form the Irish perspective...no point having Alvin Hall on RTÉ talking about pounds and pence instead of Euro and cents, may as well watch BBC for that.

Maybe I wasn't very clear and maybe I'm still not being clear but my point is that as an Irish person living in the UK, I miss RTÉ and only now realise how much of the programming was 'tailored' or written to appeal to Irish people. It's a hard concept to explain so I'm going to give up now...my brain hurts.

MisterAnarchy

Jello wrote:

That's exactly my opinion. They show many decent programs and I'd probably watch RTE the most. But, like all TV stations, it has its flaws.

Yip I agree,RTE is by far the best of a bad lot.
As for TV3 ,that channel is for cretins,you would need to pay me to even turn on that channel.
I'm finding it harder and harder to find anything decent on tv these days ( I have Sky World + Sports).
TV is so dumbed down and repetitive these days.
No originality,reality tv junk on everywhere all the time.
Live Sport, a few sit coms and DVD's plus a few shows I download from the US is all I watch .
We have never had so many channels but the output is woeful.

Rb

User45701 wrote:

i stopped watching tv years ago buying dvd's and just watching stuff on the pc is much better. the only things i watch on TV are shameless and SG1 from Jan-March the last 3 years

And what does this have do to with RTE...?

Killaqueen!!!

It's typical of us Irish to complain about everything. And we especially like b1tching abour RTE for some reason.

RTE2 is my favourite station.

It caters for a wide audience IMO, and it airs popular programs like Lost (can't fault em for this), Desperate Housewives (can't fault em for this), Prison Break (late in getting the new series though), Ugly Betty (they haven't scheduled this well though) etc. etc.

Not to mention the double bills of CSI which I love. They also have soccer (great) and nature and history programs which I am not interested in but I'm sure a lot of older people are. I could go on...

There are many faults with RTE but is it any worse than TV3 or Tg4? Answer: No. It is way better. In fact, it kicks BBC's ass as well. The only other channels that compete with it are Channel4/E4 and Sky1.

Mossy Monk

Killaqueen!!! wrote:

It's typical of us Irish to complain about everything. And we especially like b1tching abour RTE for some reason.

go over to a uk site and they bitch about the BBC. just the way it is for some reason

Killaqueen!!!

Mossy Monk wrote:

go over to a uk site and they bitch about the BBC. just the way it is for some reason

They have good reason to. BBC sucks! RTE is great.

pokerwidow

Well they really ****ed up Veronice Mars and they show some good programmes past 11/12 like NYPD Blue and Hotel Babylon. I think the only reason they showed Lost so quick was because of Sky.

I think they do seem to think that the Irish are dependent on them and that they can do pretty much what they like (to a point). I wouldn't like to be without Sky or the internet and expect to be entertained by RTE only.

Mossy Monk

pokerwidow wrote:

I think the only reason they showed Lost so quick was because of Sky

do you think? why would RTÉ want to lose viewers to Sky. those who watch Lost didnt complain so why are you?

pokerwidow

I am just saying that they didn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts, I am not complaining. Is it alright to have an opinion?

Mossy Monk

nothing wrong with having an opinion. i dont think any business does anything out of the goodness of their hearts

Deflector

Heheh - it's funny how so many people rank RTÉ as a decent Irish broadcaster, promptly supported by the listing of reels of their favourite imported US programming, some without a single mention of a home-produced production. If this is the only way you rank RTÉ as a decent station, then it's Mother Nature you should be thanking for making Ireland into the small likkle island jurisdiction that it is, with first dibs on all international hits - nothing to do with Montrose mandarins.

Thankfully, outside of RTÉ Two's 20.00-23.00 slot, there is other content that RTÉ produces and transmits, and of Irish origin oddly enough. Indeed there's even an entire other channel by the name of RTÉ One or somesuch - there's an odd programme or two of merit, namely an entire array of News and Current Affairs, Entertainment, Factual, Lifestyle, Documentary and Drama programming, including coverage of State events, Oireachtas proceedings and occasions of national importance.

It's pretty good - you should try it some time.

admiralofthefleet

rte is good apart from its assocciation with the catholic church

Killaqueen!!!

Deflector wrote:

Heheh - it's funny how so many people rank RTÉ as a decent Irish broadcaster, promptly supported by the listing of reels of their favourite imported US programming, some without a single mention of a home-produced production. If this is the only way you rank RTÉ as a decent station, then it's Mother Nature you should be thanking for making Ireland into the small likkle island jurisdiction that it is, with first dibs on all international hits - nothing to do with Montrose mandarins.

Thankfully, outside of RTÉ Two's 20.00-23.00 slot, there is other content that RTÉ produces and transmits, and of Irish origin oddly enough. Indeed there's even an entire other channel by the name of RTÉ One or somesuch - there's an odd programme or two of merit, namely an entire array of News and Current Affairs, Entertainment, Factual, Lifestyle, Documentary and Drama programming, including coverage of State events, Oireachtas proceedings and occasions of national importance.

It's pretty good - you should try it some time.

What is the problem with importing great shows? They are getting good ratings from it so obviously it's what the public wants. To be honest, if all RTE showed was Irish programs, they would get nowhere.

There is rarely a good tv channel that doesn't import shows from one country or another (except maybe in America because they have so many great shows to broadcast).

But you're right, the news is good. They have good nature and history documentaries.

horgan_p

i just wish they'd show programmes shot in widescreen in widescreen - same goes for movies.

if they can show the ads in w/screen they they could at least do the same for the shows