TV3 to make 12 redundant, cuts wages

Elmo

TV3 to make 12 redundant, cuts wages

Don't mention the Dual Funding of RTÉ. The TV3 Group announces 12 redundancies and wage cuts. Plus the axing of yet another Irish show.

As you know I have no real sympathy for TV3 executives who have cause these problems. There staff should thank god they didn't get the licence for 4FM. Spending money on Setanta and Channel 6 over the last number of years has cause the station the problems it finds itself in.

Rather than trying to make some original Irish TV TV3 continues to ride on the wave of its imported ITV hits.

A little bit of creativity and risk would go along way, but unfortunately for the viewing public TV3 was handed the cash cow of FTA television across the nation.

Perhaps their late night sports show will be at last replaced by a prime time programme strand at the very least.

Mossy Monk

Elmo wrote: »

The TV3 Group announces 12 redundancies and wage cuts.

Here's hoping the people who present Ireland AM, Xpose and the weather presenters are all axed.

icdg

None of those are getting the axe, its fallen on Sports Tonight which is the only dedicated sports news programme in this country, despite its very late timeslot.

iseegirls

i don't think Sports Tonight will be that badly missed anyway - i think it was the program on TV3 that they produced that probably got the least ratings.

Taking a half hour off ireland AM would be an option for me to cut costs - maybe 7.30-10 or 7-9.30. Like do they really need 3 hours - all i've seen on it is fashion and odlums lady? It originally used to be 2 hours running from 7-9.

XPOSE does well with the women - so that will stay there. The team who produced The Apprentice said he's struggling to find sponsor's for the second series, and in Star Sunday they said TV3 had to halt plans for an Irish Next Top Model version.

Elmo

iseegirls wrote: »

i don't think Sports Tonight will be that badly missed anyway - i think it was the program on TV3 that they produced that probably got the least ratings.

Taking a half hour off ireland AM would be an option for me to cut costs - maybe 7.30-10 or 7-9.30. Like do they really need 3 hours - all i've seen on it is fashion and odlums lady? It originally used to be 2 hours running from 7-9.

XPOSE does well with the women - so that will stay there. The team who produced The Apprentice said he's struggling to find sponsor's for the second series, and in Star Sunday they said TV3 had to halt plans for an Irish Next Top Model version.

I think Sports Tonight stopped being live a long time ago, and it could of done more to update itself and perhaps not taken itself as seriously as it did. It won't be missed and it possible should have either revamped 5 years ago or got the axe back then.

Two options to revamp sports tonight:-

Make it more like Setanta Sports News/Sky Sports News
or Make it more like TV3's Football Show or RTÉ GAA show hosted by Ger Gilroy

TV3 could add an extra hour to Ireland AM and it would really dent their budget, that was the reason for the extra hour a few years ago 1. It does not effect the budget all that much and 2. We can have more imports.

I really have to get the figures for XPOSE and compare them with Sports Tonight from what I heard Xpose doesn't do all that well and really is only there as a repeater for TV3 in the morning and 3e in the Afternoon. (Is expose shown first on 3e, because showing live at five rather then 6 could reduce costs).

Ben Frow stated along time ago he had no interest in producing another rehash of an International show, then he commissioned The Apprentice :rolleyes: I think RTÉ are doing something similar for RTÉ in a few months time.

I can see TV3 moving all productions to Daytime to avoid paying high overtime or late night costs. Bar News Tonight which might just stay live at 11. But the political party is prerecorded.

ynotdu

Thanks to All above,I have learned a lot about T V 3 I did not know(for instance that They own 4F.M.
Dont know how others feel but I for one enjoyed the Dunphy Show before it was scrapped,even before the present economic mess.
Are there NO accolades for tv3&3e in the current economic climate ?They do not show many programmes to My taste but They DO broadcast many shows that are VERY popular worldwide,Do they not deserve a break for even managing to stay on air ?Is the threads before Mine not more like Reasons They Should get a Slice of the license fee ?
After all R.T.E only got the 2nd channel because they cow-towed to the Cosgrave Govt(Emergency powers act,Section 31 etc)
The recently deceased Conor cruise O,brian was ministor responsible for that deciscion,Was it a good one?Who knows ?
All I can say as personal opinion is that parties banned under Section 31 once allowed a Free voice seemed to help the Peace process.
T V 3 Needs support NOW(With safeguards it will Also have to be allowed free speech !&PUBLIC Service commitments to be an (opposistion) for the VERY dangerous days ahead 50/50 chance that army May have to be called upon,hopefully just for Clearing waste or Public transport,Hopefully not to quell Public unrest:mad:
We NEED a Free to speak Channel now,If not T V 3,ANY station NOT afraid of Govt ! More than ever
Misread above, T v3,did NOT get the licensE FOR 4 f m, sOZ

Propellerhead

Sing it loud:

"You're sh1t, and you know you are"

Repeat until the message sinks in.

At the very least TV3 should have their licence taken off them for reducing the amount of home grown programming.

Free to air satellite is available for those who want to watch ITV.

Fat_Fingers

i would agree with ynotdu, i don't really watch TV3 but we need at least one TV station that is not controlled by Government.

rlogue

TV3 won't lose their licence, the BAI/BCI don't have the guts. And please spare me the violin strings about TV3's constant whine about RTÉ's dual funding. TV3 are making a profit at a time when many other Irish businesses are going to the wall, the cuts at TV3 are all about keeping TV3 in profit rather than any supposed injustice about the fact that RTÉ get licence money.

Here's a question for the semi-literate TV3 fans out there - RTÉ spend their money on home produced programmes. What do TV3 spend their profits on?

Elmo

ynotdu wrote: »

Thanks to All above,I have learned a lot about T V 3 I did not know(for instance that They own 4F.M.

TV3 do not own 4FM they applied for the licence that 4FM has and where refused, MORE FM would have been the name of the company had they won.

Dont know how others feel but I for one enjoyed the Dunphy Show before it was scrapped,even before the present economic mess.

The Dunphy Show wasn't allowed settle, TV3 where never ones to take a chance and as soon as TDS was losing viewers they scrapped it, It's called taking a chance which TV3 don't like doing. Even on a Friday Night TDS if still on would be getting around 250,000 viewers IMO.

Are there NO accolades for tv3&3e in the current economic climate ?They do not show many programmes to My taste but They DO broadcast many shows that are VERY popular worldwide,Do they not deserve a break for even managing to stay on air ?Is the threads before Mine not more like

There where never any accolades for TV3 in any economic climate even during the boom years they where unwilling to take a chance on programming. It is easy to press play anyone could set up a TV company and start playing the best of US and UK programming, TBH they don't have the best UK programming their ITV package allows for their unwillingness to attempting anything new, they are happy to rely on Corronation Street to give them the viewers.

Reasons They Should get a Slice of the license fee ?
After all R.T.E only got the 2nd channel because they cow-towed to the Cosgrave Govt(Emergency powers act,Section 31 etc)
The recently deceased Conor cruise O,brian was ministor responsible for that deciscion,Was it a good one?Who knows ?

Section 31 if implemented would have applied to any TV and Radio station regardless of who owns the company. AFAIR did Childers not implement Section 31 could be wrong.

All I can say as personal opinion is that parties banned under Section 31 once allowed a Free voice seemed to help the Peace process.
T V 3 Needs support NOW(With safeguards it will Also have to be allowed free speech !&PUBLIC Service commitments to be an (opposistion) for the VERY dangerous days ahead 50/50 chance that army May have to be called upon,hopefully just for Clearing waste or Public transport,Hopefully not to quell Public unrest:mad:
We NEED a Free to speak Channel now,If not T V 3,ANY station NOT afraid of Govt ! More than ever
Misread above, T v3,did NOT get the licensE FOR 4 f m, sOZ

FFS TV3 have no interest in rocking the boat. Free Speech ROFL. They don't want to be a PBS broacaster and the BCI won't regulate them for that. They cancelled TV3 News at 6:30 and replaced it with Xpose, during the so called good times.

They don't produce any shows that the public can freely speak on you have more chance in the very regulated Q&A audience of saying what you think.

i would agree with ynotdu, i don't really watch TV3 but we need at least one TV station that is not controlled by Government.

And you don't watch it because Corronation Street, Expose, Emmerdale etc aren't freespeech.

As I said the problems that TV3 have are not created by the TV licence. They have had 10years to increase their viewership. They had a big chance in 2001 to change Irish viewing when they got Coronation Street. Perhaps a Drama or an Chat Show or something but no. TV3 don't llike risk.

Elmo

Also TV3, RTÉ and TG4 will all pay less for imported programming from the US due to the Economic Climate. Programming sold from the US will take into account a courties economic climate. So if TV stations paid $2000 per episode they should expect to see that reduced this year.

TV3 and ITV programming maybe in a different situation but they got those shows at cut prices which has been raised by UTV and STV as an issue. ITV possible build their shows into the sale of TV3 in 2006. ITV programming will remain on TV3 until 2013.

RTE, TV3, TG4 and Setanta could be in trouble with live sporting rights. I amn't sure how they are bought. The deal with the GAA in 2007 could have really stung RTE and TV3 this year. GAA match may not be worth all that much in the current economic climate.

DannyBuoy

I was wondering why Mark Cagney said this morning that he didn't have a good day yesterday and anyone who read a paper would know why. Yea, its tough when someone takes a cut that prob amounts to more than my annual salary, my hearts bleeds.
Rant over (for now).

MattEmulsion

Elmo wrote: »

Spending money on Setanta and Channel 6 over the last number of years has cause the station the problems it finds itself in.

They don't own Setanta - Doughty Hansen who own TV3 also own 50% of Setanta but TV3 directly do not own Setanta

Elmo

MattEmulsion wrote: »

They don't own Setanta - Doughty Hansen who own TV3 also own 50% of Setanta but TV3 directly do not own Setanta

I said they spent money on Setanta I didn't suggest the had full control of Setanta.

The TV3 Group own 22% of Setanta Sport, I am not sure if Doughty Hansen own anymore than that.

Elmo

Setanta TV backers write off investment ahead of review

Ireland: TV3 grabs Setanta stake

I have other research which shows that TV3 under one of their subsiderary companies Tullmore .. something owns the 22% of setanta that is attributed to Doughty Hansen, Doughty Hansen bought their stake in Setanta through TV3.

marclt

DannyBuoy wrote: »

I was wondering why Mark Cagney said this morning that he didn't have a good day yesterday and anyone who read a paper would know why. Yea, its tough when someone takes a cut that prob amounts to more than my annual salary, my hearts bleeds.
Rant over (for now).

My heart bleeds too. Honestly, do we really need four wooden tops on every morning presenting that show?

The format is awful, dull, formulaic and predictable in comparison to other breakfast style shows.

Halve the presentation team and it might improve. At times, there is 'no flow' between the presenters and having four of them all doing their own little turn makes the show bitty, don't get me started when they start thinking for themselves during the unscripted elements.

ynotdu

Propellerhead wrote: »

Sing it loud:

"You're sh1t, and you know you are"

Repeat until the message sinks in.

At the very least TV3 should have their licence taken off them for reducing the amount of home grown programming.

Free to air satellite is available for those who want to watch ITV.

Hi Propellerhead.
I am ****&I know it
i am **** & i know it
i am ****&i know it
i am ****&i know it
i am ****&i know it
i am ****&i know it

Nope It,s not working,afraid to say It may NEVER sink in.
Thought this was a blog site,NOT an abuse one

ynotdu

Elmo wrote: »

TV3 to make 12 redundant, cuts wages

Don't mention the Dual Funding of RTÉ. The TV3 Group announces 12 redundancies and wage cuts. Plus the axing of yet another Irish show.

As you know I have no real sympathy for TV3 executives who have cause these problems. There staff should thank god they didn't get the licence for 4FM. Spending money on Setanta and Channel 6 over the last number of years has cause the station the problems it finds itself in.

Rather than trying to make some original Irish TV TV3 continues to ride on the wave of its imported ITV hits.

A little bit of creativity and risk would go along way, but unfortunately for the viewing public TV3 was handed the cash cow of FTA television across the nation.

Perhaps their late night sports show will be at last replaced by a prime time programme strand at the very least.

Hi,does Anybody know the true state of T.V,3,s finances ?????
I dont.Was the 6.30 news replaced by Xpose because Xpose gets higher ratings,thus higher Advertising revenue?
My suggestion that T V 3 should get part of the License fee would apply to ANY channel that was the Independant station in Ireland,as long as they did Show public service programmes with not just input from the Middle Class,upper class Dublin 4 Clicque.
T V 3 can Only survive by Advertising,How could it survive without dumbing down it,s output& lowering it,s costs.
Dont have the Answers but would HATE if like in Italy.Their Prime Ministor owns ALL Terrestiol Channels.

ynotdu

ynotdu wrote: »

Hi,does Anybody know the true state of T.V,3,s finances ?????
I dont.Was the 6.30 news replaced by Xpose because Xpose gets higher ratings,thus higher Advertising revenue?
My suggestion that T V 3 should get part of the License fee would apply to ANY channel that was the Independant station in Ireland,as long as they did Show public service programmes with not just input from the Middle Class,upper class Dublin 4 Clicque.
T V 3 can Only survive by Advertising,How could it survive without dumbing down it,s output& lowering it,s costs.
Dont have the Answers but would HATE if like in Italy.Their Prime Ministor owns ALL Terrestiol Channels.

p.s Setanta in it,s present form is highly unlikely to be able to continue.They themselves have valued themselfs at NOTHING ! (according to MANY sites on the Net.

iseegirls

There was no point to News @ 6.30 anyway, they took it away because it was basically repeating the same news as the News@5.30.
TV3 wanted people to watch the news at 5.30, and then they would keep the viewers with different programes from 6-7 - (XPOSE, Friends). It just makes sense to me - just don't understand why people are moaning about TV3 taking it off, and replacing it with XPOSE.

Oh and don't know if people saw it last night - but Vincent Browne is taking over the 20mins left vacant from Sports Tonight - and has become an hour show. Watched it last night - and it was funny seeing the smoking and drinking divide on the panel.

The poliical party on Friday seems to have been axed aswell.

Oh i feel very pro-TV3 at the moment compared to sum ppl on here. I better even out my comment a bit with some negativity - I don't like Ireland AM :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Elmo

TV3 suggested 3 reasons for axing News @ 6:30

1. Pointless due to the fact that it was basically a repeat of News @ 5:30
2. Heavy competition with RTÉ's SIXONE, hence no viewers.
3. Little choice

To which I would have replied

1. Yes, but your producers, presenters and editors can change this should they wish.
2. You could reschedule as you did in 2001
3. Xpose (Sile and TTV do the same thing) doesn't give much choice but it you want it their is no need to move News at 6:30.

In relation to finances. TV3 has been very healthy. From 1998 to 2001 they gained a 7% share of the audience purely on the fact they they where new competition to RTÉ. In 2001 Granada (now ITV plc) bought 45% of the company giving them numerous ITV productions, and a audience share of 11% bring them to be the second most watch channel in the country. From 2001 to 2008 TV3 was earning on average 50,000,000euro a year profits of at least 15,000,000 all going back to investors. (Educated guess that TV3 don't spend 25,000,000 on imports and have other expences (including a pay bill) of around 10,000,000. Now 2009 won't be good but you cann't say that TV3 haven't done well over the last 10 years and yet haven't really done anything.

If the political party is gone this means that an hour of TV goes from their friday night schedule, also when did ST become a Mon - Thur show?

Has Sports Tonight gone from this Monday? That was quick.

I would rather see more prime time programming on TV3, if they do that then I think they are right to get rid of Sports Tonight. Perhaps they are using the news to suggest that they need to blame the licence fee. A bit of propaganda.

Elmo

ynotdu wrote: »

Hi
T V 3 can Only survive by Advertising,How could it survive without dumbing down it,s output& lowering it,s costs.

They start of dumb and they have got dumb, audiences for a main national terresterial channel aren't stupid. TV3 want to focus on the 15 - 45 age group, they shouldn't .

97i9y3941

dont know how tv3 can make cutbacks,they already have an skeleton staff,they cant decide all programs either since granada owns a share in the station itself,only people i think watch ireland am are the housewifes or the unemployed

Elmo

Fred83 wrote: »

dont know how tv3 can make cutbacks,they already have an skeleton staff,they cant decide all programs either since granada owns a share in the station itself,only people i think watch ireland am are the housewifes or the unemployed

Granada (now ITVplc) sold their share in 2006 but as part of that sale TV3 retained rights to many ITV shows until 2013, I am not sure how much they can change their schedule to suit TV3, however it looks like they take the lazy option of simulcasting.

I am opposed to RTE simulcast of EastEnders for RTE there really should be no need. I can see why TV3 do it.

97i9y3941

well,rte has no choice,corrie used to be their top program,always up in the top 10 of viewership in weekly figures,the could i guess replace it with fair city for half 7 time since fair city has gone popular

icdg

ynotdu, I'm not sure Propellerheads comments were aimed at you. Even if they weren't though, they shouldn't have been made anyway. Can we keep on topic and less of the personal attacks and or idle speculation. This isn't an abuse site (but neither is it a blog), it is a discussion board and I must remind all users that the normal laws of libel and slander apply here.

To the thread....

Agreeded that there was little point in News at 6:30 when there was a 5:30pm news. But that misses the point - the only reason both programmes existed was that TV3 made a committment in its contract to provide an hour of news in the early evening. The only reason they got out of this was by classifying Xposé as news, even if its blatantly entertainment/gossip.

Diversity of media ownership is important and an independent voice should be encouraged. TV3 however seem intent on running the news division into the ground:

* Axe of News at 6:30 (2007)
* Axe of all weekend bulittens (including Friday Nightly News) other than summaries (2008)
* Axe of Sports Tonight (2009).

For TV3, news seems an afterthought which they are required to produce to keep their licence. While Nightly News is good - to a point - TV3 News is the poor relation of RTÉ News. Lest anyone now believe the TV3 explaination that its all down to RTÉ benefitting from the licence fee, can I point out two things:

(1) ITN managed to provide an equivilant, if not at times superior service, to BBC News, right up until the mid 1990s (even after the 1993 changes, for a while at least), with no licence fee support.
(2) TV3 could apply to Sound and Vision if they had some public service programme worthwhile. They don't.

Elmo

Fred83 wrote: »

well,rte has no choice,corrie used to be their top program,always up in the top 10 of viewership in weekly figures,the could i guess replace it with fair city for half 7 time since fair city has gone popular

Coronation Street remains very popular, and has really only suffered due to falling audiences of Soap Operas in general. Fair City couldn't move to 7:30 for this reason.

I just don't think RTÉ should buy in EastEnders for simulcast.

97i9y3941

should scrap ireland am,dont see any other stations in ireland doing a breakfast show in the morn

More Music

TV3 knew they weren't getting a license fee when they signed the contract all those years ago.

While RTE obviously do get it, have their costs not also increased over the years? RTE get a license fee, but they have huge costs and overheads.

Am I the only one who thinks maybe companies are using this downturn as an excuse to make massive cuts? TV3 made a profit last year, and I bet will do so next year.

You know when you forward through the ads in Sky Plus. Last year, any programme on all the main channels had around 4 minutes of ads per break. It still looks the same to me right now. The length of ad breaks hasn't reduced. Take one example - CSI. It's roughly 45 minutes long but it still lasts for an hour. That's 15 minutes of ads per hour!

97i9y3941

its not only tv3 that have fierce amount of adverts,anytime there is them top50/100/10 lists of all time on sky,i coundnt be arsed watching them anymore because the adverts just make me not arsed watching it!

Elmo

Fred83 wrote: »

should scrap ireland am,dont see any other stations in ireland doing a breakfast show in the morn

TV3's home produced programming is produced for a reason it is cheap. Ireland AM amounts for 50% of TV3 Irish produced requirement, it is cheap and is able to use their other requirement every few minutes, NEWS.

I am not sure how TV3 pay their staff but perhaps they are able to keep them out of night shift rates by having them come in at 6am, I am not sure what the law is surrounding early morning pay.

This is why I am suggesting that TV3 are trying to make sure that their home produced shows are made Monday - Friday 6am to 6pm.

But that is just a theory.

RTÉ have had difficultly with union every time they try to produce a morning show. TBH RTÉ are better off not worrying about morning TV, and they could do away with daytime TV to save money.

Am I the only one who thinks maybe companies are using this downturn as an excuse to make massive cuts? TV3 made a profit last year, and I bet will do so next year.

As pointed out here TV3 seem to just want to continue making profits this year and every year.