Licence fee for 'wasteful' BBC will be cut

silverharp

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/7895750/Licence-fee-for-wasteful-BBC-will-be-cut.html

Television viewers can soon expect to pay less for their BBC licence fee as part of the austerity drive in public spending, Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, will signal on Saturday.

By Andrew Porter, Political Editor .. 16 Jul 2010

The broadcaster has been responsible for “extraordinary and outrageous” waste in recent years and needs to recognise the “very constrained financial situation” the country is now in, Mr Hunt says.
In an interview in today’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt says the broadcaster needs to change “huge numbers” of things that it does, warning the management that they should not interpret his silence on the issue of the licence fee since the election as a sign that he is happy with it.

Will any ripples make it over this way. RTE seems to stay under the radar and for all the rip off Ireland prog.s that RTE have ever done, they dont mention the licence "fee" nee tax. I'm surprised that other media dont bitch more about RTE, but then again who knows, maybe everyone wants to stay on side with the big dawg and have their eye on a job there at some point
So given that digital is around the corner and RTE will find a way of making a hash of it, any chance of a backlash here? or calls for cuts? In 2 or 3 years will we see rises in the licence to cover the digital "investment". Or to put it another way when in a few years we see hospital wards closing, will it be business as usual for the bloated service that very few people would pay for if they had the choice. OK its "only" €160 per year but that's several grand over everyones lifetime.

mikemac

We don't get the UK channels, not on the east coast.
The 160 euro was worth it alone for 53 World cup games and now a summer of GAA to look forward to.

I'm sure there is huge waste in RTE though.
Do we have oversight? Is that Minister for Communications. After all, we don't pay the license fee to RTE technically, the Minster does this.

thebman

An email campaign to the Minister is warranted so

I'm sure Eamonn Ryan will be only too happy to oblige the taxpayers request to make RTE more efficient :P

Jonathan Ross's show finished up last night I think and he is leaving the BBC and as one of their large salary earners, that along should save them cutting many other services.

Whats the odds on us getting rid of the Ryan Turbridy?

mikemac

Don't you know?
If RTE won't pay the stars huge money they will leave for a competitor or leave the country.

Call their bluff I say.
Joe Duffy has been outshone this month by Philip Boucher Hayes, maybe offer him 100k and ship off Joe with his 400k.
But bould Joe isn't the most overpaid man in RTE and even Pat Kenny does more radio and TV work then most.

Marian Finucane, whose two weekend radio shows feature in the 10 most-listened shows, earned €570,000 -

The summer replacements that RTE use to host shows are every bit as good as the stars.

I hate to say bring in the consultants but maybe the whole operation needs an appraisal. With so much nepotism cuts can be made.

Even save the money to then spent on independent productions, give Irish filmmakers a chance instead of buying in shows.
Like TG4, homegrown shows like Ros na Run or Aifric are great to watch. TG4 picks up the odd GAA game too

I think they are fantastic at sports, great World Cup coverage and Olympics too.
MNS for league of Ireland is good too.

_michelle_

We don't get the UK channels, not on the east coast.
The 160 euro was worth it alone for 53 World cup games and now a summer of GAA to look forward to.

I'm sure there is huge waste in RTE though.
Do we have oversight? Is that Minister for Communications. After all, we don't pay the license fee to RTE technically, the Minster does this.

I dont see why I should have to pay for someone else to watch a world cup match or Gaa just like I dont expect anyone else to pay for my Sky bill every month. I do pay the €160 a year but I feel it is totally unjust when I NEVER watch any programmes on any Rte station.

If anyone does start a petition to reduce the licence fee or get rid of it all together then I for one would support it.

Sand

I dont know if its very politically smart for the Conservitives to have a go at the BBC - after all, who gets to speak to the voters every day telling them what a bad job the government is doing?

That aside - RTE definitly needs to be privatised and cut loose for the good of democracy in this country. RTE are far too deferential to the ruling party of the day, and not public spirited enough to act as a true check on political power. Irish media in general is quite poor and inept, but RTE is almost paralysed when threatened with the prospect of criticising the people who determine their budget - and thus wages.

oppenheimer1

silverharp wrote: »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/7895750/Licence-fee-for-wasteful-BBC-will-be-cut.html




Will any ripples make it over this way. RTE seems to stay under the radar and for all the rip off Ireland prog.s that RTE have ever done, they dont mention the licence "fee" nee tax. I'm surprised that other media dont bitch more about RTE, but then again who knows, maybe everyone wants to stay on side with the big dawg and have their eye on a job there at some point
So given that digital is around the corner and RTE will find a way of making a hash of it, any chance of a backlash here? or calls for cuts? In 2 or 3 years will we see rises in the licence to cover the digital "investment". Or to put it another way when in a few years we see hospital wards closing, will it be business as usual for the bloated service that very few people would pay for if they had the choice. OK its "only" €160 per year but that's several grand over everyones lifetime.

The Tories are keeping their end of the deal with Rupert, weakening the BBC. This is such a shame because it is a great service, and one of te few sources I trust to give me the news. The BBC is one of the two great achievements of the modern UK, the other being the NHS.

oppenheimer1

Sand wrote: »

I dont know if its very politically smart for the Conservitives to have a go at the BBC - after all, who gets to speak to the voters every day telling them what a bad job the government is doing?

That aside - RTE definitly needs to be privatised and cut loose for the good of democracy in this country. RTE are far too deferential to the ruling party of the day, and not public spirited enough to act as a true check on political power. Irish media in general is quite poor and inept, but RTE is almost paralysed when threatened with the prospect of criticising the people who determine their budget - and thus wages.

Perhaps the power to set the size of the licence fee should be removed from government and be set by the broadcasting regulator.

Sand

Who appoints the regulator?

silverharp

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The Tories are keeping their end of the deal with Rupert, weakening the BBC. This is such a shame because it is a great service, and one of te few sources I trust to give me the news. The BBC is one of the two great achievements of the modern UK, the other being the NHS.

How do you measure "great" ? using a regressive tax to run a bloated and self serving organisation is questionable no?

thebman wrote: »

Whats the odds on us getting rid of the Ryan Turbridy?

indeed, these people do not have a market except within the bosom of a public manopoly, however they are only the tip of the iceberg and it might explain the last 5 euros on the licence tax, but what about the rest?

mathepac

_michelle_ wrote: »

... I dont see why I should have to pay for someone else to watch a world cup match or Gaa ...

You don't. It's a great pity that posters in this thread haven't taken the trouble to find out what a TV licence is for before posting ( read your TV licences sometime, it'll be an education ).

_michelle_ wrote: »

... I do pay the €160 a year but I feel it is totally unjust when I NEVER watch any programmes on any Rte station...

Your TV licence is a TV licence not an RTE viewing fee.

mike65

Semantics! We all know where the money goes. I have no issues with a licence only its mis-use. Paying the likes of Tubbers and Finucane more than the people who run the country (however badly) on the pretence they will leave for TV3 or green fields further away is outrageous.

thebman

mathepac wrote: »

You don't. It's a great pity that posters in this thread haven't taken the trouble to find out what a TV licence is for before posting ( read your TV licences sometime, it'll be an education ).
Your TV licence is a TV licence not an RTE viewing fee.

Yes and RTE don't need it so privatise them and put them money into the other services which we do want to pay for (ie. keep the infrastructure and sell the media part of it).

The state has no business in running a TV network. It would be great if it was unbiased and giving us what we see from the BBC but we don't so kill it. It is a media wing of the government who have ensured the people in RTE know who pay their salaries.

The only thing RTE does well is sport and it can run that privatised and compete with the rest.

murphaph

Germany has recently decide to replace the licence fee through straightforward taxation, so everyone who pays tax will have to pay for TV services.

It will be implemented from next year and IMO is a better way of collecting this money than through a licence fee, which costs more to administer than anything else. People pay taxes for schools even if they have no kids etc. So the "I don't watch RTE" argument doesn't wash. Having said that, RTE is probably twice as wasteful as the BBC and this should be tackled first and foremost. The likes of Pat Kenny and Joe Duffy would simpy have to accept 150k a year salaries as they wouldn't make it in the UK and even if they p!ssed off, so what, replace them with new blood, new blood closer to the ordinary people. RTE shouldn't be paying ANY of it's "stars" <ahem> 500k a year.

Permabear

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thebman

murphaph wrote: »

Germany has recently decide to replace the licence fee through straightforward taxation, so everyone who pays tax will have to pay for TV services.

It will be implemented from next year and IMO is a better way of collecting this money than through a licence fee, which costs more to administer than anything else. People pay taxes for schools even if they have no kids etc. So the "I don't watch RTE" argument doesn't wash. Having said that, RTE is probably twice as wasteful as the BBC and this should be tackled first and foremost. The likes of Pat Kenny and Joe Duffy would simpy have to accept 150k a year salaries as they wouldn't make it in the UK and even if they p!ssed off, so what, replace them with new blood, new blood closer to the ordinary people. RTE shouldn't be paying ANY of it's "stars" <ahem> 500k a year.

Why keep the media wing at all. Let the likes of Joe Duffy etc.. try to ask those salaries from a privatised RTE TV station that doesn't have the option of demanding me to pay more to pay their wages because they are worth it :rolleyes:

They believe their own propaganda at this stage. I'll gladly pay a reduced licensed fee for the other services and I don't think it should come from general taxes because although it costs more to administrate it, at least I can see where my money is going in the present system a lot better than I could if it went into the black box of general tax.

invinciblePRSTV

I think with digital TV & internet access slowly but surely becoming ubiquitous in Irish households RTE can revert to being a solely public information and news broadcaster. If the new slimmed down RTE does require state subvention then it would be far less then the current TV licence rates brings in.

Let's use our major political parties well documented fraternal relations with private media interests & venture capital to spin off a new channel from the detritus of RTE & Network 2's 'lifestyle' output of soaps, money spinning phone in voting shows & highly paid celeb presenters. This enticing prospect of ratings winners can hopefully be sold for megabucks in a state run auction to an O'Brien or a Murdoch to enable our banking/developer subsidization policy to continue apace.

Jaysoose

I dont even think its fair in comparing RTE to the BBC as a state broadcaster due to the fact that BBC does not receive commercial revenue from adverstising while the RTE seems to need both the revenue from the License fee and advertisements.

The lack of original programming on RTE is brutal and its the the same shows and presenters being trooped out time and again, seriously how the flip does pat kenny justify his wages for 'the front line' or indeed tubridy for the late late? Its the same shows and content repeatedly and to be fair the late late has the same guests on over and over.

Joe duffy getting 400K is a disgrace.

Cookie_Monster

Jaysoose wrote: »

Joe duffy getting 400K is a disgrace.

Ahhh Joe, its only a disgrace so it is. You beeeen on 400 grand and me on da scratcher. Do sumtin about it Joe!!

Ren2k7

I'd be happy to pay the licence fee but only if the money was given to all the Irish based broadcasters (RTE, TV3, TG4) and radio stations. Split the money according to which broadcaster received the biggest audience for a particular month so it would encourage broadcasters to put out popular content.

There could also be a bonus payment from the Licence Fee given to the broadcasters when they show home grown Irish content so as not to encourage channels to show back to back English soaps (looking at TV3 on this one).

Sand

Split the money according to which broadcaster received the biggest audience for a particular month so it would encourage broadcasters to put out popular content.

They already get that from advertisers. Personally I dont see any point to further incentivising wall to wall Coronation Street/East Enders.

Ren2k7

Sand wrote: »

They already get that from advertisers. Personally I dont see any point to further incentivising wall to wall Coronation Street/East Enders.

RTE already gets advertising revenue AND the TV licence fee. At the minute RTE gets the lions share of the licence fee at approximately 84% of the fee. The rest is paid into the BCI Broadcasting Fund, TG4 and admin costs (source).

This isn't allowing other commercial operators to compete effectively with the publicly subsidised RTE. There should be a level playing field with either no licence fee or one where it is fairly split between all Irish broadcasters.

To answer your comment about incentivising wall to wall English soaps I also said:

There could also be a bonus payment from the Licence Fee given to the broadcasters when they show home grown Irish content so as not to encourage channels to show back to back English soaps (looking at TV3 on this one).

Sand

Id go with the no licence fee. Aportioning anything by market share only further incentivises dumbed down TV. Lowest common denominator means some dancing or talent show. Forever. I dont see derivatives in Irish accents as being somehow better.

Given barriers to entry, and the public service TV being required, the government could incentivise the production/broadcasting of the sort public service programming required. It could play off the various broadcasters to get the lowest price.

It goes without saying that if RTE were to be privatised, the government should retain the infrastructure of studios and so on and run them on a "Pay your money/get your turn" neutral arms length basis. Weve already seen with Eircom what happens when a market participant owns the arena that the competition is being held in.

Permabear

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Ren2k7

donegalfella wrote: »

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Perhaps, but the viewing figures are clear that there is a huge appetite for stuff like this, regardless of one's own personal opinion of whether it's crap or not. Personally I'd rather the licence fee went to stations for running popular shows like X Factor and Britain's Got Talent than on bulls**t like the Angelus and Sunday morning mass.

thebman

donegalfella wrote: »

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Well it goes for all channels TBH state subsidised or not.

All the more reason not to give RTE free money when they just produce the same crap as elsewhere.

RTE don't deserve the license fee they have proved this on numerous occasions IMO. We need a competitive system of quality programs like you suggest with the those political programs attracting highest ratings being maintained.

Otherwise what does RTE offer over foreign stations or even Irish stations producing the same reality tv crap?

Permabear

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Nehaxak

donegalfella wrote: »

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Exactly the same here as above, apart from adding in also their recent world cup coverage, punditry and Aprés Match - all of which were absolutely outstanding.
I see no point at all in this day and age for having the licence fee though, I really have never seen any argument put forward by anyone that can condone the continued licence fee imposed on the public.