rte.ie

Elmo

Newspapers want curb on RTÉ's digital ventures

I think RTÉ.ie should be left as is. I don't hear the NNI complaining about free DVDs with their newspapers or about podcasts/video on their websites which are "activities are outside" the traditional print media. Surely TV3, Communicorp etc provide the same kind of competition.

jmcc

The Irish Times' website is and has always been a moneypit. The braindead decision to "rebrand" ireland.com as its frigging "magazine" website and break almost a decade of links showed demonstrated a moronic approach to web strategy. The Indo's half-assed, money pinching website is perhaps more in tune with the poverty of the Irish media. But they aren't as 'successful' as RTE's rte.ie venture and now they want things changed in their favour. Well done rte.ie!

Regards...jmcc

jdivision

feelingstressed wrote: »

rte.ie and the RTE Guide aren't funded from the licence fee, just commerical advertising

Where does the cost of producing the content come from? RTE's argument is non-sensical, without the help of stuff covered by the TV licence they couldn't run the website the way they do.

Lenny Lovett

feelingstressed wrote: »

rte.ie and the RTE Guide aren't funded from the licence fee, just commerical advertising

So the NNI need to up their game if they don't like the competition

jdivision wrote: »

Where does the cost of producing the content come from? RTE's argument is non-sensical, without the help of stuff covered by the TV licence they couldn't run the website the way they do.

RTE always trot out this ould tosh about the RTE Guide, RTE.ie and 2FM, not getting money from the licence fee. but they all use shared resources that are paid for by the licence fee eg offices, power, technical staff, IT resources etc etc. 2FM lost €1.7m last year and are on track for a bigger loss this year, so where's that loss coming from? They're not a stand alone company so effectively cannot carry over a loss. Where do RTE.ie get the news content, Aertel content, Programs for their player on the site, Weather forecasts etc etc? All those services are paid for by the licence fee. As are many of the RTE staffers who contribute to the RTE Guide (which also ran a loss last year!). As all of the various parts of RTE (Radio 1, 2fm, The Guide, TV, Networks, website etc are not separate companies, it is impossible for RTE to honestly and definitively say that certain parts do not benefit from Licence fee money. Absolutely impossible.

Elmo

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

RTE always trot out this ould tosh about the RTE Guide, RTE.ie and 2FM, not getting money from the licence fee. but they all use shared resources that are paid for by the licence fee eg offices, power, technical staff, IT resources etc etc. 2FM lost €1.7m last year and are on track for a bigger loss this year, so where's that loss coming from? They're not a stand alone company so effectively cannot carry over a loss. Where do RTE.ie get the news content, Aertel content, Programs for their player on the site, Weather forecasts etc etc? All those services are paid for by the licence fee. As are many of the RTE staffers who contribute to the RTE Guide (which also ran a loss last year!). As all of the various parts of RTE (Radio 1, 2fm, The Guide, TV, Networks, website etc are not separate companies, it is impossible for RTE to honestly and definitively say that certain parts do not benefit from Licence fee money. Absolutely impossible.

My issue here would be that many of the member of the NNI run their websites from there current resources and that the websites like rte.ie are add ons.

While 2FM did make losses of 1.7million in 2009, 2FM had a profit of 3m in 2008 which was return to programme making on RTÉ Radio 1. But I do agree much of the content on 2FM and used by RTÉ Publishing is funded by the linence fee hence funding those outlets.

Should RTÉ be punished for bad websites?

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/home.aspx-qqqt%3D-qqqs%3Dnav-qqqx%3D1x-qqqt%3D-qqqs%3Dnews-qqqx%3D1.asp
http://www.irishexaminer.com/

God only knows why the Irish Times did this to www.ireland.com

And then you have the Daily Mail without an Irish site.

Websites do reconstitute the main business parts of traditional media.

Newspapers in Britain had the same arguments against the BBC running news before 6pm on BBC Radio in the early part of the last century.

Lenny Lovett

Elmo wrote: »

While 2FM did make losses of 1.7million in 2009, 2FM had a profit of 3m in 2010 which was return to programme making on RTÉ Radio 1.

2010? How could they have a profit of 3m in 2010. We're only half way through 2010 and their own controller said rtecently that revenue wasn't looking good for 2010. Their accounts for 2010 won't be completed until late next year. They've only just done 2009.

Elmo

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

2010? How could they have a profit of 3m in 2010. We're only half way through 2010 and their own controller said rtecently that revenue wasn't looking good for 2010. Their accounts for 2010 won't be completed until late next year. They've only just done 2009.

lol sorry 2008.

Lenny Lovett

Elmo wrote: »

lol sorry 2008.

Ah. I thought you must work in the accounts dept or something!!;)

flogen

I'd have more sympathy for the NNI argument if Irish newspapers (in general) were making any effort at all online.

Lenny Lovett

flogen wrote: »

I'd have more sympathy for the NNI argument if Irish newspapers (in general) were making any effort at all online.

True enough. To be fair I think the Nationals do ok. The provincials are fairly dismal though. Again it comes back to funding though, don't you think? It's kind of the nub of the argument that RTE are getting access to mega funding to enhance their offering at the expense of the Papers. We're going to see big changes in the UK papers and their web offerings very soon as pay walls come in across the board. News International have commenced it with the Timesonline site. It surprises me that the Local papers here don't team up with the Local Radio stations to enhance their news content. It could/should be beneficial for both parties?

super_furry

Seems to me that all this stems from the eagerness of the newspapers to charge for online content, which they can't do if someone else is giving it away for free.

Elmo

super_furry wrote: »

Seems to me that all this stems from the eagerness of the newspapers to charge for online content, which they can't do if someone else is giving it away for free.

The BBC and other TV stations around the world will continue to do that online. You can't just blame RTÉ for Newspapers issues that they have online.

It surprises me that the Local papers here don't team up with the Local Radio stations to enhance their news content. It could/should be beneficial for both parties?

I am surprised that Communicorp does not organise their local and national offerings under one brand.

www.unison.ie a few years ago from the Indo but I just think that has be come www.independent.ie.

It's kind of the nub of the argument that RTE are getting access to mega funding to enhance their offering at the expense of the Papers.

Indirectly as already pointed out, as RTÉ reconstitute their content for their online offerings, indeed this is the case for all traditional media.

Lenny Lovett

Elmo wrote: »

The BBC and other TV stations around the world will continue to do that online. You can't just blame RTÉ for Newspapers issues that they have online.

True but the licence fee is still unfair advantage to RTE.

Elmo wrote: »

I am surprised that Communicorp does not organise their local and national offerings under one brand.

Do you men that their radio stations should have a single brand? Or do you mean their News output? I believe the News output is fairly standard between TodayFM, Newstalk and the Locals they supply but am open to correction.

Elmo wrote: »

Indirectly as already pointed out, as RTÉ reconstitute their content for their online offerings, indeed this is the case for all traditional media.

Their News, business and sports content on the website is the same word for word as Aertel. So the Aertel content is provided with the aid of licence funding hence the website benefits.

Elmo

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

True but the licence fee is still unfair advantage to RTE.

Do you men that their radio stations should have a single brand? Or do you mean their News output? I believe the News output is fairly standard between TodayFM, Newstalk and the Locals they supply but am open to correction.
Their News, business and sports content on the website is the same word for word as Aertel. So the Aertel content is provided with the aid of licence funding hence the website benefits.

I mean Communicorp's Internet offerings, but crossover promotion of news would be wise on Radio also. INN should have had more of a presence online for local radio services, one of the reason for its demise IMO.

Aertel is part of RTÉ Publishing which only indirectly gets funding due to it reconstitution of RTÉ material, why don't the newspapers have a problem with RTÉ Aertel????

Lenny Lovett

Elmo wrote: »

I mean Communicorp's Internet offerings, but crossover promotion of news would be wise on Radio also. INN should have had more of a presence online for local radio services, one of the reason for its demise IMO.

You know, it's strange but most Radio stations in Ireland (with the exception of RTE) have not yet properly embraced the internet and have not recognised the potential for revenue generation that a good well maintained and regularly updated website can have. If you look at UK radio stations and European etc their radio stations are really utilising all the potential of the net. Here many don't update their sites on a daily, weekly and in some cases monthly basis.