Should TG4 be closed down in the 2011 budget?

Mike 1972

randylonghorn wrote: »

TG4 creates a lot of employment, directly and indirectly, in areas where options for employment are very limited .

the same argument can be made to justify just about any area of public spending though.

PeterIanStaker

OPENROAD wrote: »

Quite a big subsidy though, sure keep it, but you need to cut significantly in other areas , unless of course all that we have been hearing in the last week, actually did not happen.

I'm sure its a subsidy, but then again how much does it cost to keep the HSE on life support, or to ferry useless ministers from point A to point B in a chauffeur driven Merc to spout more bulls hit?

GizAGoOfYerGee

wow sierra wrote: »

Apologies for posting in our first language which also happens to be the subject of the thread.

You have to remember that there is a large minority of people in AH that are staunchly against the Irish language. Every poll I've seen here on AH regarding the Irish language is 75% in support and 25% against. (I mean to root out all these polls and post them in a new thread at some stage to prove my stats)

Considering that only a fraction of those 75% supporters of Irish actually speak the language, I think that says a lot about the general opinion by Irish people about the language. They want to be able to speak it, but were left burned by the awful Irish curriculum.

The answer is simple: All public schools in Ireland should be Gaelscoils by 2060!

starbelgrade

Paparazzo wrote: »

TV4 shows quality movies. Get rid of TV3 or whatever the fúck it's called.

Why would you get rid of a commercial station that pays for itself?

I don't like the station.

I don't like KFC either, but I wouldn't call for it to be shut down.

OPENROAD

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

I'm sure its a subsidy, but then again how much does it cost to keep the HSE on life support, or to ferry useless ministers from point A to point B in a chauffeur driven Merc to spout more bulls hit?

I agree , but it might have escaped your attention the country is in the ****, as I said keep TG4 but maybe merge rte and rte 2, and make cuts elsewhere.

Corsendonk

krudler wrote: »

Fcuk no, TG4 pisses all over RTE's progamming, their movie choices are fantastic. and they were the first Irish station to show The Wire.

Movie choices use to be good, the foreign language movie on friday night was good but then they started to repeat them more often and moved the slot. Some of the western films they show are fairly old copies too and not in the best nick. Curb your Enthusisam is very good.

Scrap it but move the lovely girls to RTE 1 and 2. Early retire Kenny, Finucane, Duffy and all the others overpaid staff and fill the slots with the lovely girls and the better presenters from TG4.

Sardonicat

GizAGoOfYerGee wrote: »

You have to remember that there is a large minority of people in AH that are staunchly against the Irish language. Every pole I've seen here on AH regarding the Irish language is 75% in support and 25% against. (I mean to root out all these polls and post them in a new thread at some stage to prove my stats)

Considering that only a fraction of those 75% supporters of Irish actually speak the language, I think that says a lot about the general opinion by Irish people about the language. They want to be able to speak it, but were left burned by the awful Irish curriculum.

The answer is simple: All public schools in Ireland should be Gaelscoils by 2060!

I'm not anti-Irish. I just can't speak it! And I don't need to be made to feel like a twit for that by someone who can.

Not everyone wants all schools to be Gaelscoils!

Mike 1972

Corsendonk wrote: »

Scrap it but move the lovely girls to RTE 1 and 2. Early retire Kenny, Finucane, Duffy and all the others overpaid staff and fill the slots with the lovely girls and the better presenters from TG4.

If all you want from TV is eye candy perhaps you should be watching the satellite porn channels ?

Sharkey 10

Leave tg4 alone its the only decent domestic channel far better than rte

Corsendonk

Mike 1972 wrote: »

If all you want from TV is eye candy perhaps you should be watching the satellite porn channels ?

Its a recession I can't afford satellite channels! When I can, I will get you to recommend some channels

johngalway

Sardonicat wrote: »

I'm not anti-Irish. I just can't speak it! And I don't need to be made to feel like a twit for that by someone who can.

Not everyone wants all schools to be Gaelscoils!

Who's making you feel that way?

Genuine question.

I'm from Conamara and can't speak Irish worth a damn but I'll defend and value the language and culture we have.

I never seen it as something to beat another over the,head with.

starbelgrade

Sharkey 10 wrote: »

Leave tg4 alone its the only decent domestic channel far better than rte

I don't watch TV much, but when I do, it's mostly RTE for their sports coverage, which in all fairness, is excellent.

I don't even think I can get a signal for TG4.

krudler

Paparazzo wrote: »

TV4 shows quality movies. Get rid of TV3 or whatever the fúck it's called.

:eek:

But then where will we watch the savage intellectualism of Jeremy Kyle and watch such critically acclaimed shows as "The boy with a pineapple for a head" and "Forbidden love: one man and his donkey" ?

PeterIanStaker

krudler wrote: »

:eek:

But then where will we watch the savage intellectualism of Jeremy Kyle and watch such critically acclaimed shows as "The boy with a pineapple for a head" and "Forbidden love:one man and his donkey" ?

3e of course!!

GizAGoOfYerGee

Sardonicat wrote: »

I don't need to be made to feel like a twit for that by someone who can.

I have never deliberately excluded people by speaking in a language that they can't understand. It is entirely rude and does nothing to promote the language.

If you think people are speaking in Irish just to exclude you, they are assholes. Don't blame the language itself.

Mike 1972

Corsendonk wrote: »

I can't afford satellite channels!

A lot of them are free once youve discovered theres more to satellite than 28East/$ky

distraction

best channel we got...IMO

so many great docs and dramas....and movies, tis got it all

jimmycrackcorm

TG4 is a model for ordinary public subsidized broadcasting. It works. I'm biased though because my kids are going through gaelscoil and it helps that they can wath Dora As gaelige during breakfast. whilst not Gaelgoirs, both myself and the missus watch Ros Na Run - it's a bit like a very serious series of Fr. Ted, it gets addictive. I can't stand any of the normal soaps, but herself who controls the tv remote is addicted to all the usual soaps from 7-9. But we share this.

Apart from that, do we really want to turn oursleves into another generic english -language society and totally cut out any sense of Irishness - didn't we already have the penal times for that?

Wastage does not include our core values.

OPENROAD

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

TG4 is a model for ordinary public subsidized broadcasting. It works. I'm biased though because my kids are going through gaelscoil and it helps that they can wath Dora As gaelige during breakfast. whilst not Gaelgoirs, both myself and the missus watch Ros Na Run - it's a bit like a very serious series of Fr. Ted, it gets addictive. I can't stand any of the normal soaps, but herself who controls the tv remote is addicted to all the usual soaps from 7-9. But we share this.

Apart from that, do we really want to turn oursleves into another generic english -language society and totally cut out any sense of Irishness - didn't we already have the penal times for that?

Wastage does not include our core values.

Genuine question here would you be willing to pay a bit extra for it, in terms of licence fee?

johnmcdnl

I love TG4 documentaries actually - with the small budget they have they have a brilliant line up of shows...

Anyone who wants it shut down obviously just doesn't watch it simply because it's in irish and bitching about how useless the irish lanuage is is just cool these days and especially on here - and no other reason...

RTE 1 or RTE 2 to be shut down any day over TG4

maybe cut tub's or pat kenny's wages and a few more wages here and there and it'll be enough to set up TG5

wow sierra

tRANSLATION: Tá TG4 ar fheabhas agus tá sé de dhíth sa saol atá inniu ann. Tá sé i bhfad níos fearr ná bheith ag éisteacht leis na magairlí asail ar Frontline srl.= TG4 is excellent and it is necessary in todays world. It is much better than listening to the asses bol**x on Frontline etc.

I would never use the language to exclude anyone if that is what people think. I think minority languages and minority cultures add greatly to the quality of life in an increasingly globalised world. There are many Irish people from the Gaeltacht for whom English is very much their second language, and even the most educated of them , will say that they are not very comfortable expressing themselves in English. There is much more to this than a hobby of fanatics.

Capt'n Midnight

RTE2 was setup to show foreign programs, we need something like that to keep the revenue in the state. IIRC UTV gets 30% of it's advertising revenue from down here.

TG4 consistently punching above it's weight. Not all of it's programs are for everyone. Unlike a lot of other channels it isn't mostly lowest common denominator stuff. As others have posted they show better series and films than the other Irish channels, though some of the world cinema stuff on RTE2 can be quite good if rare. ( I'm still shocked that TV3 showed Run Lola Run ! )

There is no reason for TV3 other than to take advertising revenue from other stations, nothing they show would be out of place on UTV or RTE2.


TG4 could probably be paid for if RTE 1's top "celebs" got benchmarked relative to similar sized operations in the UK. I think we can take the risk that they would get poached by the UK channels. If they get poached they'll send money home

If you don't like it , don't watch it. If you want to complain about the cost, it's less than the eVoting machines. It would only get you a few meters of Luas.

Minstrel27

AnneElizabeth wrote: »

Let it die along with everything else Irish-language related.

Narrow minded nonsense from you.

Minstrel27

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

3e of course!!

You do know who owns 3e?

starbelgrade

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

If you don't like it , don't watch it. If you want to complain about the cost, it's less than the eVoting machines. It would only get you a few meters of Luas.

You make some good points, but your argument falls flat there. Most of the country did not ask for eVoting machines or the Luas, so it is still worth asking the question of "is it worth funding TV4"?

I can only say that, as I can't even get a signal for it where I live, then my answer would be 'no'.

starbelgrade

Minstrel27 wrote: »

You do know who owns 3e?

Are you trying to score drugs?

I know a man who has at least 50 e's he needs to shift fast.

PeterIanStaker

Minstrel27 wrote: »

You do know who owns 3e?

Tha same ppl dat useta own Channel 6? :P

johnmcdnl

starbelgrade wrote: »

You make some good points, but your argument falls flat there. Most of the country did not ask for eVoting machines or the Luas, so it is still worth asking the question of "is it worth funding TV4"?

I can only say that, as I can't even get a signal for it where I live, then my answer would be 'no'.

I don't use the Luas or any of Ireland's motorways because there too far away from where I live - doesn't mean I go out crying that they cost too much and that I don't think money should be spent of them because I personally amn't able to use them...

maybe they should increase funding so you can get reception - that'd make a lot more sense than taking it away from everyone else who can watch it just because you don't want to spend a wee bit just because you can't...:rolleyes:

randylonghorn

Mike 1972 wrote: »

the same argument can be made to justify just about any area of public spending though.

True to an extent, I accept.

However, most public spending generates jobs in areas where there is at least *some* chance of attracting alternative inward investment, while most direct and indirect employment generated by TG4 is in areas which are (despite often being scenic!) otherwise unattractive to alternative employers for reasons of distance and infrastructure.

By the nature of its remit it produces / buys in a lot of programming produced in this country, certainly a far higher proportion than RTE. It also seems to manage to sell quite a bit of programming on, thus recouping some of its costs, despite what would seem to be the disadvantage of trying to sell programming in the Irish language.

I also pointed out in the same post that in my opinion RTE has given its top staff and stars very generous bonuses and contracts in recent years, and tbh I don't think they're justified.

Not to mention some highly suspect expenditure such as taking a box at Croke Park for the U2 concerts where selected RTE staff shared fingerfood and drinks with 98 privileged guests. The cost for fingerfood and drink alone was more than €60 per guest, apparently. How can that kind of extravagance be justified?

I would foresee TG4 having to tighten its belt still further in the next while, as we will all have to do, nor am I arguing that point ... but I think closing it down would be a mistake.

Personally, I think that if there are to be cuts in funding in the area of national broadcasting, RTE expenditure should be the first to be subjected to close scrutiny.

Capt'n Midnight

starbelgrade wrote: »

You make some good points, but your argument falls flat there. Most of the country did not ask for eVoting machines or the Luas, so it is still worth asking the question of "is it worth funding TV4"?

I can only say that, as I can't even get a signal for it where I live, then my answer would be 'no'.

The point is that not every penny of government spending has to directly benefit everyone, you can't just do lowest common denominator, there has to be balanced funding for stuff other than majority interests. Off topic does a significant amount of lotto money that go to elite places like golf clubs ??

I could have mentioned the Western Rail Corridor

Signal may get better when we go Digital Terresterial, but when the Europeans launch the new satellite we will have a spot beam for the whole island and so you should be able to pick it up that way. And yes TG4 have wider coverage than TV3