Rte is a waste of taxpayer's money.

Checkmate19

For example tv3 have a about three people doing the weather over the week rte have dozens.

Also the quality of programming is just pathetic. It's either re-branded reality tv muck or pure and utter dire comedy like the republic of telly. Their autumn line up is the full of the same stuff.

As for sports its getting less and less you pay for their over paid so called stars.

This gravy boat that is rte should be sunk.

HeidiHeidi

Checkmate19 wrote: »

For example tv3 have a about three people doing the weather over the week rte have dozens.

Also the quality of programming is just pathetic. It's either re-branded reality tv muck or pure and utter dire comedy like the republic of telly. Their autumn line up is the full of the same stuff.

As for sports its getting less and less you pay for their over paid so called stars.

This gravy boat that is rte should be sunk.

I think "dozens" might be just a wee bit of an exaggeration, no?

And I watch far more stuff on RTE than I do on TV3, whose evening offerings mainly seems to consist of imported soaps and hyped-up sensational crime "documentaries" (and half of those from the UK)

I vote we keep RTE, thanks.

Seth Brundle

I would rarely watch TV3 as the content tends to be rubbish. I would watch Vinny occasionally (if only TV3 had a few quid to build a non-blinding set).
RTE can be good and it can also be dire.

somesoldiers

It's gas the way TV3 have Martin King in his civvies doing the 7 o'clock show then back out in the suit for the weather after the 8 news. No way this would happen in RTE

sbsquarepants

Checkmate19 wrote: »

This gravy boat that is rte should be sunk.

Couldn't agree more....but jaysus TV3 is a bad example to give - it's possibly the crappiest TV station in the world! Next up, it's a repeat of last Mondays big fat gypsy dole scroungers on ice.

I've read before that in your example of the weather, all RTEs weather presenters are actual meteorologists, TV3s are usually just pretty faces reading a script. It's this kind of ridiculous waste of taxpayers money that is absolutely endemic in RTE. Now over to our Washington correspondent, this kind of shít. Ideas above their station, cronyism that would put Enda Kenny to shame and a seemingly bottomless pit of taxpayers money, it's a lethal combination.
The wages they pay their "talent" defies belief - when is the last time you heard of a big RTE name being poached by the BBC or NBC or anyone for that matter? It's a bloated wretch of a station that would never survive if it had to stand on it's own two feet.

HeidiHeidi

kbannon wrote: »

I would rarely watch TV3 as the content tends to be rubbish. I would watch Vinny occasionally (if only TV3 had a few quid to build a non-blinding set).
RTE can be good and it can also be dire.

Just regarding this - I would watch Vinny occasionally, however only when Vinnie isn't actually on..... completely unwatchable IMO.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I think "dozens" might be just a wee bit of an exaggeration, no?

And I watch far more stuff on RTE than I do on TV3, whose evening offerings mainly seems to consist of imported soaps and hyped-up sensational crime "documentaries" (and half of those from the UK)

I vote we keep RTE, thanks.

Isn't TV3 just a dumbed-down version of ITV (if such a thing is possible...?)

It needs considerable reforming, sure - that's not news to anyone - but scrapping it altogether..?

Lux23

It sure is. I used to think its current affairs and sports programming wasn't bad, but really it is very poor compared to say Channel 4 which is also publicly funded (in a way!). There are the occasional dramas that are very good, but RTE probably have very little input into the making of these. In fairness to TV3, it does what is supposed to do, whereas RTE fails as a public service broadcaster in many ways.

iseegirls

Why they paid so much for Ray d'Arcy to rejoin is mindboggling. They already had Brendan O'Connor doing the Saturday Night Show, and was doing good. Did RTE Radio 1 really need him? Their listenership is already through the roof anyway.
This type of trying to weaken the opposition (example would be Today FM) shouldn't be occurring.
We would have been listening to him for free on Today FM for 3 hours before, but now have to fund part of his wages for a show that's half the length

lertsnim

TV3 enjoyed the "gravy boat" as you put it too. But sssshhhhhhhhh, let's not mention that massive debt write off

Checkmate19

Not praising tv3 as its a dire station but just using it as example of the waste in rte. Why the need for such a big weather crew. That was my point. TV3 is a dire station.

Checkmate19

Theirs a crew over in america since the time of the race for the party candidate's in the usa. Why the need for this. They'll be there till the end of the election. The highest paid people are going nowhere. BBC/ITV won't have them so why the need for such high salaries. Its just a pure and utter gravy boat.

lertsnim

The crew being the US correspondant that's always there?

Yamanoto

stimpson

The idea of broadcasting will soon be an anachronism. Most people I know consume the vast majority of their television on demand. I think they should bite the bullet and cease broadcasting over satellite and terrestrial. The money would be far better spent proving universal broadband. News and current affairs could be provided free on RTE player while "entertainment" and home grown drama could be provided on a PPV basis. Drop the licence fee once broadband roll out is complete. Job done.

Yggr of Asgard

I have not seen anything that RTE is doing in several years (I have no way to receive RTE), never been to the RTE webpage or listened to RTE radio, but still I have to pay 160€ a year so that I can read in the news about all the ways they spend way too much money and their quality is bad.

There should be a rule, if you don't consume than you don't need to pay. We don't need a state controlled broadcaster anymore, providing funding to a protected organization just because that is the way it has always been is bad. RTE is not providing a service that I can not get from other commercial organizations in a better quality.

durtybit

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

I have not seen anything that RTE is doing in several years (I have no way to receive RTE), never been to the RTE webpage or listened to RTE radio, but still I have to pay 160 a year so that I can read in the news about all the ways they spend way too much money and their quality is bad.

There should be a rule, if you don't consume than you don't need to pay. We don't need a state controlled broadcaster anymore, providing funding to a protected organization just because that is the way it has always been is bad. RTE is not providing a service that I can not get from other commercial organizations in a better quality.

Who will propagate the governments news then?

nhunter100

stimpson wrote:

The idea of broadcasting will soon be an anachronism. Most people I know consume the vast majority of their television on demand. I think they should bite the bullet and cease broadcasting over satellite and terrestrial. The money would be far better spent proving universal broadband. News and current affairs could be provided free on RTE player while "entertainment" and home grown drama could be provided on a PPV basis. Drop the licence fee once broadband roll out is complete. Job done.

That is why they want to replace the license fee with the boardcast charge.

durtybit

nhunter100 wrote: »

stimpson wrote:

The idea of broadcasting will soon be an anachronism. Most people I know consume the vast majority of their television on demand. I think they should bite the bullet and cease broadcasting over satellite and terrestrial. The money would be far better spent proving universal broadband. News and current affairs could be provided free on RTE player while "entertainment" and home grown drama could be provided on a PPV basis. Drop the licence fee once broadband roll out is complete. Job done.

That is why they want to replace the license fee with the boardcast charge.

Call it what you want it's just another tax

XR3i

all them tubridys should be ****

when it comes down to brass tacks i work my vagina of for 75 minutes every week to pay that puta madre's wages,

spits on flor and twhrows computer out windo

ps i include that darcy knut in this rant

kirving

Make no mistake, the tax would be collected whether the proceeds go to RTÉ or not.

If they weren't funded to produce home grown TV or news, we'd just have another TV3 which would be terrible.

I thought the Olympic coverage was good, plus we get Champions League amongst other things.

XR3i

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Make no mistake, the tax would be collected whether the proceeds go to RTÉ or not.

If they weren't funded to produce home grown TV or news, we'd just have another TV3 which would be terrible.

I thought the Olympic coverage was good, plus we get Champions League amongst other things.

ell we are the bigger foold for makin tubs and te likesd a millionaire

Milkybar Kid.

Oh look. Rachel coastal cooking is on again. How many food programmes do they put on.

Yggr of Asgard

I don't think that RTE is worth 160€ a year and even if they re-consider the broadcast charge, it does not change it. It's another tax on something that is neither needed nor in the public interest.

Those who want homegrown content can pay for it, those who do not need propaganda or another cooking show should not contribute to others people entertainment requirements. If they would fulfill a real purpose than it would be fine to force people to pay for it, that is what a tax system is for, but in it's current form there is no need for it anymore.

The times where the only way to get entertainment or news from a public broadcaster are long over. There is no more need for such an outdated organization, it's time to move on and allow the public choice.

But it's not only in this country in which people are forced to contribute to outdated distribution methods, in Germany for example they now have to pay 210€ and it's done as the proposed broadcast charge, independent if you have a TV.

I fail to see what value RTE is offering that justifies to pay 160€ a year for it.

There are enough commercial media that can spin the governments latest "news" with the same bias that I remember from RTE.

Checkmate19

Rte really needs to be put to bed. It provides no value for money. There may be a case if he produced quality programming but it's just producing muck that you can get everywhere else. Food programs renamed reality tv. Take for example celebrity transformation. Six z lister's paid to lose weight who want's to watch that ****e.

The new line up for autumn is the same drivel. How can they justify the licence fee and also ad revenue. Where is the money going. It's just one big gravy boat. Love to see all the employee's pay published as i bet they are all on excellent wages and alot of friend's and family involved.

durtybit

Checkmate19 wrote: »

Rte really needs to be put to bed. It provides no value for money. There may be a case if he produced quality programming but it's just producing muck that you can get everywhere else. Food programs renamed reality tv. Take for example celebrity transformation. Six z lister's paid to lose weight who want's to watch that ****e.

The new line up for autumn is the same drivel. How can they justify the licence fee and also ad revenue. Where is the money going. It's just one big gravy boat. Love to see all the employee's pay published as i bet they are all on excellent wages and alot of friend's and family involved.

One way of getting rid of it is to never watch it. Can't say it's been on in my house for years. Still have to pay for the crap though

sbsquarepants

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

I have not seen anything that RTE is doing in several years (I have no way to receive RTE), never been to the RTE webpage or listened to RTE radio, but still I have to pay 160€ a year so that I can read in the news about all the ways they spend way too much money and their quality is bad.

There should be a rule, if you don't consume than you don't need to pay. We don't need a state controlled broadcaster anymore, providing funding to a protected organization just because that is the way it has always been is bad. RTE is not providing a service that I can not get from other commercial organizations in a better quality.

How can you not receive RTE? If you can't receive it, why would you need to pay?

I can receive it, do watch it on occasion (for champions league only really, maybe the news once or twice a month but that would be it). I don't pay for it however - I just couldn't bring myself to part with the money for it, at least until a court eventually forces me to, but I've gotten away with it for 20 years now so it's swings and roundabouts really.

Riskymove

Checkmate19 wrote: »

For example tv3 have a about three people doing the weather over the week rte have dozens.

just on this point, RTE use Met Eireann staff, they are not RTE staff

HeidiHeidi

What's the obsession with the weather forecasters/presenters, OP?

They're actual weather forecasters from Met Eireann, who do the TV/radio broadcasts for RTE (presumably for a fee).

IMO that's better value than the Martin Kings and whatever other presenters TV3 have, who just read a script provided for them, and (certainly in the case of King) try to make it into an entertainment slot while they're at it.

And there's only ever one on RTE at a time, they do shifts, so what's with the "dozens"?

Mc Love

I barely ever watch RTE and with the loss of key sport contracts will never watch it again.

conorhal

No it itsn't. Public services paid for by the public are important in a democracy.

It would be more accurate to say RTE's management are wasting taxpayers money.

boombang

What really grates me are the horrible, self congratulatory ads on how insightful and balanced their coverage is, which it clearly is not.

Yggr of Asgard

sbsquarepants wrote: »

How can you not receive RTE? If you can't receive it, why would you need to pay?

I have a TV and hence I need a TV license even if I don't have an aerial attached to it that would allow me to pick up Irish TV stations. And where I live the TV alone without aerial is not good enough to pick up Irish TV.

But I'm thinking of getting ride of the TV and replace it with a projector or something as that saves me the TV license fee.

The only reason I have a TV is so that I can enjoy movies/shows via IP television from a non Irish provider.

Yggr of Asgard

conorhal wrote: »

No it itsn't. Public services paid for by the public are important in a democracy.

No they are not anymore.

RTE is not providing a public service with the exception possible of the news, however as those if I recall correctly are politically biased they are also not neutral as a public information service should be.

One could easily create a Public Broadcasting Service with 1 channel that fulfills the duties of informing the public without bias, provides educational functions and aids the state in educational programs. That would be cheaper than the current setting and more neutral too.

The rest, aka the entertainment can be done by commercial channels who to get a broadcast license need to commit to provide at least x hours of neutral news a day.

That means those of us who don't get their news via the internet can rely on a neutral station which provides value for money.

somesoldiers

boombang wrote: »

What really grates me are the horrible, self congratulatory ads on how insightful and balanced their coverage is, which it clearly is not.

Balance- did anyone listen to Joe Duffy interviewing the Brazilian Police Commissioner just now
"Whoy did you filum a 71 year old man?"
"Are you sorry"
"Do you have a gun"
"This is not how we do it in Ireland"

aphex™

RTE is rubbish. Hardly any of their content can be sold externally worldwide. This is despite the fact it's in English.

For example, you know the successful show The Zoo? RTE wanted the first series to be a celeb-clears-elephant-dung type of show. Instead TV3 picked up that series and it's now a success worldwide.*

*i am aware RTE picked up later series of this show, but it wouldn't have been an initial success if their celeb format had been used in the first series.

Lu Tze

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

I have a TV and hence I need a TV license even if I don't have an aerial attached to it that would allow me to pick up Irish TV stations. And where I live the TV alone without aerial is not good enough to pick up Irish TV.

But I'm thinking of getting ride of the TV and replace it with a projector or something as that saves me the TV license fee.

The only reason I have a TV is so that I can enjoy movies/shows via IP television from a non Irish provider.

You can get a signage display or a large monitor, once there is no receiver in it its not a TV. Or a projector as you mentioned

Yggr of Asgard

Lu Tze wrote: »

You can get a signage display or a large monitor, once there is no receiver in it its not a TV. Or a projector as you mentioned

Yeah, once it's time to replace my TV that is an option I'm going for, I don't see the sense of contributing 160€ to a service that I neither use nor believe in.

price690

They miss out on some pretty decent coverage/shows in order to pay big wages to "stars" such as Joe Duffy, Marian Finucan, Ray Darcy, Ryan Tubridy and Miriam O'Callaghan.

Oh but their advertising money covers their wages as lots of people watch? Put a broom handle with a wig on Saturday night with Miriam with Colin Farrell and 500k viewers will tune in.

The powers that be need to be a bit braver and invest in content rather than "star personalities". I'm stumped as to how the likes of Joe Duffy and Marian Finucan's contract renewal talks would be conducted for example.

Marian: "I want 400k"
RTE: "Eh how about 300k"
Marian: "I want 450k"

RTE head sh*ts his pants over the highly unlikely scenario that BBC will pay her more and gives in.

Nobody at RTE has the talent to go anywhere else. Unless they want to go to TV3/Today FM/Newstalk and take a pay cut/get less holidays and have to work for their money.

If RTE halved Joe Duffys wages at his next contract renewal where else is the f*cker going to earn his crazy salary for listening to whinging ould ones on the radio? Only in RTE.

Darcy left today FM for a a failed tv show and a graveyard radio slot in the mid afternoon. Kathryn Thomas presents it 50% of the time so you can see why he left today fm. Better pay and better holidays for starters.

Tubridy is starting something like his 8th LLS stint in September. He is still crapping on about finding himself in the role and all this nonsense. He is an amateur, a pseudo intellectual whose niche area is probably reviewing books.

The funniest thing of all though is how the longest running talk show on the planet (and most dated) did not even put a trademark or patent on the name. James Corden is presenting a show of the same name at the moment I believe in the US.

Bottom line, head of RTE should be insisting on a policy of substantially cutting the wages of these "stars" and phasing them out over the next few years. Start finding some real talent, and no I don't mean Lottie Ryan who is no doubt being groomed for some kind of RTE fanfare in the future.

These guys hold no power when it comes to threatening to up sticks, who the hell would have them let alone pay them the salaries they enjoy here?

We are fed repeats at prime times ad nauseum because RTE do not have the resources to make more original content.

RTE is simply full of goons and has beens who were not good enough to make it across the water, its as simple as that. And they are being paid a kings ransom.

johnpatrick81

What really annoys me about RTE are the programmes and sport they pay huge money for the rights to, even though 90% of us already have access to on UK tv. They should have been the first to go with cutbacks. I'm not even going near the ridiculous salaries they are on, the radio presenters too.

The price of the TV license is a disgrace in the times we live in. If only as many took a stand like they did with the water charges.

Their news team is great but after that there needs to be a massive overhaul. We paid €180 million in license fees to RTE as a country last year. Insane money!!!!

Go Harvey Go

Haven't we had threads like this one before?

Also, I feel I should clarify that not all of RTE's weather presenters work for Met Eireann. Jean, Gerry, Evelyn, Siobhan and Joanna certainly do - but Nuala, Karina, Helen, Audrey and Louise do not.

Hmm, nine women and only one man. There used to be more men, of course...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ts4TNrl3nk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsGxsL29h-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUdU56qaGUU

somesoldiers

Looking at the schedule on RTE tonight
What are you eating? Repeat
Fair city
At your Service Repeat
News
Brendan o Carroll History yoke Repeat
Clean Break Repeat
Miriam Repeat
Bloody hell

malcy

I don't know how anyone can watch Rte. i've lived here 10 years and only see it if i'm round a friends and it's on or in the pub. It's atrocious. Amateur overload.

BuilderPlumber

RTE is generally very poor and a very closed shop. Rather than giving the people what they want, they try to brainwash people and the gullible will follow tripe like all those programmes about very poor modern country music, all them reality shows and the like. There are also way too many chefs on it and the only good thing is Pat Kenny is no longer on it making awful political programmes. They force all their elite favourites on us all the time and it is closed off to everyone else.

The few good things RTE do are no longer continued I notice. Love/Hate is the most obvious example. The reason good stuff gets discontinued is because it is more expensive to make. And it requires the services of people outside of RTE's elite as well and because it shows up these, they are not happy. Once anything gains more viewers than the Late Late Show, it is going to be axed. Stuff like Diarmuid Bannon doing up houses, Rachel Allen cooking and some awful ex boyband singer murdering country music will be forced on us instead. As regards drama, RTE is heading backwards to the bad old days of The Big Bow Wow. Clean Break was a step downwards on Love/Hate but yet CB will be much better than this legal thing this year.

BuilderPlumber

boombang wrote: »

What really grates me are the horrible, self congratulatory ads on how insightful and balanced their coverage is, which it clearly is not.

Yep. That annoys me too. RTE is just a big closed shop that makes it own rule about what gets on the agenda and what does not. Anything worthwhile they do they end it too soon (Love/Hate) and anything that is rubbish goes on for years (Popstars aka You're a Star aka Ireland's Got Talent aka The Voice of Ireland, Room to Improve, all them Rachel Allen shows).

This year, a lot of money has been spent on dramas that no one is asking for and yet RTE won't give the green light to a new series of Love/Hate, which a lot of people do want. This is the most annoying thing with RTE: why do they make up their mind what they make and then do not give the people what they want. They try and sell us these new dramas and rave about them when they are poor.

It would be great to see a lot of these talent shows, garden/house makeover shows, and cookery shows brought to an end as there is too much coverage for these. As regards drama, it would be best for RTE to concentrate on making one good one rather than 3 or 4 bad ones. Love/Hate was popular because it was good. It had the nation talking and it was something to look forward to. No one is talking about Quirke, Clean Break or Rebellion in the same way (and these are among the better ones) because they were restrained and lacked totally what Love/Hate had. This year's ones like Striking Out have absolutely nothing to offer and who is interested in solicitors having affairs? Apart from solicitors having affairs!

Bottom line is RTE do not care for the audience and do not open the door to new or emerging talent. Anything good they do ends too soon and all the poor stuff lasts for years. We seem to be paying them to fund the careers of people like Diarmuid Bannon and the Allens of Ballymaloe.

Saint_Mel

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

What's the obsession with the weather forecasters/presenters, OP?

They're actual weather forecasters from Met Eireann, who do the TV/radio broadcasts for RTE (presumably for a fee).

IMO that's better value than the Martin Kings and whatever other presenters TV3 have, who just read a script provided for them, and (certainly in the case of King) try to make it into an entertainment slot while they're at it.

And there's only ever one on RTE at a time, they do shifts, so what's with the "dozens"?

My main gripe with the RTE weather is when they go on telling us what the weather is like in India, Singapore, Botswana et al!
Its lashing rain in Tullamore, but look on the bright side, Nairobi is lovely and warm today! F**k off :mad::mad::mad: (rant over)