RTE Incredible Value for Money

Storm 10

What planet is she living on, RTE want to double our licence fee.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/its-incredible-value-for-money-rtes-new-director-general-thinks-licence-fee-should-be-doubled-35554991.html

NIMAN

She was on the Sean O'Rourke show chatting, and admittedly I only heard about 75% of it, but I didn't hear her mention the fact that some presenters are paid twice what some of the worlds top country's leaders are paid.

Maybe it's time she put a cap if 100k on every salary in Rte. If you don't like it, off you go.

Thepoet85

She can fudge off if she thinks she's getting another penny out of me.

Kristopherus

If the added a Sports Channel wthh EPL, Rugby, Golf, Gaa, Horse Racing etc, etc with the extra dosh, I'd say they would have a huge take-up. People would have a great opportunity to ditch rip-off Sky. Will it happen? I doubt it.........:D:D:D

ButtersSuki

Storm 10 wrote: »

What planet is she living on, RTE want to double our licence fee.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/its-incredible-value-for-money-rtes-new-director-general-thinks-licence-fee-should-be-doubled-35554991.html

Same planet as Joe Duffy...a man on €400k+ for 75mins "work" and 40 weeks a year. Incredible value.

NIMAN

Kristopherus wrote: »

If the added a Sports Channel wthh EPL, Rugby, Golf, Gaa, Horse Racing etc, etc with the extra dosh, I'd say they would have a huge take-up. People would have a great opportunity to ditch rip-off Sky. Will it happen? I doubt it.........

They could never afford that

You any idea the sort of money that would cost?

Donal55

George Hook bursting blood vessels as we speak on this very issue.

Checkmate19

Was only about to post the same. Value for money. How doe's rte provide value for money. It's just littered with reality tv muck. It's lost alot of its sport. And its full of overpaid staff. She wants a doubling of the license fee. Why, so they can waste more of peoples money. Heard it took over 350k to send Kian Egan to eurovision. Is that value for money.

Rte needs at the very least to get leaner and reduce pay of it's high earners. The argument that they will go elsewhere is nonsense. As there is very little place's they can leave for.

5rtytry56

Incredible Value for Money.






:rolleyes:

Atlantic Dawn

Almost every single show they have on TV is sponsored and has ad breaks, BBC don't even have ads and these clowns want to double the licence fee? They need to slim down the organisation and its costs to how the real world operates, it's way too over staffed for the size of it.

Spending €1400 a day on taxis might be a start to look at cutbacks...
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/fare-city-rte-spent-almost-14kaday-on-taxis-last-year-35059614.html

5rtytry56

Storm 10 wrote: »

What planet is she living on,

One of those where the puppets in the RTE childrens programs originated.
Oh wait, RTE want to outsource children's programs

Dots1982

They are incredible value for money if you work for them.

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

She was on the Sean O'Rourke show chatting, and admittedly I only heard about 75% of it, but I didn't hear her mention the fact that some presenters are paid twice what some of the worlds top country's leaders are paid.

Why is this tiresome comparison always pulled out?

Do you earn more than twice as much as a Somali binman? Would it be a valid complaint against you if you did?

jimmycrackcorm

Some of the prime time and Rte investigates stuff has been very invaluable for the public. There's definitely value in public service does and documentaries.

However Rte should be changed to a commercial only station and then the licence fee allocated to spending in competitive companies to provide public service offerings that could be resold to any of the tv stations. That way w would get real value for money and presenters would only receive a fee or earnings that reflect their actual competitive value instead of the currently notional high salaries which they wouldn't get anywhere else.

CIARAN_BOYLE

They would be value for money if we got to choose if we wanted them or not. I don't watch Rte so I wouldn't pay it. My parents do and it's cheaper then they would pay for other stations they watch less.

Feathers

Checkmate19 wrote: »

Rte needs at the very least to get leaner and reduce pay of it's high earners. The argument that they will go elsewhere is nonsense. As there is very little place's they can leave for.

Well it's more that, even if they did go elsewhere, would you notice? 
If half the 'top' presenters left the station & you replaced them via an open audition, I don't think the quality of programming would noticeably drop. & you've a nice chunk of money to put back into programming (sport / drama) or give people a licence rebate.
I know which I'd choose if my licence fee was going to RTÉ.

OU812

They need to put the licence fee Not the electricity bill to cut out the evaders, even if you don't have a TV and access through a portable device, you still have to charge it.

Also, cut the huge salaries. If you think they'd be whipped up by someone else, let them find out. If they are replace them with a newcomer.

theoneeyedman

If she believes that, let her put RTE behind a pay wall for 330 euro and see how many are willing to pay for it. That's the acid test.

No real value when you account for licence fee, advertising, and constant product placement. Never mind, the property vultures are circling around the valuable land bank, so some people are going to make good on another state (ie taxpayer) owned asset.

RTE, carries more passengers than CIE.

cocaliquid

Money that will be raised from the sale of nine acres of land at Montrose will be put towards the purchasing of new IT equipment and "buildings refresh" which will allow RTE "play catch-up", Ms Forbes said.

She wants a new computer and her office remodeled. State companies never seem to make a profit and instead raise wages and high new staff and make a loss at the end of the year. Then they don't have the money to replace old IT equipment and to put paint on the walls.

Tombo2001

She is talking in relative terms

The current licence fee is 160 per year.

What do I get for that. Personally
I listen to the radio shows quite a bit.
Late Late Toy Show
Sports - I would watch that GAA/ Rugby/ Athletics.
A few shows - Irelands fittest family was good.

For me, that's about it. I'd say 160 is about fair value.

What else would 160 per annum buy in the media space

- Irish Times print edition at the weekend; that's 52 copies per year.
- 3 months internet connection
- two tickets for a show at the 3Arena

I'd say its ok value as it is, its pretty good. Doubling it would be excessive, but sure we don't have a choice......
-

Taltos

I haven't watched RTE1 or 2 for at least 3 years.
Instead I watch the UK channels or online TV. Netflix being my choice of poison at the moment. Instead of doubling the fees I'd prefer to see it abolished and let RTÉ complete on a level playing field with others who dont have the benefit of our population being held to ransom by outdated laws.

dixiefly

I see that they are looking for a new way to collect the licence fee. I would say that this is a major issue for them as their main viewer demographic is getting older and older and therefor the advertising revenue will be getting less and less and licence fee less justifiable.

It will come to the point in the next 5 or 10 years (or less) that the money currently paid to Tubridy, Duffy, Finucance et al will be completely unsustainable.

As someone suggested above a maximum payment to anyone should be introduced for all new contracts, I would say maximum of about €180k and let them go and see if they can get more on the free market.

DublinWriter

RTE have become a bloated nepotistic irrelevance run on Civil Service principles.

The granting of the TV licence is little more than a political choke-chain.

Anyone remember that radio interview with a politician about 15 years ago where he though he was off mic and threatened the interviewer with the fact that he was on the government board that set the TV licence?

Time to sell the whole lot off, including that major chunk of D4 real-estate.

Tombo2001

Taltos wrote: »

I haven't watched RTE1 or 2 for at least 3 years.
Instead I watch the UK channels or online TV. Netflix being my choice of poison at the moment. Instead of doubling the fees I'd prefer to see it abolished and let RTÉ complete on a level playing field with others who dont have the benefit of our population being held to ransom by outdated laws.

I'd disagree.

RTE isn't on a level playing field because it has a public service remit.

Now you might say 'but that's nothing to with me' - however roads in Mayo are nothing do with you, a new primary school in Castlecomer is nothing to do with you, that doesn't mean its not a public service. Some people use it.

What I would like to see is RTE pull back from competing in areas that the consumer can get for free elsewhere.

For example - if TV3 is willing to show the Champions League or 6 Nations for free - then why is RTE using the tax payers money to pay for it?

I would scale back RTE considerably, make it wash its face with the current licence fee and concentrate on good quality public service broadcasting - which incidentally it does very well.

Example - Lyric FM brings classical music to Irish FM radio. its the only station to do so - public service. 2FM brings a mix of pop and chat to Irish FM radio; a heap of other stations do exactly the same. Whats the public service remit around 2fm?

NIMAN

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Why is this tiresome comparison always pulled out?

Do you earn more than twice as much as a Somali binman? Would it be a valid complaint against you if you did?

So do you think that presenters on radio are worthy of €400,000 - €500,000 per year?

This woman has the power to save a fortune every year by introducing a simple wage cap (which would still leave people very well paid) on her large numbers of overpaid staff.

It would be easily done but for some reason it's an elephant in the room that is never mentioned when we hear this topic discussed.

I just did a quick search, and in 2014 the top 10 Rte presenters earned €2.66m. So if they were offered a take it or leave it €100k salary, there's already €1.6m savings each and every year.

For Reals

I recall the threats; if you don't pay the likes of Pat, Gay, Gerry the big bucks they'll leave us for the BBC/CH4. Such laughs were had. Maybe Pat late night in BBC 2 or Gay to BBC 4, but Ryan was little more than a reasonable DJ who they kept finding doomed TV vehicles for.

The last time we saw a big upheaval was when it was decided RTE had to stop doling out producing contracts internally and allow outsiders a chance...so the bould boys and girls of the Montrose family set up a series of 'independent' production companies.

As regards it's public service remit; I recall the time it outbid TV3 for 'Desperate Housewives'. Around the same time it lost Coronation Street, (was watching, waiting on a particular court case cliff hanger. During the ad break RTE aired an ad for the upcoming episode, 'Now that Jez is out of prison...').

We've the height of nepotism in Ryan Tubbs and Lottie f'in Ryan in the wings waiting on her TV show. I could see an argument 30/40/50 years ago for experience, that being the sad fact only these folks would have access to experience and by default be the best candidates, but times have moved on. We've people making their own programming in their bedrooms. RTE needs do us all a favour and open it's doors to talent.

Expunge

I would scale back RTE considerably, make it wash its face with the current licence fee and concentrate on good quality public service broadcasting - which incidentally it does very well.

Example - Lyric FM brings classical music to Irish FM radio. its the only station to do so - public service. 2FM brings a mix of pop and chat to Irish FM radio; a heap of other stations do exactly the same. Whats the public service remit around 2fm?

Very true, RTE have too many fingers in too many pies.
Lyric, unfortunately, doesn't even deliver Classical and specialist music on a consistent basis anymore. Marty Whelan played FOUR Roger Whitaker tracks this morning along with Cliff Richard, Glen Campbell, Van Morrisson.
All well and good if it was on commercial station, but not what Lyric was set up to do.

They do what they want, make it up as they go along and then put the paw out for more cash.

Tombo2001

NIMAN wrote: »

So do you think that presenters on radio are worthy of €400,000 - €500,000 per year?

https://static.rasset.ie/documents/about/final-rte-top-ten-highest-paid-press-release-table-dec-2015-final.pdf

There are two presenters in that bracket, and one of them presents the Late Late Show also.

To give them credit
(I) salaries have come down considerably
(II) my own opinion - and you may disagree with this - is that Ryan Tubridy at 500k per annum is about right. For the guy who does a daily radio show, and hosts the weekly TV show that gets consistently the highest ratings in a country of 4mn people, I would expect him to be paid that amount.

Hungrycol

NIMAN wrote: »

This woman has the power to save a fortune every year by introducing a simple wage cap (which would still leave people very well paid) on her large numbers of overpaid staff.

Not if she doesn't want to end up in court. It's like closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

The licence fee, they say, is not for the stations, it is for the screen you use to watch it. Biggest load of bull!

Finally, please don't ever compare RTE to the BBC, it's not fair. The BBC being one of the biggest broadcasters in the world, instead compare RTE to an equivalent small country broadcaster, we're probably punching above our weight because of the BBC/UK production and broadcasting influence.

iseegirls

RTE2 need to stop buying in as many US and UK shows, and shoving them on past midnight. Can't see any value in this.

Some are new and others repeats, but there is the following: NCIS: New Orleans, Hawaii Five-O, 1864, Bad Education, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Friday Night Dinner, Cougar Town, Elementary, iZombie, The Catch, Big School, Containment, Parks And Recreation, NCIS, Shameless USA, Under the Dome, Eye Candy, The Office, Rookie Blue, Secret Life Of the American Teenager and Tyrant are all on after midnight over the next 7 days.

Others like Alan Carr Chatty Man and Mock The Week are oddly showing on RTE2 too.

This is a crazy amount of programmes that would only cater to a very small amount of the viewing population at that time.

There's no way BBC Two or BBC Three would have gotten away with this.

PhuckHugh

RTE is absolute trash by and large... It either rips off UK tv very badly, or it gives us shows that are full of RTE personalities - The Late Late is an absolute joke at this stage, Tubridy is stone useless and not capable of interviewing anyone. Joe Duffy an 400K for what????

Politics and Sport are well presented but they are losing sport to TV3

TG4 blow them away when it comes to documentaries - particularly history related.

The problem is that RTE has no identity - It's trying to keep up with fads by showing lots of trash and reality tv. And their so called main shows like the Late Late are so watered down and PC you might as well be watching sesame street.

They need to restore some bit on intellectual credibility to their stations and pronto.

wpd

I wouldn't miss RTE at all, time for the licence fee to be scrapped and for them to stand on their own 2 feet, same as TV3 and other radio stations. I can't understand how RTE get away with state funding under European competition rules.

jester77

Tombo2001 wrote: »

https://static.rasset.ie/documents/about/final-rte-top-ten-highest-paid-press-release-table-dec-2015-final.pdf

There are two presenters in that bracket, and one of them presents the Late Late Show also.

To give them credit
(I) salaries have come down considerably
(II) my own opinion - and you may disagree with this - is that Ryan Tubridy at 500k per annum is about right. For the guy who does a daily radio show, and hosts the weekly TV show that gets consistently the highest ratings in a country of 4mn people, I would expect him to be paid that amount.

LOL, at being worth 500k

Angela Merkel gets paid 216K per year, do you think he is worth over twice what she earns.

Zaph

dixiefly wrote: »

It will come to the point in the next 5 or 10 years (or less) that the money currently paid to Tubridy, Duffy, Finucance et al will be completely unsustainable.

That point came years ago.

Tombo2001

jester77 wrote: »

LOL, at being worth 500k

Angela Merkel gets paid 216K per year, do you think he is worth over twice what she earns.

Thanks for the LOL., classy touch.

Wayne Rooney earns 216k every four days. Do you think he........snoozzzzzzze........

Boring argument.

weldoninhio

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Thanks for the LOL., classy touch.

Wayne Rooney earns 216k every four days. Do you think he........snoozzzzzzze........

Boring argument.

Manchester United pull in over a billion a year. So yes, that is what he is worth to them. If RTÉ were pulling in that money off the back of advertisers wanting to use Tubridy's shows as a vehicle for their products then he'd be worth it, they aren't, he's not.

Tombo2001

weldoninhio wrote: »

Manchester United pull in over a billion a year. So yes, that is what he is worth to them. If RTÉ were pulling in that money off the back of advertisers wanting to use Tubridy's shows as a vehicle for their products then he'd be worth it, they aren't, he's not.

Sure.

Where is the analysis on this thread on RTEs revenue generation?

(Its nowhere)

Furthermore, whats that all got to with Angela Merkel?

weldoninhio

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Sure.

Where is the analysis on this thread on RTEs revenue generation?

(Its nowhere)

Furthermore, whats that all got to with Angela Merkel?

It's at the OP where the head of RTÉ says they have to cut 10% of their staff and sell a large chunk of land, whilst also flying the kite that the license fee should be doubled, because they can't afford to run on a huge state subsidy and ad generated revenue.

Checkmate19

Rte are not fit for purpose. It's overstaffed and programme's of worth they produce are getting less and less. Most of its content is either bought in, ripped off from other stations or reality garbage. Sport is less and less. How can she say the fee needs doubling. Rte needs to be stream lined.

There's so many on large salaries for little work. They wouldn't get work anywhere else for anywhere near to what they are on. They need salary cap's and need staff reductions. Also i did wonder why alot of rte employee had their own production companies. It's to bid on and get the gigs from rte. Rte is just one big gravy boat and the only one's getting the gravy are the connected one's. It may still have a purpose but at present its just not fit for purpose.

It will become less and less revelant as time go's by. They know this that's why the push for increases in the fee. Double the fee is just put out there so when a 10-15 percent increase doe's happen it won't seem so bad. They are just a bunch of gangsters.

Sam Kade

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Sure.

Where is the analysis on this thread on RTEs revenue generation?

(Its nowhere)

Furthermore, whats that all got to with Angela Merkel?

Are you working with RTE by any chance?

Checkmate19

Was thinking the same myself. Has to be working for rte. Nobody can justify that tool asking for a doubling of an already high license fee.

Bargain Blake

Checkmate19 wrote: »

Heard it took over 350k to send Kian Egan to eurovision..

Nicky Byrne maybe?

Checkmate19

Yes Nicky Byrne. My mistake.

Ipso

jester77 wrote: »

LOL, at being worth 500k

Angela Merkel gets paid 216K per year, do you think he is worth over twice what she earns.

In fairness, Angela is no Marian "290 biguns" Finucane.

yosser hughes

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Why is this tiresome comparison always pulled out?

Do you earn more than twice as much as a Somali binman? Would it be a valid complaint against you if you did?

It's a loss making organization, that depends on an imposed licence fee. If a company us losing money, it should look at reducing costs.

Del.Monte

Quite apart from cutting salaries, RTE needs to get more commercial and do something with the vast archive of movies and other material that they hold but won't put out on DVD. The standard excuse trotted out is copyright problems. If this is the case put somebody in to sort out the problems and if they can't do it, fire them and put in somebody else. Do the same throughout the bloated organisation and there would be no need to jack-up the licence fee.

Apply this to the Gardai, CIE, HSE etc. and we really would have a great little country.

For Reals

Tombo2001 wrote: »

https://static.rasset.ie/documents/about/final-rte-top-ten-highest-paid-press-release-table-dec-2015-final.pdf

There are two presenters in that bracket, and one of them presents the Late Late Show also.

To give them credit
(I) salaries have come down considerably
(II) my own opinion - and you may disagree with this - is that Ryan Tubridy at 500k per annum is about right. For the guy who does a daily radio show, and hosts the weekly TV show that gets consistently the highest ratings in a country of 4mn people, I would expect him to be paid that amount.

Tubridy hadn't any audition or interview. He was groomed for that job. Highest ratings? Based on it's history and in comparison to other generally poor content. Is this the same Late Late regularly handed over to Louis Walsh for him to shill his latest? He destroyed the fun of the Eurovision.
I'd bet if you took someone off the street and let them host the Late Late the ratings wouldn't differ too much. Some folks just watch it out of habit.

Tombo2001

For Reals wrote: »

Tubridy hadn't any audition or interview. He was groomed for that job. Highest ratings? Based on it's history and in comparison to other generally poor content. Is this the same Late Late regularly handed over to Louis Walsh for him to shill his latest? He destroyed the fun of the Eurovision.
I'd bet if you took someone off the street and let them host the Late Late the ratings wouldn't differ too much. Some folks just watch it out of habit.

Facts are facts, he is the host of highest rated show. And no I don't believe that any punter could walk in off the street and do it; I would say far from it.

Tombo2001

Sam Kade wrote: »

Are you working with RTE by any chance?

Ok enough is enough.

You don't like my opinions, so you come out with this nonsense.

This is where debate just descends into farce.

Not only will you not entertain other differing opinions, but you come up with this....

A living internet cliché in our midst.

I could go a step further and say this sort of bull**** logic - the flat refusal to engage in discussion, to tease out issues, and instead have the 'outrage' default setting - is the reason why nothing ever gets done in this country.

Tombo2001

Checkmate19 wrote: »

Was thinking the same myself. Has to be working for rte. Nobody can justify that tool asking for a doubling of an already high license fee.

And nobody tried to either; but don't let that get in the way of a good sneer.

Checkmate19

Tombo you are trying to defend rte on everything. It produce's tripe and is just one big gravy train. I know someone who works in there who says the same. A lot of people just get jobs because who they know. They get license fee and advert revenue and still can't make it work. It needs a whole scale change. The salaries for the size of the country are crazy. You say they have come down a lot. Yes, but they had to. They need to come down way more because people should not be funding this clown organisation anymore than they are at the moment. Either move with the times and change or just disappear. It would be no great loss at this stage and a slimmer more targeted organisation would suit everyone.