Dee Forbes banging the RTE TV licence drum again 60m uncollected fee *poll not working - pl ignore*

RabbleRouser2k

DrSerious3 wrote: »

It's so true. Programmes like Pulling with My Parents are puke-inducing. If Virgin Media did sh*t like that that is their decision but it should not be bankrolled by the public on RTE. Zero public service value.

Solution: stop chasing ratings. One channel only, featuring politics (unbiased if you're able to do that) news, sport of a particularly Irish interest, culture, the arts. Cut the wages, cut the nepotism and broadcast items that might actually add to our cultural capital and not American re-runs and copycats of foreign formats ala Dancing with the Staff and First Dates. It's that simple Dee, do it.

They're made for an audience which doesn't exist. I suppose without Love Island being on TV, they think it's filling a gap.
But that audience will go elsewhere-probably watch the Kardashians or something.

Kivaro

Elmo wrote: »

On the business will check later.

Richard Curran brother of former dg Noel

One of the reasons why RTE stinks.
Nepotism and cronyism should not be accepted at our national broadcaster. RTE knows that they can get away with it, so they will continue to hire their relatives and (connected) friends.

There will be a time when all of this will be investigated by an impartial body, and they will find that the FAI under John Delaney was the epitome of good governance when compared to RTE.

Mav11

Deleted User wrote: »

He can't exactly do Paxman on it.
Interviewer on RTE: So, Ms. Forbes what will you do to reduce costs?
DG of RTE: perhaps, if I'm pushed, selective reduction in payroll costs for on-air talent.

Interviewer then backs off.

That's a bit selective. RC What about the 800k in car allowances; top presenter salaries; unkept promises like closing down lyric studio in Limerick etc etc etc.

Forbes is a waffler, but he can't very well beat the answers out of her. I thought he did quite well.

elperello

Theworldisy wrote: »

Look everyone knows the gravy train keeps going over there. Producing a product that nobody wants. In fairness id say if rte was gone 65 percent would not miss it. What do they actually produce that people watch. Example dating with me parents. Like wtf. Who would watch that complete pile of ****e. Every second program is a rip off of another program. Rte are just not fit for purpose. Late late is not the problem but the most wooden of interviewers is on 450k when a company is broke. THAT IS A JOKE.

I think your 65% might be a bit wide of the mark.

If you look at the Poll at the top of the thread it says 29.63% want to scrap RTE altogether.

That is in a thread which is overwhelmingly critical of RTE. (Just read back a few pages to confirm that.)

fritzelly

Just listened to the puff piece - Premium Irish content, lmao

Theworldisy

elperello wrote: »

I think your 65% might be a bit wide of the mark.

If you look at the Poll at the top of the thread it says 29.63% want to scrap RTE altogether.

That is in a thread which is overwhelmingly critical of RTE. (Just read back a few pages to confirm that.)

ok i stand corrected.

fritzelly

Premium Irish content on right now

RTE 1 - a repeat of a 4 year old show repeating stuff from decades ago - Prime time tv my arse

elperello

fritzelly wrote: »

Premium Irish content on right now

RTE 1 - a repeat of a 4 year old show repeating stuff from decades ago - Prime time tv my arse

Good TV never ages.

Relax, it's just a filler between the movie and the news.

Tommy T to look forward to.

Hotblack Desiato

Pa ElGrande wrote: »

There are poor quality content and cat videos on youtube, you don't have to sit there passively and watch it. If you don't have broadband internet, and RTE is your only choice then you sit there and take it.

It's not 1978, nobody is forced to watch RTE even if they've no internet. There are the VM channels and TG4 on Saorview, and the British channels are free to air on satellite across the whole country. The only problem is that if you have a TV tuner or satellite tuner then you're forced to pay for RTE whether you ever watch/listen to it or not... they've been talking about cuts for years but there is still a lot of fat to be cut with little or no PSB value - Duffy being the most glaring example. Sell 2FM, sell RTE2, let VM / TG4 pay for GAA etc. there is no need for licence fee to be subsidising what a commercial channel can do.

Elmo

I see RTÉ were in profit in 2020, I think the intereview was only done to stress the continued financial difficulties RTÉ find themselves in and as Ms. Forbes pointed out how RTÉ have really drilled home the €50m or so a year lost by license fee evasion and, like many of her "employees" re: tax, quite legal avoidance.

RabbleRouser2k

So lemme get this straight, an RTE employee (Brendan O'Connor), who's married to the daughter of a former RTE DG, interviewed his boss (Dee Forbes) on radio.

No impartiality there then...

:rolleyes:

Government buildings

No chance of getting rid of Tubs, Darcy and Duffy.

Seeing that Dee is on such huge bucks herself.

The only local community which derives benefit from RTE is around Donnybrook.
If you are from Offaly with 26,750 households assuming 90% compliance with the licence fee then you have nearly 4 million euro a year sucked out off Offaly to support an organisation that doesn't speak to or care even slightly about them.
The multiplier effect of spending that money locally would have a significant effect on the economy of a rural county where incomes are low and wages hard earned but instead it is lost to Donnybrook.

RabbleRouser2k

Government buildings wrote: »

No chance of getting rid of Tubs, Darcy and Duffy.

Seeing that Dee is on such huge bucks herself.

D'arcy hasn't proven his supposed 'worth'... I mean, he's back where he started 30 years ago-on The Den.

Tubridy still gets an audience, but during a pandemic, with nowhere else to go... you'd be failing miserably to not get one. (Case in point, Gordon Ramsey's 'quiz' died a death, I'd say Kathryn Thomas 'shows' were greeted with such negativity on announcement, that people didn't tune in. She was moaning about it for months after).

Duffy's practically a 'shock jock' now-stir up anger, get the audience, then skulk away until the following week when he can stir up emotions again.

20/20

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

So lemme get this straight, an RTE employee (Brendan O'Connor), who's married to the daughter of a former RTE DG, interviewed his boss (Dee Forbes) on radio.

No impartiality there then...

:rolleyes:

Few things you need to get straight. What has Brendan O'Connor to do with the interview. ?

elperello

Deleted User wrote: »

The only local community which derives benefit from RTE is around Donnybrook.
If you are from Offaly with 26,750 households assuming 90% compliance with the licence fee then you have nearly 4 million euro a year sucked out off Offaly to support an organisation that doesn't speak to or care even slightly about them.
The multiplier effect of spending that money locally would have a significant effect on the economy of a rural county where incomes are low and wages hard earned but instead it is lost to Donnybrook.

No disrespect to the people of Offaly where I have spent many happy times but you could extrapolate your theory to any of the other 25 counties where the licence is collected.

That still leaves us with the question- do we want a Public Broadcasting Service and if we do how do we want to pay for it?

elperello

elperello wrote: »

No disrespect to the people of Offaly where I have spent many happy times but you could extrapolate your theory to any of the other 25 counties where the licence is collected.

That still leaves us with the question- do we want a Public Broadcasting Service and if we do how do we want to pay for it?

Sorry, it doesn't take a genius to extrapolate it to any of the other counties in Ireland. I assumed most people here would be able to make that leap.
RTE and its environs are mooching off the rest of the country, parts of the country that can't afforded to be supporting deadweight.

You have been talking about public sector broadcasting over many months but have yet to make a compelling case that it can be provided through RTE. You just constantly stir RTE in to the discussion as the magic Elixir through which said public service broadcasting of questionable value will be consumed.

elperello

Deleted User wrote: »

Sorry, it doesn't take a genius to extrapolate it to any of the other counties in Ireland. I assumed most people here would be able to make that leap.
RTE and its environs are mooching off the rest of the country, parts of the country that can't afforded to be supporting deadweight.

You have been talking about public sector broadcasting over many months but have yet to make a compelling case that it can be provided through RTE. You just constantly stir RTE in to the discussion as the magic Elixir through which said public service broadcasting of questionable value will be consumed.

That's ok, no offence intended.

No matter what you think of the merits of RTE the licence fee is paid, like motor tax, irrespective of your financial situation or geographical location.

I'd rather see the licence abolished and Public Broadcasting funded from direct taxation.

Do you think there is any possible scenario in which RTE will not have a role in the provision of Public Broadcasting in the medium to long term future?

mgn

elperello wrote: »

No disrespect to the people of Offaly where I have spent many happy times but you could extrapolate your theory to any of the other 25 counties where the licence is collected.

That still leaves us with the question- do we want a Public Broadcasting Service and if we do how do we want to pay for it?

Can I ask you a quick question elperello.
Do you think Dee Forbes is fit to run RTE.

elperello

elperello wrote: »

No matter what you think of the merits of RTE the licence fee is paid, like motor tax, irrespective of your financial situation or geographical location.

Do you think there is any possible scenario in which RTE will not have a role in the provision of Public Broadcasting in the medium to long term future?

We can only hope that RTE are not involved in public sector broadcasting as I consider them a toxic organisation incapable of delivering even-handed, insightful content on any subject.
No one is forced to pay motor tax but if they do they derive some direct measurable utility from the vehicle which is subject to the taxation. RTE have been lobbying for everyone to be forced to pay for their content irrespective of whether it is consume or not.

buried

elperello wrote: »

No disrespect to the people of Offaly where I have spent many happy times but you could extrapolate your theory to any of the other 25 counties where the licence is collected.

That still leaves us with the question- do we want a Public Broadcasting Service and if we do how do we want to pay for it?

We do. But the point is that we, the public, the people paying for it, we should have a real say in how much are we paying for this service and ask what sort of service it is actually producing for that vast money that we are throwing into it. If some people can show it is doing very little of that, or actually show evidence it is producing no service to those people whatsoever, then those people should have the right not to pay into it at all. Let those who are in love with this thing pay the huge amount of millions to keep RTE delivering whatever it is they are delivering.

elperello

mgn wrote: »

Can I ask you a quick question elperello.
Do you think Dee Forbes is fit to run RTE.

Quick and honest reply - I really don't know.

Not sure that it matters what I , an anonymous poster on here, thinks anyway.

I do think she has a tough job.

elperello

Deleted User wrote: »

We can only hope that RTE are not involved in public sector broadcasting as I consider them a toxic organisation incapable of delivering even-handed, insightful content on any subject.
No one is forced to pay motor tax but if they do they derive some direct measurable utility from the vehicle which is subject to the taxation. RTE have been lobbying for everyone to be forced to pay for their content irrespective of whether it is consume or not.

Well fair enough you have clearly nailed your colours to the mast.

If we consider a PBS a public good by definition it will be paid for by people who don't use it.

elperello

buried wrote: »

We do. But the point is that we, the public, the people paying for it, we should have a real say in how much are we paying for this service and ask what sort of service it is actually producing for that vast money that we are throwing into it. If some people can show it is doing very little of that, or actually show evidence it is producing no service to those people whatsoever, then those people should have the right not to pay into it at all. Let those who are in love with this thing pay the huge amount of millions to keep RTE delivering whatever it is they are delivering.

Absolutely, everyone who pays for any public service should be provided with a means of having a voice.

buried

elperello wrote: »

Well fair enough you have clearly nailed your colours to the mast.

If we consider a PBS a public good by definition it will be paid for by people who don't use it.

For me I don't consider it a 'public good' by definition at all, I consider it, in its current format, and direction a actual public disservice. If I can reasonably show that, as a member of said 'public' then why should I or anyone who holds the same reasonable view pay for anybody else who wants to use it? You or I don't pay for anybody else's netflix account if that's what they want to have.

elperello

20/20 wrote: »

Few things you need to get straight. What has Brendan O'Connor to do with the interview. ?

Not to mention who would we expect but an RTE employee conducting an interview on RTE?

elperello

buried wrote: »

For me I don't consider it a 'public good' by definition at all, I consider it, in its current format, and direction a actual public disservice. If I can reasonably show that, as a member of said 'public' then why should I or anyone who holds the same reasonable view pay for anybody else who wants to use it? You or I don't pay for anybody else's netflix account if that's what they want to have.

Point taken, you don't think a PBS is a public good.

Just for the sake of argument try considering it apart from strictly in TV terms.

You will find that the state funds all sorts of things which you have no personal use for.

To illustrate, I personally have no interest in GAA or political parties but I don't mind the government funding them because I know they have a value to society as a whole.

As for Netflix accounts they are just commercial products and I wouldn't expect to pay for yours no more than I would expect to pay for your groceries.

elperello

elperello wrote: »

Well fair enough you have clearly nailed your colours to the mast.

If we consider a PBS a public good by definition it will be paid for by people who don't use it.

Please don't conflate RTE and PBS. If we can constitute a Public Broadcasting Service for Ireland(PBSfI), not a cynical rebranding of RTE to escape a toxic brand for an organisation that is incapable of reformed then I might be interested.
You would like to dismiss the Critics of not having a nuanced practical approach. It should be obvious that the majority see the RTE exactly for what it is.

buried

elperello wrote: »

To illustrate, I personally have no interest in GAA or political parties but I don't mind the government funding them because I know they have a value to society as a whole.

Yeah, point taken there too but I would see those two entities, especially the GAA as having some sort of worthwhile value to society and communities, but TV shows such as Davy Fitzgerald roaring at a bunch of lads to swim quicker through the end of a boghole or where Catherine Thomas is looking down her nose at people wanting to loose weight are in no way a public service to me, or for a lot of people I know, so why should we pay for this mediocre output that seems to cost millions?

buried

elperello wrote: »

As for Netflix accounts they are just commercial products and I wouldn't expect to pay for yours no more than I would expect to pay for your groceries.

But that's exactly what RTE has become due to its own mismanagement of funds. Why should I who has no say in the matter fork up the cost?