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

Gen.Zhukov

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338372#Comment_122338372

Virtually every interview with a politician on RTE radio and often on TV for the last several months contains or ends with a question as to how 'RTE will be funded'.

Good point - Is there a thinly veiled threat in there I wonder (in a subliminal way) - 'I've just given you a super-soft interview, it may not be so soft the next time buddy…think about that'

RoTelly

So to me it look like RTÉ did far more for the UK GE than they did for the Local and European Elections.

Sending staff to London for the count, I understand that RTÉ covers NI and have no problem with them posting someone to Belfast (preferably their NI staff). But was their any need for David McCullagh to be in London? They have a new London Correspondent that we'll hear from for the next month with the new government in the UK but after than like most correspondents it will be "not often seen or heard", I know his predecessor wasn't great but that wasn't the reason he had so little air time.

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122340359#Comment_122340359

some one actually sat down and wrote that shite? Shakespeare has arisen! alas,poor Yorrick,what a time to be alive!

Baba Yaga

well sure i guess london is more glamourous then Belfast or Derry and David McCullagh probably thought he'd look more "dapper,debonaire and dashing" hanging around westminster then around Belfast or Derry city hall…

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122344262#Comment_122344262

You should search there writers on line to see how full of themselves they are, though this press release sums their ego up nicely

https://about.rte.ie/2023/09/14/rte-statement-fair-city-photography/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122344293#Comment_122344293

Perhaps RTÉ is hoping the BBC will see him and snap him up!

Shan Doras

Isn't it pretty damning that RTE (which is meant to be reducing headcount by 400) had to hire the pd of Newstalk to be their head of radio? How isn't there an existing senior member of staff in the radio centre suitable for this promotion?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122346968#Comment_122346968

It could be that many don't want to take on that role considering what has happened. I don't know much about the Heads of Radio 1, Lyric or RnaG but I have slightly relieved that the other head of station didn't get the role. Carson I'd say has a good relationship with Bakhurst, I'd not be surprised if they both ate Strawberry Mess in Eton together. Rather scrumptious, with lashings of Ginger Beer, what oh! Berty! and all that!

Shan Doras

Has Dee Forbes's "ONE RTE" plan been scrapped?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122347715#Comment_122347715

Last time I checked it was still all over about.rte.ie

https://about.rte.ie/one-rte/

If it is taken down during the we know …. they are reading … wonder if they have anything to say?

saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122346968#Comment_122346968

Re the reducing headcount wasn't it supposed to be reduced some years ago? It seems that soem staff may have been re assigned to contracting roles (now found to be incorrectly labled) and numbers didn't really reduce at all?

Shan Doras

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122350222#Comment_122350222

Yeah, reducing headcount by several hundred has been in every RTE "plan" for the last 15 years but it never actually happens and that's no wonder when it's always voluntary

Expunge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122347715#Comment_122347715

Yes. It was a crazy HSE style load of cock to begin with.

The running of the four FM radio networks were cast to the wind in different "units", for instance.

New middle managers sprang up all over the place (appointed ultimately by Forbes) and some are quietly heading for the exits now, knowing they will climb no further.

Are they resigning? Of course not!

Leave of absence for now, then they'll see how much of a package they can secure with the VR/ER scheme opens.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122357676#Comment_122357676

Leave of absence? currently, how many managers are on a leave of absence? Are they still being paid?

Shan Doras

I wonder how much "fees" do RTE pay Bebbak Ltd for Dave Fannings services doing weekend rerecord shows on RTE Gold?

Expunge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122357705#Comment_122357705

I have heard of two by name and rumours of some more. Unpaid but not sure.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122357943#Comment_122357943

Any idea what the units were called? was it just in Radio?

Raoul Duke III

Is there any update on how licence fee receipts are holding up? Seeing as we're halfway through the year.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122360566#Comment_122360566

https://www.thesun.ie/money/13357659/tv-licence-fee-rte-scandal-shortfall-80million/

As of June 21, 358,000 out of 1.3million homes eligible under law had paid the €160 charge.

The TD also revealed that 800,000 TV licences were sold last year, which netted RTE €128million in revenue.

retalivity

I got a letter through the post last week about how my address does not have a tv license registered against. I havent had a tv in 10+ years, and submitted a letter to the license people/an post around 2016, this is the first correspondance ive had with the since. Guess that panic has set in and they are casting the net wider now

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122366033#Comment_122366033

Bought a new house back in 2021, the licence letter was originally addressed to previous owner/tenant, so I returned to sender. I put off paying but kept getting the "householder" reminder letter, the week before the scandal I was just about to head to the Post Office to pay for any missing year (I agree with the licence fee and public service broadcasting) but then the scandal hit and I decided not to pay. Since then no letters from the TV Licence section to the house. (I will probably get one in the next week), I won't be paying.

to paraphrase Robert Shortt (RTÉ company secretary and former board member)

However, I ask that we all consider the language we around the licence fee. As we know, it is what we have at the moment and we should take it very seriously. We should take the payment of the licence fee very seriously. I was taken aback by the how RTÉ was spending it to buying a round of drinks in a pub!

Baba Yaga

i was rather dis-gruntled when i saw they were spending it on flip-flops! (and all the rest!!)

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122366586#Comment_122366586

Robert Short is a great collector of Flip-flops, still can understand how he got into the position of Company Secretary ? He sat on the board from 29 May 2018 to 3 November 2024, I wonder what he did not do during that period?

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122367124#Comment_122367124

didnt go into the office? didnt go to board meetings? didnt do much reading either!

Viscount Aggro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120805221#Comment_120805221

Ormond is driving a 150K range rover.

Is he making big money or something?

Doesnt he own a fantastically successful shoe brand called Movrs?

Shan Doras

How will RTE react if Donald Trump is reelected in November? Do you remember when Dee Forbes tried to blame some of RTE's money problems on Trump ? https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1122/833691-communications-media-dail/

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122367909#Comment_122367909

Dee for president

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122367785#Comment_122367785

I'd say Pippa is more the money maker there than Brian. She's got quite a few products she's promoting. And Movr's shut down last year. Went into liquidation. Probably should not have gone into business with Brian… he's not very savvy.
https://www.thephoenix.ie/article/brian-ormond-misstep/

I wonder will the Viper turn up to collect the money owed to the liquidators?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122367909#Comment_122367909

https://www.thesun.ie/tv/13347096/dancing-with-the-stars-new-season-future-fears-rte/

Larry Bass is acting as if folks have amnesia-that the last year or so didn't happen.
He's absolutely clueless. He popped up on The Tonight Show last week I believe… and he started talking about how RTE spend way more money than Virgin media on original programming. Yes, they do - but Virgin media didn't pour money down the drain on flip flops, expensive getaways, a two million euro musical that bombed, and fiddling the books to hide where almost €200, 000 euro went into the pockets of Ryan Tubridy…all while complaining of being under funded. RTE is just a poisoned well.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370164#Comment_122370164

Lar Bar has a role to play, remember when he invited Dee and Leo to DWTCanteen

RoTelly

Surprised to see Irish Times printing a letter berating RTÉ

RTÉ sings its own praises

Marketing hype

I hardly believe that Neighbours, Home and Away, and Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed Britain represent public service broadcasting.Somebody should tell the RTÉ marketing department that these repetitive ill-conceived slogans don’t have any traction with the public – quite the reverse. – Yours, etc,MARTIN BLOCK

Potential printed as he's founded a number of the local Dublin stations and set up 4fm (now Classic Hits).

I think Neighbours is the definition of Pubic Service Broadcasting, I really do, and how dare they ever postpone Home and Away for the Soccer, I don't think they ever got to broadcast that episode of Alf.

JP Liz V1

RTÉ is set to be funded into the future by a mixture of the existing TV licence fee and a "multi-annual" State payment as part of a long-awaited plan set to go to the Cabinet next Wednesday.

The details of the plan were discussed by officials from the Department of Finance, Department of Public Expenditure and Department of Communications, as Taoiseach Simon Harris said there is a "middle way" to resolving the issue.

Government sources have confirmed that, as part of the plan, the existing TV licence fee of €160 will be retained, although they would not clarify if it will continue to be collected in the same way.

In addition, a "multi-annual" stream of funding from the exchequer will also be provided to RTÉ.

titan18

Worst of both worlds really. We still have to pay the licensee fee and RTE are propped up by government money so can continue to be wasteful

Shan Doras

So now RTE will actually have 3 incomes, TV licence, government funding and Advertising

fplfan12345

So when people continue to refuse paying their TV licence as a form of protest the government will just top up the shortfall ?

So why would anyone pay their TV licence ?

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122398687#Comment_122398687

This is why I'd be surprised if they kept the current licence fee system collected by An Post, even if they're going with some form of 'mandatory' charge…

Tow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122397931#Comment_122397931

I wonder how much it costs to run the 'Advertising Department' versus the amount of money it brings in?

hoodie6029

If they don’t have your name and you don’t answer the door to an inspector (which you are under no obligation to) then there is nothing they can do about a licence not being registered at your address AFAIK. I wouldn’t even send the ‘householder’ addressed letters back return to sender. Straight into the bin.

I don’t see their powers to investigate of compel people to get a licence changing in the new legislation. It will still be based around having ‘a television capable of receiving a signal’ which was fine in the 60’s but with so many more options these days, it is completely antiquated.

RoTelly

I assume the top up is to retain the level of the licence fee not to help those not paying (like me :) )

If the new laws given to An Post are to believed then we will have a 100% collection rate.

that would be 288m with around 40 going to CnaM's sound and vision and another 10 going to An Post (prob more because to implement these new super powers An Post will need more money).

RTÉ would ONLY have 238m plus JUST 150m in ad revenue / commercial sales

That's ONLY JUST 388m a year.

The top up then will bring by ONLY 22m giving RTÉ JUST 400m per year.

RTÉ will ONLY JUST be able to provide us with the service we are used to.

Also we are paying (if we pay the tv licence) 4 times: -

1. Licence Fee
2. Tax to the Social Protection Department to pay for the free ones
3. The Top up via Tax
4. Via the products we buy from advertising / any public service announcement on RTÉ

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122368729#Comment_122368729

Put her in the Aras… then we'd know where she is

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122399685#Comment_122399685

that sounds the same as always…instead of saying its a bail-out for rte its a top-up…what a load of shite 💩

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122400109#Comment_122400109

should be in mountjoy…

RoTelly

I had time for Suin Ni R, as chair. I felt she had begun asking questions and brought most of this to light, she was possibly too slow to make it public but in fairness she brought much of this out into the open. However, she seems to forget the good work she did to get this into the public domain and falls back on the supposed issue of the licence fee.

She and Prof Brian MacCraith can, with the help of Dee and Moya, remain Deeply Dissappointed.

Also she says "TG4 is directly funded by the exchequer annually, meaning long-term planning by the Irish-language station is impossible, and there is no certainty about the level of funding, she said."

Wouldn't that be the **** same for RTÉ if it were funded by the Exchequer, now they want to know 5 years in advance as to what they will get.

https://www.irishtimes.com/media/2024/07/20/keeping-rte-licence-fee-would-be-deeply-disappointing-ni-raghallaigh/

SeeMoreBut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122404833#Comment_122404833

I assume she told them how many licence fee payees were used to pay her salary and benefits while working and now towards her pension and lump sum. That’s right. Didn’t think so.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122405946#Comment_122405946

Just to mention that the Chair is not a full time position and that they get about €30k a year, while the other board members get €15k per year excluding the DG who has a salary with RTÉ.

However to me it is a never ending story of asking for more money.

The Norwegian government increased the budget for their public service broadcaster to €501m (ads are not carried) but the broadcaster is still trying to make cuts.

https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/nrk-budget-cuts-sees-downsizing-tough-priorities/

Ireland in a few years time: -

 RTÉ's Director-General said the state budget confirmed the importance of a strong publicly funded public broadcaster and recognised that 2026 would be an “exceptional year”.

However, for 2026 RTÉ will nonetheless “receive a tight financial framework, which, together with abnormally high price and cost growth, means tough priorities,” the public broadcaster said. Irish Times reported that the increased wage and price growth in society, along with an increased employer’s tax, will mean that NRK will have a shortfall of more than €25 million in 2023.

“It has been challenging to save more than 25 million in next year’s budget. All reductions are made with a view to how we can best protect our important mission, audience use and RTÉ's ​​reputation,” The DG said.

There seem to be no wherewithal to stay within budget or to produce low budget content, while at the same time blaming the licence fee for RTÉ current problems.

glenfieldman

Money grabbing cnuts

Fresh clampdown on TV licence fee dodgers in new funding plan for RTÉ - Indo

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122404833#Comment_122404833

probably want to know that so they can plan the pish-ups better and how much to give to the "talent" so the BBC doesnt steal them away! have they(rte)never heard of budgets or even…god forbid…saving money? its just going to be the same ol shite again…

Loafing Oaf

According to this the licence fee has only got a temporary stay of execution and will be phased out within five years in favour of full exchequer funding. Is this what other media coverage is saying?

https://extra.ie/2024/07/21/news/rte-state-funding-plan

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122411256#Comment_122411256

I pretty much guessed this.

It will be interesting to see how much they get in total. Is it going to be capped at 255m a year?

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122411814#Comment_122411814

It's a strange move politically though. If you'ver determined the licence fee has to go eventually why not do it right away, settle the issue, get it off the political agenda rather than have it hanging over the next government, which is looking increasingly likely to be FFG again in some form…

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122411842#Comment_122411842

Because you don't want to deal with the elephant in the room… the mismanagement of RTÉ.

This has moved from the scandal surrounding RTÉ's management to going back to how RTÉ is funded. I mean Dee Forbes could return to RTÉ tomorrow, heck give Moya Doherty they job of DG. It seems to me we should forget about their inability to do their jobs.

Oxo Moran

It's classic FF/FG. There's a scandal. We know who's responsible. They get rewarded and the public gets hammered.

No more quangos, no more golden circle, because the country was bankrupted. Set up Irish Water with plenty of contracts and jobs for the lads.

RTE scandal. All found out. Secure the licence, pledge more money.

Viscount Aggro

I hear they are going to ramp up the surveillance and enforcement of TV licences. They will be getting real tough on fines and convictions.

Property owners will be liable. How's that going to work? Professional landlord, investment funds.. they will add it onto the rent.