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

taratee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122828021#Comment_122828021

As a woman, I resent having to pay it also. Hour after hour of bland rubbish.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122828259#Comment_122828259

There for the two weeks I suppose, jippo.

Beat pounding the streets canvassing one would suggest.

RoTelly

Rehabing RTÉ from the examiner

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/rte-production-unit-paid-out-e46-3m-in-2023-for-hits-like-kin-and-hidden-assets-1694327.html

Here is the source, you will note that the examiner article points to drama as a major part of this €46.3 spend.

https://about.rte.ie/commissioning/annual-reports/

Oddly the report uses images from all of the dramas mentioned but, in their list of dramas they are not mentioned

Hidden Assets 2, The Boy That Never Was (though this was only aired this year), and this years storyland, … which is unusual for the report as these would according to RTÉ come under this years spend?

Mean time total number of hour commissioned of drama is 11.5, the programmes in the glossy AR are clearly not part of this 11.5hours.

Total spend on Drama by the commissioning unit was 3.2m.

While drama and animation was given an additional 23.1m from other sources such as Section 481, Irish Film Board, CnaM etc.

Total spend on "Young People" was 4.2m, much of this would be animation.

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122828259#Comment_122828259

did george and the camera crew fly(business class of course!) or take the green option…?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122830012#Comment_122830012

If you are wondering where George has been,

He left Dublin to London via ferry and train arriving on the morning of Friday the 23rd of August 2024, he detailed it in his jornal saying "the Irish Sea was unusually mild… climate change", he met with Mr. Ryan Tubridy and was interview on Ryan Book club podcast, and even got a mention in Ryan's Diary in the Daily Mail on Sunday. But I won't go into the details

He left London to Suez by Calis and Bridisi (railway and steamer) 7 days

Suez to Bombay also for some reason by steamer 13 days

Bombay to Calcutta railway 3 days

Calcutta to Hong Kong Steamer 13 days

Hong Kong to Yokohama steamer 6 days

Yokohama to San Francisco steamer 22 days

San Francisco to New York rail way 7 days

New York back to London Steamer and Railway 9 days

he then took a flight from London to Buku!

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122830113#Comment_122830113

ffs…near choked on my ham and cheese toastie!!! :D cant see george being in quite the same league as micheal palin for an around the world in 90 days type travel show though!

RoTelly

https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/oliver-callan-wants-more-money-34089273

Bring back The John Murray Show, go back to farming Oliver, O stony grey soil

CliffHangeroner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122828259#Comment_122828259

Trying to scare everyone to death. "This is our last chance, honest"

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122830888#Comment_122830888

RTE should tell Oliver to go fork ( the soil) himself.

Tow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122834560#Comment_122834560

The link to Mirror article also brings up a questionnaire for the 2020 general election!

Oliver is right to look for more money, he has boosted the audience numbers for the show and probably has less staff on his team. Did Tubs not have team of 6/7 researchers to support the show?

Whether RTE should actually pay more is another story, but it appears the purse rings have been loosened since they got the dig out money.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122834629#Comment_122834629

The problem for Olly is that RTÉ were over paying regardless of how many more listeners he has brought into the show. You'd have to at least half Tubs Radio salary and then add a bit for the extra audience. Or simply realize that Radio 1 and its audience are more important than any one presenter.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122834647#Comment_122834647

correct and right!

Is Oliver not on a contract for a period of time and an agreed remuneration for the lifetime of that contract?

A big mistake was made linking presenter pay to that of the DG ,as apparently happened ,thereby setting a target for wannabes to use as a benchmark.

The lad is being overpaid as it is in my ‘umble opinion.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122830113#Comment_122830113

Is George Phileas Fooking Fogg?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122837089#Comment_122837089

With all of this travel RTÉ have a new promo for RTÉ News

amlinopta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122828259#Comment_122828259

And a handy few days in Texas for Paul O'Flynn covering the Katie Taylor fight which RTE aren't even showing.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122839215#Comment_122839215

You think RTÉ sport would make sure that all sports are highlighted, oh look Baku are holding the World Fencing Championships.

Oh the world bowling championship in Ballybackofnowhere … in August… oh well that's unfortunate!

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122839215#Comment_122839215

Looks like the shakkles have been well and truly lifted.

Very surprised to see O’Flynn over there for an event RTE aren’t even showing, as you point out.

odyssey06

More creative minds might have filmed George Lee making his way by train, boat and coach for a programme…

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122839374#Comment_122839374

I'd still be giving out haha

amlinopta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122839364#Comment_122839364

Just the nine available presenters for the 2 minute bulletin on the 6.1 news in Paul’s absence. What do these people do all day or how many days to they work every week?

glenfieldman

FFS, watching Primetime tonight with a outside broadcast with 3 useless politicians and this amateur shambles of a company cannot get the sound right even after near a billion of a bailout

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122839959#Comment_122839959

A very pertinent question Mr A.

Shan Doras

Have any of the political parties said anything about RTE funding/TV licence etc ? Presumably in 3 years time, FF=FG will simply renew the current farcical "hybrid funding model" that they came up with last summer.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122841713#Comment_122841713

The problem isn't just the license fee. To consider all of what goes on in RTÉ as a result of the funding model is to suggest that RTÉ are able or willing to change.

So far this year RTÉ has been given nearly 100m in licence fee revenue

ericzeking

The inspectors are around our estate the past fortnight….a real vote winner.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122842088#Comment_122842088

You need to get video footage of "The Licence inspector in their natural habitat"

Expunge

Mr. Backhurst is incredibly frustrated on the lack of sign off on his redundancy plan………….

Although 100 have left this year through 'natural wastage'

RTÉ redundancy scheme sign-off delay ‘incredibly frustrating’ and costing millions, says Bakhurst – The Irish Times

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122842156#Comment_122842156

Happy for Mr. Bakhurst he doesn't seem to understand that he is in this position because of the mismanagement of RTÉ, they themselves have yet to put forward a plan for the closure of their digital radio stations which the plan to close by the end of the year under their new direction.

https://www.independent.ie/business/media/paschal-donohoes-officials-deny-holding-up-rte-redundancy-plans/a154985968.html

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122842097#Comment_122842097

David Attenborough for that…and for george lees travels too!

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122842294#Comment_122842294

David Attenborough what do you think RTÉ are the BBC … no Derek Mooney will do.

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122842309#Comment_122842309

definitly not the BBC…how bout marty morrissey? :D

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122842341#Comment_122842341

Marty Morrissey has a car and he's going under cover as Mooney narrates a new Documentary "TV Lience Inspectors: Extinction", while George Lee examines how other countries waste money in "80 days around the world on 1250 TV Licence Fees"

Hotblack Desiato

Ministerial delays in approving a voluntary redundancy scheme at RTÉ are “incredibly frustrating” and have added several million euro to the broadcaster’s operating costs this year, director general Kevin Bakhurst told staff on Wednesday.

A recruitment freeze at RTÉ introduced in September 2023 has been lifted, the RTÉ boss also said at the town hall meeting.

Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?

Tow

It is obvious that the money is once again flowing. It will probably remain flowing until the Corporate Tax windfall dries up, forcing the government to make hard decisions. Tighten out belts as CJH would tell us.

Shan Doras

It seems to me that they only pencilled in closing the 4 digital radio services, and the plus 1 TV services to make it look on paper that they were making an effort to downsize. I would also be highly skeptical if the outsourcing of TLLS & Fair city will ever actually happen.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122850507#Comment_122850507

I'd say they are way off on the TLLS/FC plan. You might see FC move but its a huge undertaking. If you go by what RTÉ are suggesting, building works on the land they sold will make it difficult to record FC due to the noise pollution, but … RTÉ built a brand new outdoor set for FC, which would need to be replicated should FC have to move off site, this is a big undertaking for an independent producer, and it would most likely have to be owned and paid for by RTÉ.

RTÉ have put themselves into this position by selling the land in the first place.

As for the digital stations and the +1 channels, the digital stations are due to close at the end of this year, while I think the new direction has the +1 stations down for 2028.

Digital stations to remain on the air into 2025, at this point RTÉ would have to put out a press release to suggest closure of the stations at this point, so unlikely to happen.

RoTelly

So what should we really be expecting from RTÉ in the new year? Well one journalist from the Irish Times as already said that RTÉ won't be able to produce mass amounts of content for the new year and likely we won't see the return on our investment until early if not late 2026. IMO there are a few things that RTÉ should be working on now: -

1. In-house news programming to increase, return of News On 2, with that window on the new News App/RTÉ online service, do we even expect that RTÉ will have their sign on for the RTÉ player read, a new audio app and a new news app ready for the new year, again I suspect the Irish times might say wait until 2026.
2. News output to continue through August.
3. By this stage commissions should have been signed across the board for new programming for 2025. But it is likely that the commission editors are lost and are waiting until 2025 to start their round of funding even though the Government signed off on the bail out a few month back.
4. Closure of their Digital Radio station or even a date for the closure of their digital radio stations, even to have a proposal into the department ready for the new minister to make a decision on the proposal. Again expect this closure around the end of the year with an extension until the launch of the app in mid-2026.
5. Nationwide to run 5 nights a week
6. Today to continue airing through the summer months

These are simple things that won't change under the current management. And the excuse: -

To get these programmes up and running takes time.

RoTelly

And I will leave it at this,

Most political parties want the following : -

1. RTÉ to be funded by the exchequer
2. Increase funding to TG4 with an independent news room
3. With the loss of the license fee that An Post be funded for the exchequer to do other public functions

This is a crazy waste of money

TG4 will now have an expesive News Room, currently at least there is some Economy of Scale having the news room run by RTÉ, secondly RTÉ will continue to have a News Room for RnaG.

RTÉ needs massive reform and it needs to be split up TBH

While An Post over the course of its existence (1986) could never collect the licence fee fully.

We are just paying for nothing.

Shan Doras

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122861686#Comment_122861686

Merging RNAG and TG4 and them sharing a HQ in connemara would be an no branier, but it won't happen due to too many vested interests.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122861954#Comment_122861954

Also RnaG have studios along the west of Ireland, great opportunity for the broadcaster and the west.

It also pushes the plans of RTÉ

By moving RnaG over to TG4, RnaG's funding is from the exchequer making RTÉ a saving of 10m

By moving the NCO over to the NCH funding is also from the exchequer make RTÉ a saving of 7m

jippo nolan

jasus, Tommy Mescal didn’t last long in London!

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122862682#Comment_122862682

I think he is just over for the election no?

Brendan Bendar

George is still over in Baku!!

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122864547#Comment_122864547

He's making his way back via Australia

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122864547#Comment_122864547

hasnt that been going at least a fortnight now?

So him and his crew, which must total at least another 2 people, have been there for 2 weeks, all hotel and food bills picked up by the licence payers. For him to do a 2min report every few days?

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122864855#Comment_122864855

Thats the way it seems NM

RoTelly

They will now spend a million euro a year in governance and auditing because they were unable to do this themselves.

While, breaking their New Direction 2024, RTÉ have made The Young Offenders available on the player, basically mirroring the BBC iPlayer with the show. So any cost savings for 2024 are out the window, mainly I'd say because they are now in profit for the year.

Baba Yaga

id say the enshittification of rte has reached saturation point…

saabsaab

RTE had published details of a reform and new direction a while ago. What has actually been completed since?

z80CPU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122930439#Comment_122930439

A rhetorical question.

Whatever will be will be.