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

larchielads

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120805779#Comment_120805779

There Norfolkin chance of that

iseegirls

Virgin Media One showing it live tomorrow, dedicating 5 and half hours to it.

https://twitter.com/VirginMediaNews/status/1678440733894746113?t=1eKrD7MK_r097Hdi4nloLw

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120832644#Comment_120832644

I have it set to be recorded on both channels. Personally, I want to see how VM1 analyse things. And many of those reporting on it aren't represented by NKM, so hopefully we'll see an unbiased reporting of the coverage.

I have a feeling Tubridy will do a John Delaney and dig a further hole for himself, or we'll see him consulting with his solicitor every 5 minutes. He's gonna act like he's JFK's cousin, or some thing.

WealthyB

Surprised this hasn't had a mention yet

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41179438.html

Asked his views on reform of the TV license, Mr Varadkar said the current system needs to be overhauled.

“It’s a really old-fashioned way of collecting revenue based on ownership of a TV, a device that many people just don’t have anymore and almost all the money goes to RTÉ even though there are many other bodies involved in broadcasting outside public service broadcasting.

“So I think reform of the TV licence is long overdue and I want that to happen during this Government.

Guess they'll be dusting off either Pat Rabbitte's or Dennis Naughten's previous bills to implement what will be a despised "broadcast tax". Electoral suicide at this time IMO...

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120833138#Comment_120833138

Well as its unlikely that Catherine Martin will be re-elected or if she is that she would remain as a minister following the next election she probably should start it, though Pat who? Dennis who?

So I read Mr Tub's statement before hearing him read it, what a complete and utter plank, the acting was ... oscar winning.

But great to see Breda O'Keeffee's comeuppance, she preformed well up to ... RTÉ was and is so important to me ... and why would I no about everything spending there some much going on... but I made sure I had a €25 car allowance!

AndyBoBandy

Remember when this thread was the go to place to be for the anti RTÉ chat and discussion.... you know, before the Thanos 'snap'

Any word from Dee anyway? I hope she's recovering well.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120842477#Comment_120842477

Yeah everyone has got on board with their own threads, we just rest assured that for the last 7 years we had the right all along :)

Dee is ill.

Moya can't make it darling.

Breda is OOO (Out Of Obnoxiousness)

Should the name of this thread not change?

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120842934#Comment_120842934

Yeah just append it with "...while paying everyone under the table, having champagne parties, flying the staffs families around the world and losing millions on vanity projects" - you could go on and on

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120843050#Comment_120843050

But do you think the poll would ever start working?

briany

Let's suppose for a second that RTE were to undergo a major restructuring and one big change was shifting to a licence-only model of funding and that the licence stayed the same - what would have to change at RTE to make this work, or is it actually just unfeasible all round?

You would say, for a start, to cap all presenters' wages. OK, fair enough. But there are also a large number of other staff working for the organisation in various capacities, and at least some of these are union members who aren't necessarily going to stand for being paid a cost-saving wage, nor necessarily should they. Collective bargaining to get the best terms is part of what being in a union is all about.

So, let's say RTE pares down both the staff numbers and the range of services it offers in order to accommodate this new model of funding - what goes, and what stays?

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120843122#Comment_120843122

Let's start a new one, might be a little different this time around...

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120843235#Comment_120843235

Licence Fee only on TV means all ad revenue going to UK opt-out channels with VMTV taking up a little bit more but when you consider that RTÉ and VMTV and opt out account for 70% of ad revenue and VMTV, opt-outs and non-opt-outs have the same level then VMTV is left where it is.

On the other hand Radio would just move towards National and local services, but you would have to put real regulations on spend on them, Local Radio would have to radically transform, even today it get away with an awful lot of bad programming dressed up as News and Current Affairs.

The Licence Fee does 2 things

1. It gives the audience a relationship with the broadcaster, you remove this everyone forgets they still pay for the service
2. It prevents cuts either politically or on economic grounds. TG4 is a good example for 2 reasons (1. Its late establishment in the 1990s it wasn't politically important and 2. cuts given to the service from 2011 to 2018 due to the down turn in the economy)

If you were to reform the commerical side of RTÉ you'd consider the following

1. Remove ads from Radio
2. Remove Sponsorship from TV programmes
3. Only allow ads during programming that is more than 45mins long, with an exemption for drama funding by RTÉ to the value of X.

But unfortunately RTÉ is flooded with staff, what do they do?

1. RTÉ is coming towards its annual summer break, how did they get it so good? or why do they all take their holidays in August
2. Over costing programming: e.g. The Today Show on RTÉ TV possible costs 3 times the cost of Ireland AM and produces less programmes
3. Can you reassign staff to programming making duties?

Hotblack Desiato

But it's politicians who set the licence fee anyway, that's why it hasn't been increased in years.

kneemos

Think I prefer the direct link that the license fee provides. Otherwise they get a free pass if it's direct funding. It would turn into an even bigger money pit.

Must be a cheaper more equitable and inclusive method of collecting it though.

Hotblack Desiato

I certainly wouldn't trust RTE to operate efficiently with direct exchequer funding, but we can't trust them to operate efficiently with the existing model either...

I think there's a lot to be said for a slimmed down RTE with no or minimal commercial funding.

retalivity

Make Rte produce news, current affairs, sport and culturally relevant programs only. Bin all the other crap. Bin all the staff who have nothing to do with the above - Fair City, im looking at you.

Sell the site at montrose for hundreds of millions. Invest the proceeds in a much smaller site somewhere cheaper outside the canals - swords, or tallaght or ballmount etc.

Invest the rest of the proceeds of the land sale in regional studios - cork, galway, sligo, athlone etc.

Cap salaries.

Scrap the license fee.

Fund the new rte from exchequer, with transparent costing of everything - no black hole of money.

Make grants/bursaries available to indigenous filmmakers/content producers who can then deliver to rte.

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844278#Comment_120844278

Half their income comes from commercial funding,it would be a very slimmed down service. They could certainly dump some of the fat though.

Have no problem with commercial funding,the BBC get it from selling their programmes worldwide.

Iecrawfc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844300#Comment_120844300

Half the problem is the muddying between commercial and public service in RTE, with VM or newstalk if they pay a presenter 200K they are making a commercial decision that they bring in viewership to support that, with RTE its like here is a wedge of cash do with it what you like, to distort the advertising market, abuse monopoly position and overpay a golden circle of people...surely they can run the operation with a separate set of books for commercial to public services, thus no paying of Turbrity, Lottie Ryan out of license fees unless their output is justified as PSB...get broadcasters to bid for public service programmes, why can't TG4 or VM bid for license money if they can make programmes which qualify.

AndyBoBandy

Didn't we see a figure somewhere before that they are paying the guts of €30m a year for imported content?

Yeah, that would be first on my list to go....

They pay the BBC for Eastenders and show it at the exact same time the BBC show it..... Anyone in Ireland in 2023 who can't access BBC television shouldn't have a TV. The BBC must be laughing their arses off at this 'free money', because they know everyone in Ireland has easy access to the BBC anyway...

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844926#Comment_120844926

I think EastEnders might be one of their most viewed shows.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844969#Comment_120844969

Well it wouldn't be hard to be one of their most watched shows as its not like the 90% of everything else they show which is a repeat of something.... it's actually original....

And if it is one of their most watched shows, and generates a lot of ad revenue, I still don't see how thats vital to public broadcasting in Ireland...

It might generate enough ad revenue to pay for itself.... so it won't be missed if they get rid of it then,,, lost ad revenue, but not paying a fortune for it in the first place...

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844969#Comment_120844969

Folks just love watching the Rté version for that Ad break in the middle since the BBC are so inconsiderate, not thinking of their hunger, thirst or incontinence.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120844969#Comment_120844969

Is it? Over the years its never been as popular as Coro St was when it was on RTÉ ONE, though soaps are way down at the moment. And does it matter that it is one of their most popular shows it was once one of TV3's most popular shows.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120845083#Comment_120845083

There was a time when a half hour import would not have an ad break on RTÉ, except for Home and Away.

Nationwide is only a decade into having an ad break. Oh I could be wrong about this.

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120845800#Comment_120845800

That's the value of Brand Loyalty everyone fights so hard to achieve.

Folk will sit through an ad break rather than switch over.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120845823#Comment_120845823

So good that people sit thought EastEnders!

Hotblack Desiato

Doesn't anybody use PVRs?!?!

Ads, what are they? 🤣

WealthyB

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/tv-licence-fee-likely-to-be-replaced-by-revenue-collected-broadcast-charge-for-all-public-service-outlets-in-wake-of-rte-pay-scandal/a453926803.html

Unbelievable. The noises from Varadkar last week were a sounding board it appears. And with Revenue proposed to deduct from source, evasion would be nigh on impossible.

A law that'd only kick in under the next Shinner Coalition Government however means this might never make it off the ground. We live in hope.

kneemos

Good look collecting the License Fee if it's getting scrapped next year.

If all public service broadcasting is going to get a slice of the License Fee you'd wonder what the point of RTE is.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120853966#Comment_120853966

Even though they haven't declared their hand on this I suspect the Shinners may come out in favour of direct exchequer funding as it is more 'progressive' than a household charge. Their former colleague Peadar Toibin is already calling for that.

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/07/08/varadkar-will-keep-paying-tv-licence-but-says-reform-of-funding-is-long-overdue/

Peadar Tóibín of Aontú told the show that the party would scrap the licence fee and fund RTÉ through taxation.

WealthyB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120854106#Comment_120854106

Agreed - Direct exchequer funding is one thing, a new catch-all Broadcast Tax is another thing entirely. Let's hope it's the former and not the latter.