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

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121158483#Comment_121158483

You do not think that these guys just resign. It's usually a negotiated settlement, minimum wound be the outstanding part of the contract. If it was a recurring contract ( where it was rolled over a number of times) then a decent redundancy payment will come into play.

Nobody walks away from jobs like this just because of public opinion

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121169526#Comment_121169526

The event was great, and the two ex RTE employees at the event were Keith Walsh ex 2FM breakfast show jock and Angie Mezzetti ex RTE newsreader.

RTE is seriously fucked, they have already settled 2 or 3 bogus employment claims for €1.8M with many more to come on top of the fines they will have to pay plus they owe banks between €80-€90M.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121171115#Comment_121171115

The employment issue is going way back in RTÉ, this is why I don't really under stand why Eiemer Cusack is still on the leadship team, she'd been in and out of the oirechtas to say she was working on a range of employment issues within RTÉ, which still exists, she is either actively working on this issue, on top of the bogus pay, but their should be at this stage some clear outcome or mission statement from RTÉ at this point.

Questions I would have asked Angie Mazzetti (I'd know her more as a former Continuity announcer, but later on she did news bulletins). What was her pay? What kind of holidays did she have while in RTÉ? and in other words why do RTÉ take a holiday in June, July and August.

For Keith Walsh .... Where you a contractor or an employee? What is his view on 2FM and where it is going? and Does he thinks it deserves the licence fee? What was his contract like and what kind of money was he getting?

I can't image any one in RTÉ or outside of RTÉ explaining the good side of the employment contracts at the broadcaster.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121171962#Comment_121171962

Check your inbox.

political analyst

There's a Late Late Show country music special next week. But I thought RTÉ was moving on from the Tubs era.

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121174897#Comment_121174897

It'll be pre-recorded too. As part of PK's contract with RTE.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121175038#Comment_121175038

How do you know?

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121177028#Comment_121177028

That was mentioned as part of his contract- when the whole Noel Kelly/ RTE payments scandal was revealed. Kielty revealed his contract, his salary, and that 3 shows would be pre-recorded, and that he'd be doing 3 less shows than Tubridy.

I can't find the article, but I'm sure you'll find it with a bit of googling.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121179657#Comment_121179657

The show for at Christmas show ( not the toy show) is going to be pre recorded as well I think

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121174897#Comment_121174897

I'd say they are slightly worried about audience numbers, they reason they introduced these specials.

RoTelly

I miss certain posters on this thread that have disappeared after years of arguing that we need to take a look at what we really want from Public Service Broadcasting.

Have they been scuppered, they've not commented on RTÉ in either the new thread or this.

Surely we now know that RTÉ is rotten to the core and its time for it to be split up.

RoTelly

Dee Forbes 2024 Strategy still going through the motions AERTEL to finish on 12th Oct 2023.

https://about.rte.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RT%C3%89-2024-Web.pdf

So this was the revised stragey so expect or don't the other changes : -

Evolve

• We will move RTE's biggest sporting moments to RTE One
• We will increase investment in live TV moments and big events (e.g. RTE on Climate, Late Late Show Specials)
• We will launch a kids on-demand and digital strategy
• We will evolve the user experience of many of our digital services through mandatory sign in and personalisation

Enhance

• We will enhance our content offering or, RTE Player, with longer windows, improving and investing in the technology, features and functionality
• We will develop our live and on-demand RTE Player product, building towards a more integrated service offering video and audio
• We will create new visualized radio studios
• We will deliver podcasts for a wide variety tastes and interests
• We will offer new RTE experiences and events - music, sport, lifestyle, culture, politics
• We will increase the hours of quality Irish drama

Modify

• The RTE Guide is for sale
• RTE will close its current studio in Limerick in 2020; production of RTE lyric- fm will move to Cork and Dublin
• RTE will continue to provide a mid-west news service in Limerick
• We will close the digital Audio Broadcast network, as well as RTE's digital radio(RTE 2XM, RTE Pulse, RTE Gold, RTEjr Radio & RTE Radio 1 Extra)
• RTE Aertel will cease
• The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra will transfer to The National Concert Hall
• We will develop a new integrated media centre in Donnybrook , investing in new digital infrastructure

Reduce

• We need to reduce projected costs by 60 million over three years (2020-2023).
• in addition to the reduction of 23% delivered between 2008 and 2018
• We need to reduce the foes paid to our top contracted on-air personalities , by15%, in addition, to the 30+% cuts as agreed in previous years
• We need to reduce staff costs we will consult with staff and unions 011 a number of initiatives, to including pay freeze, tiered pay reductions, review of benefits, and work practice reforms
• The Executive Board will take a 10% reduction in pay; the Board of RTE will waive its fees
• We need to achieve a staff headcount reduction of c. 200 in 2020

of the 22 I have bolded those that they achieved, you will note the last one was temporary.

This was published in 2019 of the 5 they achieved, 2 required government action AERTEL and the NSO, and one has been reversed. That's the second last one on the list.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121184867#Comment_121184867

Just managementspeak from a bunch of overpaid mediocrities. Had RTE been properly run most of them would not have been in their jobs and certainly not at the salaries they were given.

Didn't Forbes cut kids broadcasting?

As for RTE Player, that's got to be a joke, right?

Anyone looked at the GDPR ramifications of this: "We will evolve the user experience of many of our digital services through mandatory sign in and personalisation"?

Forbes doesn't seem to have been a success. Without the licence fee and repeated bailouts, RTE would not have survived. Now, it wants a 56 million Euro bailout to keep on failing.

Regards...jmcc

RoTelly

Didn't Forbes cut kids broadcasting?

She could always argue her predecessors cut children's programming in 2016, though she continued in 2017.

Gen.Zhukov

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121184305#Comment_121184305

Ah no he's still around alright. Kept the head down for 10 weeks or so but has reemerged and is popping up in all the old places...Radio/TV where RTE and everyone that appears on RTE are fantastic - Avoids this and the RT thread though, too much 'blood in the water' to join in here. Thing is, we were all guessing (educated and ultimately vindicated) at the state of the place, but they were so much closer to the action

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121186875#Comment_121186875

Funny the day before all this happened I posted to see, how people on the fence or in defense of RTÉ felt about Dee Forbes tenure as she leaves. It's a pity I didn't post it a week sooner, but sure.

Loafing Oaf

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

So SF have finally come to heed my wisdom

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/mary-lou-mcdonald-direct-exchequer-funding-for-rte-should-replace-the-licence-fee/

I reckon this will nudge the government to get their own plans into gear, as kicking the issue into the long grass yet again will surely lead to the adoption of this model, which M Martin in particular seems dead against, if SF are leading the next government

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/micheal-martin-expresses-genuine-concern-over-potential-exchequer-funding-of-rte/

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195864#Comment_121195864

SF don't give a shoite as long as it's popular.

Thankfully MM is more responsible.

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195864#Comment_121195864

If they cannot be sustainable through the licence fee then they should not be in existence - they have a budget set by the licence fee and other commercial avenues but they still continue to spend beyond their income and have for years now and go to the government with a begging bowl.

This should have been stopped years ago - any bailout is an approval of them doing no wrong. This isn't the HSE etc where money has to be provided else the sh*t hits the fan, this is a non essential service that is sucking the blood from the public

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195887#Comment_121195887

Is direct exchequer funding guaranteed to be popular?

Seems to me the purely populist move is to keep their heads down until the government announces its plan then absolutely hammer it without specifying what they would do instead...

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195887#Comment_121195887

SF are waiting in the not-so-long-now grass to give RTE a good kicking over perceived slights going back decades even to the Section 31 days (as if RTE could choose whether to obey the law or not) so for me this is the same as the Tories in the UK talking about abolishing the licence fee there

We can and do all complain about RTE (same as they do in the UK about the BBC) but public sector broadcasting is an essential part of a developed democracy and society, it can't have the government of the day dangling a sword of Damocles over it if it broadcasts something it doesn't like.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121196654#Comment_121196654

I don't see direct exchequer funding as a mechanism for 'giving RTE a kicking'. Seems to me it would bolster pubic service broadcasting more than any of the other proposed funding models.

Hotblack Desiato

Depends entirely on the funding level which they can change on a whim and/or hold conditional to certain rocks not being looked under.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121196916#Comment_121196916

But presumably an SF-led government would be increasing public spending left, right and centre. If they were carrying on like that with RTe it would stick out like a sore thumb and make it blatantly obvious what they were up to.

Anyway any funding model for RTE would ultimately be under the control of the government of the day. If SF wanted to undermine RTE they could just as easily use the licence fee for that purpose.

RoTelly

If it is direct exchequer funding the organization need to be disbanded and split. Just handing RTÉ with or without conditions is irresponsible. With conditions will they meet them? and for how long?

Television moves to FÍS ÉIREANN | SCREEN IRELAND

FÍS 1 (RTÉ ONE)

FÍS 2 (RTÉ2)

FÍS Player (Replacing RTÉ Player)

FÍS 1 +1

FÍS 2 +1

Radio with 2RN (Networks and Studios)

2RN (replacing RTÉ Radio 1)

2FM

2OR (Replacing RTÉ Gold)

2XM

2PL (Replacing RTÉ Pulse)

2CAST (Replacing RTÉ Radio Player and Podcasting)

Radio and television with TG4 (Along with TG4, TG4 +1 and CULA4)

4JR (RTÉjr | English Language Children's TV from TG4)

RG4 (replacing RTÉ RnaG)

CULA4jr (Replacing RTÉ Radio Jr mix of Irish and English)

Radio RiRa (Replacing RTÉ Chill)

Radio with National Concert Hall (Concert Orchestra moves to the NCH also)

Lyric (Replacing RTÉ Lyric FM)

Lyric Stream (A streaming service for the NCH and Orchestras)

Radio and Television with NMN (Nuacht na Mean | Media News providing news to FÍS, TG4 and Lyric)

NMN (replacing the RTÉ News Channel, News from FÍS and TG4, with a mix of European International news programming)

300NMN Radio (Replacing RTÉ R1 Extra, News from 2RN, RG4 and Lyric, with a mix of European International news programming)

NMN NOW (access to all NMN news and pod casts across online via the app etc)

Remove Government interference. The Funding comes from an extra tax on all telecommunciation usage, you have a broadband bill, Mobile Bill, Apple +, Now TV etc you see an extra charge CnaM Culture Fund. It is set by the CnaM and ComReg, the charge would be tiny across all bills and would also be applied to businesses who would not be able to claim it back. This would reduce the burden for all users.

Initial total value of €300m.

Total market revenue for q2 2023 is 910,000,000 meaning 8% CnaM Tax on just telecommunications, excludes subscriptions to online services such as netflix so you could bring this down further. Also CnaM may decide just 200m.

jmcc

The problem with taxing telecommunications is that many people pay multiple bills. Why should I have to pay for a shower of incomptent and wasteful gits in RTE management that continually lose money when I already pay for Netflix and other services? Would it bother anyone to see the commercial arm of RTE spun out with these people having to survive in the real world with salaries set at fair market value? As for Tubridy, the payments should be recovered from the salaries, pay-offs and pensions of those involved in that mess. Ditto for Toy Show The Musical. The PAC and Media Committee also need to compel Forbes and Jennings to appear.

Regards...jmcc

political analyst

There is no continuity announcer giving programme-specific introductions on RTÉ One this evening - it's just "This is RTÉ One".

retalivity

Is Dee still sick? Is she in a coma or intensive care? Wish i could get a sick cert for 4 months and counting...

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121199552#Comment_121199552

Don't think she needs a cert when she has no job.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121198143#Comment_121198143

No need to reinvent the wheel. TV licience, any inhabited dwelling has to pay it. Revenue collect similar to property tax except they collect it from the house residents