Should RTE sell the RTE Guide ?

Bella Doyle

It apparently still makes a decent profit so would it be a good idea to sell it for a windfall before it's too late ? How much would it fetch ?

expectationlost

Bella Doyle wrote: »

It apparently still makes a decent profit so would it be a good idea to sell it for a windfall before it's too late ? How much would it fetch ?

what would its worth to anyone else? only diminishing returns, when BBC sold it magazine division it had a whole slew of magazines in it.
article on RTE Guide here https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-rte-guide-is-surprisingly-still-going-strong-t3q2zdmfz https://mediasales.rte.ie/solutions/rte-guide/ $

I always wondered why people bought it, did they not buy a paper that has the tv in it? parents only get the RTE guide a xmas,

JTMan

The RTE Guide is a sunset publication, it is in terminal decline via drip drip annual declines as it's audience dies or moves to digital pastures.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations circulation figures for the RTGuide were 61,881 in 2012, 53,695 in 2014, 51,413 in 2015, 48,089 by 2016 and 45,861 in 2017. It is gradually dying.

In the Sunday Times article, they admitted that profits are becoming a struggle.

Should RTE sell it before it becomes unprofitable? or should RTE bleed it dry by hiking the cover price and reducing content size and quality in order to prolong the life of the publication before inevitable death? I would think the latter would be the better strategy.

L1011

Who would buy it? There is a very small pool of Irish magazine publishers, all of which would be able to see the risks with it.

Jellybaby1

We've always bought the RTE Guide because one family member wanted it, and another family member wanted the TV Times, so we buy both! Crazy I know, I'd like to give them up but as we don't buy any newspapers we find we use the TV magazines more. I don't even like the RTE Guide, and a lot of the personalities on the cover I don't even know who they are!

Jay Zee

How is TV Now the poor man's rte guide still going? I never see anybody buying it.

Elmo

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

We've always bought the RTE Guide because one family member wanted it, and another family member wanted the TV Times, so we buy both! Crazy I know, I'd like to give them up but as we don't buy any newspapers we find we use the TV magazines more. I don't even like the RTE Guide, and a lot of the personalities on the cover I don't even know who they are!

They have put a few of international celebrities on the cover only to find sales drop. So they generally stick to well known Irish people. That’s according to their editor, I think I read it in the SBP.

Jellybaby1

Elmo wrote: »

They have put a few of international celebrities on the cover only to find sales drop. So they generally stick to well known Irish people. That’s according to their editor, I think I read it in the SBP.

Its the Irish personalities I don't recognise!

Jay Zee

The biggest mistake RTE ever made was not selling 2fm during the Celtic Tiger years, they could have gotten 100+ million for it .

Prince William

The RTE guide now costs €2.10, you would have thought going over 2 Euro would put a lot of people off buying.

JTMan

Circulation is down from 130,327 in 2002 to 45,861 for 2017. Down about 66%. Some of the decline might be due to price rises but the majority of the decline is probably coming from old people dying and not buying it anymore as well as more and more people getting TV listings online and the migration away from linear TV to streaming.

Dakotabigone

Is Miriam contracted to be on cover for 6 editions per year minimum?

Elmo

Dakotabigone wrote: »

Is Miriam contracted to be on cover for 6 editions per year minimum?

Nuala Carey got that contract

DJIMI TRARORE

JTMan wrote:

Circulation is down from 130,327 in 2002 to 45,861 for 2017. Down about 66%. Some of the decline might be due to price rises but the majority of the decline is probably coming from old people dying and not buying it anymore as well as more and more people getting TV listings online and the migration away from linear TV to streaming.

Are those figures per month or per year

JTMan

Average circulation per issue.

L1011

Also, all reception formats have 7 day EPGs available if you want; except for generic FTA satellite boxes. That has to have cut away over time. In 2002 analogue cable was the main multichannel reception format by a vast margin - ~20 channels and no EPG meant a paper TV guide was a must.

Prince William

It's a thundering disgrace that Larry Gogan isn't on the cover this week to mark his departure from 2fm and to mark the last time his name will be listed in the guide after 58 years.

JTMan

RTE Guide 2018 circulation numbers were released today. 43,195 for 2018. The decline continues. Circulation down from 130,327 back in 2002.

JTMan

RTE have appointed KPMG to look at the future of the RTE Guide. Sale likely. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/montrose-bosses-chew-over-sale-of-beloved-magazine-rte-guide-6w5clkztz

Elmo

JTMan wrote: »

RTE have appointed KPMG to look at the future of the RTE Guide. Sale likely. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/montrose-bosses-chew-over-sale-of-beloved-magazine-rte-guide-6w5clkztz

Yeah bizarre imo but RTÉ are really doing a bad job lately. Audiences down, home produced show cut, news axed, giving license fee to 2fm and so on, why not sell both RTÉ2 and 2fm?

Fat Sean

According to the times Ireland, Enda O'Coineen owner of the sbp is interested in buying the guide. I read through the Guide for the first time in years recently and it's a very poor magazine, even as a tv listings magazine it's really bad, the cable/sat channels are all in small boxes and the layout of magazine is really dull, there are much superior TV listings magazines free with the tabloids on a Saturday.

JTMan

Enda is taking one hell of a risk with this legacy print magazine where sales are collapsing into the sunset.

Layout of the TV listings is not that relevant. Their target market is old people who still watch linear TV and buy the magazine out of habit and don't use the internet.

Jellybaby1

I'm old. So what's the best internet site to give me all the programme listings? I could do with saving the pennies I begrudgingly fork out for the Guide every week.

Elmo

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I'm old. So what's the best internet site to give me all the programme listings? I could do with saving the pennies I begrudgingly fork out for the Guide every week.

For the staff at the RTÉ Guide I refuse to answer that question, I have also written a hand written letter to Mr. Google to not allow any searches on his website to display TV guide.

Jellybaby1

Elmo wrote: »

For the staff at the RTÉ Guide I refuse to answer that question, I have also written a hand written letter to Mr. Google to not allow any searches on his website to display TV guide.

So basically.......ask Mr. Google. Will do.

Elmo

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

So basically.......ask Mr. Google. Will do.

This is why RTÉ are in the state that they are in, people ask Mr. Google willy-nilly, sit down watch Virgin Media News and Buy TV Now if you must!

A Teddy bear

Maybe a silly question but if it's bought by an new owner will it still be called the RTE Guide ?

JTMan

God yes. Brand recognition for the old dears who still buy this legacy print product is key.

A Teddy bear

The 2018 annual report from RTE said that it was a very challenging year for the RTE Guide and that's why they increased the price from €1.90 to 2.10.

A Teddy bear

A Teddy bear wrote: »

The 2018 annual report from RTE said that it was a very challenging year for the RTE Guide and that's why they increased the price from €1.90 to 2.10.

Instead of justifying declining revenue with a price hike, pull it from circulation except for Christmas. A generation or two of nostalgic goodwill would keep an annual publication economically viable.

JTMan

Madness. The RTE Guide should continue to be published weekly until such time as it becomes unprofitable.

Fibromyalgia

I wonder will the sale of the guide be announced as part of the cost-cutting plan by RTE next month?

Atlantic Dawn

Will be interesting if sold will RTE be allowed to promote it on air.

Elmo

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Will be interesting if sold will RTE be allowed to promote it on air.

AFAIK its considered advertising and RTÉ Guide has to pay (as such prob just book them) for ads on RTÉ, could be wrong vaguely remember someone saying this.

Doblin

Any idea what RTE would get for the guide? 5 million maybe?

Zird

Confirmed tonight the guide is for sale

Elmo

Zird wrote: »

Confirmed tonight the guide is for sale

It’s for sale every Wednesday

JTMan

Zird wrote: »

Confirmed tonight the guide is for sale

Link?

duffman13

JTMan wrote: »

Link?

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/1106/1089209-rte-cuts/

Job losses
Closing digital radio stations
Selling the guide all part of a plan to reduce costs

gifted

15% cut for top contracted presenters......should make it a lot more.

Gekko

Axing 200 staff is nowhere near enough

They need to halve the workforce at least, or get it down to where the output is consistent with the number of staff because it sure doesn’t look like 1,800 odd people are doing their best work there

They seem to have 19 press officers for example. A joke

2FM and RTE2 are not sustainable

Nor are all the regional studios

L1011

Gekko wrote: »

Nor are all the regional studios

The running costs on those are going to be negligible or nil - they are nearly all various regional colleges media suites basically. The buildout is a sunk cost already.

Gekko

L1011 wrote: »

The running costs on those are going to be negligible or nil - they are nearly all various regional colleges media suites basically. The buildout is a sunk cost already.

Didn’t realise that. That’s fair enough then

JTMan

RTE have abandoned the sale of the RTE Guide.

The state continue to own this legacy TV listings print basketcase.

BarryD2

JTMan wrote: »

RTE have abandoned the sale of the RTE Guide.

"It is understood the broadcaster received some expressions of interest, but none of them were high enough to make a sale financially worthwhile."

In other words, it has little residual value and the taxpayer may pick up the tab!

Bee Free

There must be more to this announcement than meets the eye, they only announced plans to sell it 3 or 4 weeks ago, so they couldn't possibly have had the time to explore any potential offers.

Gloomtastic!

From the article....

Séamus Dooley, National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Irish Secretary said the union has welcomed the decision.

He said: “The NUJ was opposed to the proposed sale of the RTÉ Guide.

“We were concerned at the implications for employment but also believed that RTÉ should develop the RTÉ Guide rather than dispose of such a flagship publication,” he said.

“The RTÉ Guide has a committed editor and staff who have always been willing to embrace change.

And my bum's a cheesecake! :rolleyes:

Bee Free

The nuj's argument that the guide shouldn't be sold because it's profitable is ridiculous, yes it's profitable now but what about 3 years time, 5 years time ? 10 years time ? Will the guide now inevitably the one day funded by the licence fee like happened to 2fm?

Gloomtastic!

Bee Free wrote: »

The nuj's argument that the guide shouldn't be sold because it's profitable is ridiculous, yes it's profitable now but what about 3 years time, 5 years time ? 10 years time ? Will the guide now inevitably the one day funded by the licence fee like happened to 2fm?

I was working on a b2b magazine and one of the sales guys got a job on the guide. Pension, company car, subsidised lunches, expenses account, a gazillion days holiday. We just drooled.

Jonny one

My guess is that all potential buyers of the guide would have just wanted to buy the name RTE Guide and would not have wanted the staff as part of the package.

Danish Daddy

From today's Irish times. rte has begun its preparations for the festive season by inviting brands to take out advertising space in this year’s Christmas RTÉ Guide amid “challenging” market conditions for the magazine.

The organisation, which remains under a political spotlight following its recent issues, is hoping to drum up advertiser interest in commercial offers including loose inserts placed within the title, sponsorships across its lifestyle section and an opening three-page gatefold.

RTÉ will again work with an Irish illustrator for an original piece of cover art for the “iconic” bumper issue, which will go on sale on December 11th, the offer to advertisers states.

RTÉ’s annual report for 2022, published last week, revealed that the circulation of the RTÉ Guide, Ireland’s top-selling magazine, fell 10 per cent last year in line with the estimated market contraction.