RTÉ to cease DAB broadcasting

marno21

As many countries around Europe shut down FM in favour of DAB, RTÉ are to cease DAB transmissions

https://twitter.com/johnkennymedia/status/1192217803295731713

Harry Palmr

Well it shouldn't be up to RTE to run DAB but as they do it's weird that they'll look to save a small amount here while leaving 2FM untouched (bar a few salaries cut) and keeping all the orchestras. Though I suppose the answer here is that DAB has no "friends" the orchestras do

Ursus Horribilis

I'm not surprised DAB is going, seeing as it was barely there in the first place. When did anything of note happen with the network? There has continued to be large swathes of the country which didn't even get a whiff of a signal. Internet radio will probably supersede it, though I know that's not always ideal.

Some of these cuts don't make much sense. They look good for optics. Were RTE Gold, 2XM et al really costing that much to run? They're low hanging fruit that'll fill paragraph spaces in reports. Why 2FM is seemingly impervious to all these cuts is beyond me. The station is losing money and doesn't have a hope in hell of ever recapturing the glory days of the 80s and 90s. The only thing that makes it different to the Spins and iRadios of this world are the generous salaries for its presenters.

The orchestras shouldn't be under RTE's umbrella in the first place.

AwaitYourReply

Oh, the devil's in the detail of the press release I imagine.
RTÉ Limerick Studios to close which will be a bitter blow for the Mid-West region and current Lyric fm radio base.
I gather that RTÉ Cork TV/Radio studios are safe albeit for now as no reference to these facilities closing.
Interesting that TV Sport is moving over to RTÉ One TV - Sport on RTÉ television has tended to be prioritised on RTÉ 2 since Network 2 was relaunched back in 1988. I wonder if RTÉ 2 is being prepared for sale/closure in years to come due to changes in viewing habits?
RTÉ Gold overnight programme strand on RTÉ Radio 1 will soon be a thing of the past?
Larry Gogan's Golden Hour currently at lunchtime on RTÉ Gold - Will it return to 2FM or go to Radio 1 or be axed altogether?
Will Leahy, Rick O'Shea & others all gone following closure of RTÉ Gold?

Zird

These cuts are actually very sensible, Dab is a waste of time now as it's 15 years too late. RTE gold is a waste of money as it's only available terrestrially in 3 cites which already have independent stations for the 35s+ market. Lyric moving to Dublin is also sensible as stand alone radio studios are actually very rare these days, communicorp in recent years have moved all their Dublin based stations into Marconi house.

Ursus Horribilis

It wouldn't surprise me if RTE retains something a lot smaller in Limerick. Or it opts to share the space with one of the universities or something like that.

I agree with you about RTE2 being prepared for sale/closure in the future. I don't know how that station can survive long term TBH. We all know that the kids don't watch broadcast TV in the way we did. RTE2's viewing figures could yet fall off a cliff. In an ideal world, a better RTE1 with quality programming and less filler crap would be what I'd like to see but that isn't going to happen. But I could easily see RTE reverting back to one station.

The closure of RTE Gold will probably signal the end of Larry Gogan's radio career. That station served as a bit of a dumping ground for presenters who no longer belonged on 2FM but couldn't go to Radio 1 either. I suppose the others will suffer different fates, depending on what their terms and conditions are.

AwaitYourReply

Zird wrote: »

These cuts are actually very sensible, Dab is a waste of time now as it's 15 years too late. RTE gold is a waste of money as it's only available terrestrially in 3 cites which already have independent stations for the 35s+ market. Lyric moving to Dublin is also sensible as stand alone radio studios are actually very rare these days, communicorp in recent years have moved all their Dublin based stations into Marconi house.

According to The Irish Times article, RTÉ Lyric fm will instead operate from both Cork & Dublin and will be "much reduced" in size. Not sure if RTÉ can justify RTÉ 2fm in it's present form as it may have slowed down the massive audience losses after many years but it is unlikely to have a bright future for it's target demographic given changing trends.

Source:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/rt%C3%A9-planning-200-job-cuts-and-15-per-cent-pay-reduction-for-top-presenters-1.4074889

AwaitYourReply

Radio section on the Saorview digital terrestrial tv platform will appear very empty after all those RTÉ Digital only stations cease broadcasting - ending up with only the following Radio Stations:

RTÉ Radio 1,
RTÉ 2fm,
RTÉ RnaG,
RTÉ lyric fm
Radio Maria International

Today fm, Newstalk 106-108 and Classic Hits and others should be facilitated to the Radio section of the Saorview platform just like Virgin Media TV channels portfolio and TG4 are on TV section of Saorview.

lertsnim

DAB never made it to here so no loss to me. I do however listen to RTE Gold on Saorview so I will miss that.

Agreed on other channels like Classic Hits being on Saorview.

RabbleRouser2k

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1192212832122810368

Apparently Dee Forbes was supposed to reveal all this this week. But due to Gay Byrne's passing, they delayed it until next week-but it got leaked.
(The Link above has a thread)

10 percent pay cut to the top brass, 15 percent to top on air presenters. 200 Jobs cut, RTE Guide to be sold off. And the most surprising to me-Aertel to be shut down.
I didn't even realise that was still going. I thought when RTE went digital only, that was killed off in 2012. That must have been a massive money loser for it.

Apparently they're going to put more money into online content and introduce username and password login to the RTE player. (Considering how crap the RTE website is-I'd see this as a loss making decision).

Sports events will be moved to RTE 1, including GAA. (Are RTE trying to kill off RTE2? Such a shame... but then I watch that channel once a month, barely. Sports was all it had.).

Of course, the statement (by RTE) has a number of digs at politicians and the government.

Moya Doherty, who was on the Gay Byrne tribute Tuesday Night has criticised both RTE and the Government. And Communicorp not taking to DAB is probably why RTE found little success with it.

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1192225958494953473

ford fiesta

RTE Gold is the best music station in Ireland...apart from the perm staff there, it costs little to run. I'll miss it.

ford fiesta

I hope RTE Radio 1 continue to provide an overnight Gold music service

kazoo106

DAB never made it here because RTE's attempt (since January 2006) has been utter rubbish, with absolutely no promotion of the platform whatsoever.

The sites enabled for DAB (Three Rock, Kippure, Woodcock Hill, Clermont Carn and Cork) have argueably provided good coverage for the last 10+years in the major urban centres, but ask anyone on the street what is DAB and they usually come back with a blank epression thinking it has something to do with the Internet !!

RTE should have rolled this out on every site and promoted the s**t out of it

Expect a backlash similar to 252 if listening to Will Leahy's texts this morning is anything to go by

It's also good to see a choice starting to appear on DAB with the advent of the Free-DAB service, this will be a very interesting one to watch as they expand before the end of the year to other cities and towns across the country - I wish them luck, pity RTE could not see the potential here.

Ursus Horribilis

DAB was always going to be a hard sell. When TV went digital, there was an obvious upgrade. What does DAB do that FM doesn't? We never got to see this much vaunted extra choice. Some of the stations broadcast in a frequency that sounded utterly shyte to my ears anyway. Unless someone lives in an area with no broadband, they can access their music elsewhere.

flazio

Is there any indication as to when the shutdown will happen?

RabbleRouser2k

ford fiesta wrote: »

RTE Gold is the best music station in Ireland...apart from the perm staff there, it costs little to run. I'll miss it.

Maybe it is-but it has an extremely limited audience. People driving in their cars can't access it, and unless you live in Dublin, Cork, or Limerick-you won't get it either.

Apparently Lyric Fm is still up in the air-it could close down, or it could remain open. Nobody has a definitive answer to that.

The presenters, I imagine, will be fine-it's the people behind the scenes who are in trouble.

Zird

kazoo106 wrote: »

DAB never made it here because RTE's attempt (since January 2006) has been utter rubbish, with absolutely no promotion of the platform whatsoever.

The sites enabled for DAB (Three Rock, Kippure, Woodcock Hill, Clermont Carn and Cork) have argueably provided good coverage for the last 10+years in the major urban centres, but ask anyone on the street what is DAB and they usually come back with a blank epression thinking it has something to do with the Internet !!

RTE should have rolled this out on every site and promoted the s**t out of it

Expect a backlash similar to 252 if listening to Will Leahy's texts this morning is anything to go by

It's also good to see a choice starting to appear on DAB with the advent of the Free-DAB service, this will be a very interesting one to watch as they expand before the end of the year to other cities and towns across the country - I wish them luck, pity RTE could not see the potential here.

In reality the only people listening to RTE Gold are anoraks and friends/family of the DJs. You're available John & Mary have never even heard of it.

odyssey06

Zird wrote: »

In reality the only people listening to RTE Gold are anoraks and friends/family of the DJs. You're available John & Mary have never even heard of it.

Or anyone able to operate the radio function on their Virgin Media digital connection.

loyatemu

a lot of this sounds like tinkering around the edges - how has 2FM avoided the chop (or selloff)?

Tenshot

Very sad to hear DAB is going; I got a DAB radio when I upgraded my car last year and I've been listening to it almost exclusively ever since.

The sound quality is very noticeably better than FM, and I really enjoyed the additional stations (Gold, Extra, +1). I'd love to know exactly how much they will save by shutting it down.

Declan A Walsh

It's ironic that only last Sunday I was having a conversation with some friends about RTE Gold!

Nerdlingr

RTE Gold is the only radio station I listen to nowadays. Have it on in the office the whole time. Will be sad to see it go.

Harry Palmr

DAB channels are on saorview so might RTE actually spot an opportunity to seek applications to fill the vacant DTT bandwidth with DO'B FM, the various big Dublin stations, Red FM etc?

StreetLight

The Government are to blame for a lot of this debacle. For years, ministers sat on their hands, rubber-stamping endless 'tests' and depriving RTE of advertising revenue on the DAB-only stations.

If RTE want to throw in the towel, then FreeDAB should be allowed step in and given licences immediately for a nominal fee.

Trick of the Tail

It's the independent sector's fault that DAB hasn't so far been a success here, as the BAI have had their finger up their ar$e about it, as the IBI stations have indicated their distaste for any competition that other services would bring.

The only way DAB would work (and I think it would, and should work) is if it provides extra services from more niche broadcasters not owned or controlled by the big boys.

It's a retrograde step by RTE to close it, although maybe 2rn might now offer the muxes for rental to other companies.

If they do though, no doubt the cost would be too high for independent ops, and it'd be Communicorp and Newsgroup who'd run them.

Which would be a pity.

There are other, far more unworthy, areas of expenditure that RTE could dispose of, like Lyric, 2FM, and orchestras. Oh, and sell Montrose and move to somewhere smaller and cheaper.

JoeA3

loyatemu wrote: »

a lot of this sounds like tinkering around the edges - how has 2FM avoided the chop (or selloff)?

Agreed. It screams of tokenism. The RTE Guide, Aertel, DAB... FFS, surely these are all small fish compared to the likes of 2FM which has become utterly pointless. I can't be the only one that thought Aertel was gone years ago and the last time I saw the RTE guide was probably Christmas time of more than a decade ago. I can't see these cuts saving them a whole pile.

Sell off the utterly pointless 2FM and put Gold on the FM band.

Trick of the Tail

Licensing FreeDAB or other small-scale mux ops is a different thing. Of course that should happen, but the IBI stations have told the BAI they don't want the competition that would bring, so the BAI won't do it.

It's the DAB muxes that RTE have been using (probably owned by 2rn) that interest me.

I bet 2rn will offer the network to the likes of Communicorp.

StreetLight wrote: »

If RTE want to throw in the towel, then FreeDAB should be allowed step in and given licences immediately for a nominal fee.

webwayz

DAB never took off, no extra services to incentivise moving from FM or from online radio or streaming services on your mobile. The lack of recievers was also a barrier, why buy a new "radio" for a limited number of niche stations.
2RN should be the sole manager of DAB and DTT, and have additional services.

if Saorview doesnt develop to have additional stations, it will just be Netflix/Apple/BritBox/Disney/YouTube/Amazon.

Declan A Walsh

Firstly, in relation to Aertel, I was aware that it was still available. My parents, who would not be very IT literate, use it to check flight information. Up to a few years ago (and more recently than 2012!) , I did as well as it was very handy!

Secondly, in relation to the main thread topic, after all the RTE digital stations are gone, Virgin Media's digital selection on the tv will consist of the terrestrial RTE stations, all the commercial Dublin stations, Today FM, Newstalk, the BBC digital selection, a couple of religious-oriented stations and Galway Bay FM. Virgin Media's selection had already been getting smaller but this decision is going to make it even more limited.

AwaitYourReply

kazoo106 wrote: »

DAB never made it here because RTE's attempt (since January 2006) has been utter rubbish, with absolutely no promotion of the platform whatsoever.

The sites enabled for DAB (Three Rock, Kippure, Woodcock Hill, Clermont Carn and Cork) have argueably provided good coverage for the last 10+years in the major urban centres, but ask anyone on the street what is DAB and they usually come back with a blank epression thinking it has something to do with the Internet !!

RTE should have rolled this out on every site and promoted the s**t out of it

Expect a backlash similar to 252 if listening to Will Leahy's texts this morning is anything to go by

It's also good to see a choice starting to appear on DAB with the advent of the Free-DAB service, this will be a very interesting one to watch as they expand before the end of the year to other cities and towns across the country - I wish them luck, pity RTE could not see the potential here.

I would have to share many of your observations except there was one huge problem that RTÉ seemed to have (i.e.) From what I understand they were NOT allowed to generate any commercial advertising whatsoever for any of their Digital-Only stations which must have affected it's ability to further develop and promote their DAB service which was on an endless trial in certain areas for many years. The same has been the case with tv channels like RTÉ News Now and RTÉjr for younger audiences. More cuts will follow I suspect as there are services that are surplus to their core essential requirements in my view.

What is the whole point of the RTÉ News Now channel as it's on a repeat loop most of the time and anything special will be simulcast with RTÉ One anyway. Apart from Late News Extra on Friday nights on RTÉ One tv, you won't catch any RTÉ News bulletins on any RTÉ television after the 9 O'Clock news finishes which is fine if there is current affairs programming scheduled for later that evening but this is not always the case.

Zird

Every gobshote politician will be out criticizing these cuts (A la Lw 252 ) even though, they have sat on their hands & done nothing but restrain RTE the past decade. E G RTE wanted to show adult programs on RTE 2 during the morning/early afternoon to bring in a few € in advertising but were refused due to lobbying by TV3.