RTÉ announce restructuring plans [MOD WARNING POST #5 PLEASE READ]

BrianD3

Aertel is one of the best things that RTE do and is actual public service broadcasting. And no, I'm not a pensioner or a "gombeen" rural politician. I was thinking recently about how I spend much more time reading Aertel (WST on Sky) than watching actual programmes on RTE. E.g. this morning it was a choice between Aertel or some utter rubbish "My Kitchen Rules Australia". Vacuous, imported, reality TV nonsense and probably a repeat also.

Elmo

There was an awkward moment between the two women when Ms Forbes invited Ms Doherty to join the question panel alongside the executive board but she refused and remained in her chair.

Maysa07 wrote: »

Sorry, what do you mean?

What's happening?

Zird

BrianD3 wrote: »

Aertel is one of the best things that RTE do and is actual public service broadcasting. And no, I'm not a pensioner or a "gombeen" rural politician. I was thinking recently about how I spend much more time reading Aertel (WST on Sky) than watching actual programmes on RTE. E.g. this morning it was a choice between Aertel or some utter rubbish "My Kitchen Rules Australia". Vacuous, imported, reality TV nonsense and probably a repeat also.

Goombeen politicians use every cut RTE announce as an opportunity to bash RTE and the minister of the day. If RTE were discontining the pony express they'd be complaining about it. FF were giving out yesterday that the minister was killing RTE by not doing anything fast enough to tackle licence fee evasion, even though their most recent policy is divert any fees collected from licence fee evasion to local radio and local newspapers 🙄. As for aertel, I can't imagine closing it will save much, it's a shame that RTE don't put a figure on at least some of the cost cutting plans.

SPDUB

Zird wrote: »

Goombeen politicians use every cut RTE announce as an opportunity to bash RTE and the minister of the day. If RTE were discontining the pony express they'd be complaining about it. FF were giving out yesterday that the minister was killing RTE by not doing anything fast enough to tackle licence fee evasion, even though their most recent policy is divert any fees collected from licence fee evasion to local radio and local newspapers ��. As for aertel, I can't imagine closing it will save much, it's a shame that RTE don't put a figure on at least some of the cost cutting plans.

Philip Boucher Hayes on Drivetime said he was told that the saving in scrap pining Aertel is basically an accounting error

Apogee

SPDUB wrote: »

Philip Boucher Hayes on Drivetime said he was told that the saving in scrap pining Aertel is basically an accounting error

Approx €700,000 per annum
https://www.thejournal.ie/aertel-rte-3974836-Apr2018/

SPDUB

Apogee wrote: »

Approx €700,000 per annum
https://www.thejournal.ie/aertel-rte-3974836-Apr2018/

Even if you believe those figures they say 70% of that is transmission cost which is RTE paying money to themselves so there is going to be no saving there unless RTE turn off Saorview entirely .

So 2100,00 to scrap content off the RTE website do no editing on it so that it still contains references to pictures on the website and send it to the transmitters .

So someones either robbing them blind or they are doing some "Hollywood Accounting" to get those figures .

PBH's figure sounds more believable .

10000maniacs

political analyst wrote: »

Why did RTÉ establish digital-only radio stations in the first place?!

Will Radio 1, 2FM and Lyric FM still be available on Saorview?

The simple reason it didn't take off was there were huge fees to join the platform and independents reckoned lets stick to FM. Of course RTE gets a free ride on their own platform. Similar to Saorview. Why do you reckon RTE has the only HD material on Saorview? Because HD is way too expensive for the competition.
The simple solution to making both platforms successful is to stop these exorbitant fees for independents. They have already purchased a broadcasting license. Why should they pay more?

iseegirls

icdg wrote: »

Well that of course is the exact idea. Moving to RTE One means that, instead of imports being displaced, home produced programming is instead, resulting in savings. The plan is not without its flaws. It’s one of these things that viewed in the abstract, makes viewers think “Sure what difference does that make?”

Until a major news story breaks on a big European football night...

Lest some think this is academic, RTE will broadcast 16 Champions League games every season under the current contract, 8 European Qualifiers in the Euro 2020 campaign and a similar number in a typical Euro/WC. That’s a lot of opportunities there.

I'd say the Champions League coverage will stay on RTE2 along with Airtricity League. Sport that would move across would be related to the Irish national team in terms of Rugby and Football and all the GAA summer games.

Zird

political analyst wrote: »

Why did RTÉ establish digital-only radio stations in the first place?!

In fairness back in 2006 DAB seemed like the way of the future in terms of providing extra choice to listeners, it was well before smartphones, apps, streaming and podcasts were in everybodys vocabulary.

Can someone tell me how moving sports events to RTÉ One saves money? I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for the informed but I can’t fathom what it could be. Is it more expensive to air things on 2?

topmanamillion

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Can someone tell me how moving sports events to RTÉ One saves money? I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for the informed but I can’t fathom what it could be. Is it more expensive to air things on 2?

They're basically putting all their eggs in the RTE One basket. RTE 2 will become much more peripheral and more like RTE+1 than a second channel.
The plan is to fill it with even more cheap repeats and crap and use it to advertise the RTE player. Cheap and not so cheerful being the name of the game.

Apogee

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Can someone tell me how moving sports events to RTE One saves money? I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for the informed but I can’t fathom what it could be. Is it more expensive to air things on 2?

There is more home-produced content on RTE One. Home-produced content is typically far more expensive per hour than imported content. By moving sports onto RTE One, you displace some of that expensive home-produced content on One and replace it with cheaper imported material on Two.

Irish Examiner wrote:

The average home-produced programme now costs €40,000 compared to €2,700 for imported content.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/top-rte-presenters-peak-salaries-to-fall-40-232059.html

So it’s not really cheaper but a way of segregating the cost easier.

political analyst

If all sporting events (including World Cup and European Championship Soccer) are moved to RTÉ 1 then Six-One would be displaced from its usual slot on some days (it has never happened as far as I'm aware) and that would cause an outcry because it would leave RTÉ open to the accusation of caring more about sport than about the news. I think something has been taken out of context on that point.

topmanamillion

political analyst wrote: »

If all sporting events (including World Cup and European Championship Soccer) are moved to RTÉ 1 then Six-One would be displaced from its usual slot on some days (it has never happened as far as I'm aware) and that would cause an outcry because it would leave RTÉ open to the accusation of caring more about sport than about the news. I think something has been taken out of context on that point.

You're assuming RTE will have the rights for those tournaments going forward. They won't.
Whats left of their Champions League and GAA coverage will be on RTE1 from now on.

They've described making RTE2 "a window" for the RTE player. The plan is for RTE One to be the main channel. RTE2 will become very peripheral and possibly redundant.
Not sure what people don't get about that.

howiya

topmanamillion wrote: »

You're assuming RTE will have the rights for those tournaments going forward. They won't.
Whats left of their Champions League and GAA coverage will be on RTE1 from now on.

They've described making RTE2 "a window" for the RTE player. The plan is for RTE One to be the main channel. RTE2 will become very peripheral and possibly redundant.
Not sure what people don't get about that.

I was coming here to ask something similar. What will the need to save money mean for RTE when it comes to bidding for sports rights and/or broadcasting live sport?

Maz2016

Apogee wrote: »

There is more home-produced content on RTE One. Home-produced content is typically far more expensive per hour than imported content. By moving sports onto RTE One, you displace some of that expensive home-produced content on One and replace it with cheaper imported material on Two




https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/top-rte-presenters-peak-salaries-to-fall-40-232059.html

That link is 6 and a half years old. I reckon prices would be significantly different now

political analyst

topmanamillion wrote: »

You're assuming RTE will have the rights for those tournaments going forward. They won't.
Whats left of their Champions League and GAA coverage will be on RTE1 from now on.

They've described making RTE2 "a window" for the RTE player. The plan is for RTE One to be the main channel. RTE2 will become very peripheral and possibly redundant.
Not sure what people don't get about that.

I didn't mention the Champions League. I mentioned the European Championship soccer, which is completely different, as in Euro 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016. I can't envisage RTÉ losing the rights to World Cup soccer.



As for the scheduling of Gaelic games broadcast on RTÉ 1, RTÉ and the GAA would do well to ensure that Six-One isn't displaced - regardless of the decrease in the audience for terrestrial TV news bulletins.

topmanamillion

political analyst wrote: »

I didn't mention the Champions League. I mentioned the European Championship soccer, which is completely different, as in Euro 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016. I can't envisage RTÉ losing the rights to World Cup soccer.



As for the scheduling of Gaelic games broadcast on RTÉ 1, RTÉ and the GAA would do well to ensure that Six-One isn't displaced - regardless of the decrease in the audience for terrestrial TV news bulletins.

I'm aware what the Euros are. Don't know why you felt the need to list them chronologically.

10 years ago you'd have been laughed out of it for suggesting a good chunk of big GAA games would be on a subscription channel or that RTE would lose the 6 nations. Still happened.

Most GAA games are on in the afternoon and it's a smaller news bulletin at the weekends. Don't see any clash there.

Won't be an issue anyway as the days of RTE showing 2 or 3 GAA matches/international soccer games in the one day are numbered.

They've said that showing the World Cup and other "special events" blew a €7 million hole in their budget.

iseegirls

Has the Club World Cup been announced for RTE yet? Don't see a press release about the Irish rights, maybe Virgin or Eir have it. Interest will be higher than normal with Liverpool involved.

political analyst

topmanamillion wrote: »

I'm aware what the Euros are. Don't know why you felt the need to list them chronologically.

Because you mentioned the Champions League and so it appears that you thought I was referring to European football in general and so I mentioned Euro 2000, 2004 etc to distinguish the European soccer championship from the Champions League.

Tigerandahalf

If Rte is to continue to be a public service broadcaster the licence fee should be scrapped and the funding should come out of general taxing.

What really should rte be broadcasting? That will be a question going forward. Should they be paying to have the rights to most gaa championship games when other private sector broadcasters could do it.

What value would GAA rights have if rte decided tomorrow not to compete for the main GAA package but only wanted to show a single game every summer weekend.

Would the GAA be happy or the public? What is the real value of these rights if rte removed themselves from the situation. How many people would pay eir or someone else to watch the games.

The transmission costs are a big issue. Netflix doesn't have to pay them nor do they pay any broadband infrastructure charges so Rte are carrying costs that the competition don't have.

2rn should be state funded and out of rte's control. Let rte worry about its broadcasting.

If netflix can get a free ride maybe rte, virgin and tg4 should too. If the state covered all the transmission costs we might actually see quality hd channels on saorview.

topmanamillion

RTE remind me of Xtravision. Left behind by the times but too set in their ways to offer anything different. The big difference being Xtravision was a private company and folded while RTE is proped up by a public that really doesn't want it.

It could be a uniquely Irish public broadcast station that promotes minority interest sports and talented script writers and entertainers. Instead it pays Ray D'Arcy a half a million a year - a talentless interviewer. It would be unfair to zero in on him he's just an example of a far bigger policy issue.

odyssey06

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

If Rte is to continue to be a public service broadcaster the licence fee should be scrapped and the funding should come out of general taxing.

If they are to be funded through general taxation it would have to be an RTE stripped of all commercial activities and with strict salary caps.

The current RTE funded through general taxation and also being a commercial entity would have throw all fiscal discipline out the window and the pay levels would be back to 2005 levels.

That would mean some hard calls about what exactly is core public service such as GAA given that FTA commercial rivals will air it.

icdg

To be clear RTE have the rights to Euro 2020, the 2022 World Cup (if it happens), Champions League up to the end of next season, and inter county GAA until 2021.

After that who knows? Virgin/TV3 have sublicenced Euros games in the past and exclusively did the 2015 Rugby World Cup proving they can cover a major tournament.

It would be a seismic earthquake if the GAA moved from RTE though. If you think the Sky deal caused a huge fuss, wait for the controversy that erupts if and when the headline is “The Sunday Game to end”. It will be made out to be the end of GAA on TV in Ireland even if that’s not really the case at all and all that is happening is a move to VM.

Zird

Any predictions on when the dab network will close down ?

Maz2016

Zird wrote: »

Any predictions on when the dab network will close down ?

No, but Will Leahy said it will be into the new year. I hope they have second thoughts about RTE Gold. I love Will Leahy, Rick O Shea and Larry Gogan in the mornings/early afternoons. Have it on several times throughout the day

hotmail.com

Unless RTE plan on moving the 9 News to 10, having sport on RTE 1 is going to be a regular mess.

The best thing about RTE is it's news programmes.

mike2084

Zird wrote: »

Any predictions on when the dab network will close down ?

They have to get ministerial permission to close services, they wanted to close RTÉ News Now, but I think the minister vetoed it (although I'm open to correction on that), so that might save the station yet.

Zird

mike2084 wrote: »

They have to get ministerial permission to close services, they wanted to close RTÉ News Now, but I think the minister vetoed it (although I'm open to correction on that), so that might save the station yet.

Apparently the DAB network is still classed as a trial/testing service so outside the scope of requiring any government approval.