The future of RTE after Tubsgate.

z80CPU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120824756#Comment_120824756

We'll here Leo on 'This Week' at 1pm today on Radio 1 if he wants to put his money where his mouth is. (Lately on 'This Week' they have a commercial break about 5 minutes before the end. And then back for a one - liner.

And then all you can eat GAA sports commentary.

SPDUB

Further to Leo talking about reforming the licence fee , this appears to be what is driving his comments

https://extra.ie/2023/07/09/news/irish-news/taxpayers-bail-rte-fear

 the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Cabinet sources said last night there is a fear in the Government that public attitudes to the broadcaster have descended to such levels that, in the words of one minister, ‘there will be a mass boycott of the RTÉ licence fee. It will be a water charges mark II

decor58

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120824756#Comment_120824756

I see where the BBC has suggested the tv licence should be connected to a premises property tax, the higher your property tax the more licence fee you pay, the BBC had a turnover of 5.4 billion pounds in 2022.

Windowsnut

If I see one more comparison between BBC and RTe, I'll scream!

In my opinion, they are two completely different entities, one is a thriving platform that generates income on both a national and an international, (from it's global commercial operations) scale, the other is a lame duck.

Networks globally are buying BBC content, either the individual programmes, Graham Norton Show, Line of Duty, Call the midwife, Peaky blinders, Eastenders, etc, etc or buying access to whole channels, BBC America, BBC Entertainment, BBC News, BBC Prime, BBC Earth, BBC UKTV, etc.

I have always believed that, RTE is a repulsive organisation that fails to draw an audience and is happy to sit back on a protectionist autocratic model and "piggy-back" on the overspill of UK television networks.

Despite the now, near global access to broadband services worldwide, RTE has failed to enshrine itself amongst the Irish Dispora, you know, the estimated 50 to 80 million people around the world that believe they have Irish forebears, making the Irish diaspora one of the largest of any nation in the world, if even 10% of this audience paid €5 a month to access a "player" type platform RTe would have an additional revenue stream of €300,000,000 but alas.....

If I was DG of RTE, I would be targeting the dispora market, to either sell programs to major networks in Australia, America, Canada, UK, Europe or to have dedicated premium IPTV services targeting these markets, but no one wants to buy inward tunnel vision, we have a new era of dispora from 2008 - 2012 and RTE has done nothing to engage with them.

2RN (the network of television and radio transmitters) desperately needs to be separated and a commercial focus, its job should be to sell airtime on the transmitter network and generate revenue based on the actual number of viewers and listeners not the current Nielson TAM sampling methodology.

The control RTE has exerted on Irish media needs to be challenged and brought to an end.

Please, please, RTE, have shred of dignity and ride off into the sunset like TCM or even Tara. TCM Movies is closing | July 6th - YouTube

Tara TV startup sequence.mpg - YouTube

Emblematic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120816047#Comment_120816047

The trouble is that they conflate RTE with public service broadcasting. They can't see it being done in a way that doesn't involve a national broadcaster (like RTE).

icdg

Is there another way though? Even if RTE was dismantled tomorrow TG4 would still exist. I can’t think of any country in the western world that doesn’t have a national, public, or state broadcaster of some sort, even the US has PBS/NPR, as underfunded as they are. Even in New Zealand TVNZ and RNZ still exist in the public sector.

Windowsnut

There was a place for Public Service Broadcasting, but it should never have been allowed to become the behemoth it is today.

Everything is half-assed, TG4 for instance should broadcast both dual language and dual subtitles, could you imagine the tool it would be to younger generations learning Irish if they could watch their favourite shows in either Irish with English subtitles or in English with Irish subtitles.

If TG4/ RTE is so hell bent on promoting the Irish language, how come all advertising on both networks is entirely in English??

RoTelly

RTÉ has come in various form since 1926, starting as 2RN and renamed Athlone Radio followed by Radio Éireann.

Teilifse Éireann did not merge with Radio Éireann until 1966. No real need to keep Radio and TV together anymore IMO.

I support the following: -

TG4, RnaG, Cula4 and RTÉjr (TV and Radio) to merge together

RTÉ ONE, 2 and their +1 services, and RTÉ player and rte.ie to go to Screen Ireland

Lyric and the CO to move to the NCH

Radio 1, 2fm, digital radio stations and podcasting to come under the management of RTÉ Networks AKA 2RN, it would take control of the montrose site as a national media hub

RTÉ News and Current Affairs to be spun off, providing news for the services above and continuing to provide live coverage of news programmes on the RTÉ News channel.

Dissolution of the RTÉ Board and the RTÉ Leadership Team.

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120982257#Comment_120982257

To be clear, Telefis Eireann was operated by Radio Eireann from day one, as per the provisions of the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960. The only thing that happened in 1966 is that the name of the organisation was changed, from Radio Eireann to Radio Telefis Eireann.

Your set of proposals smacks of the dismantling by the French of ORTF in the 1970s, something they’ve regretted since.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120982301#Comment_120982301

I think you could argue that we regretted setting up RTÉ ever since, it hasn't really provided a significant service. There are times when it hits above its weight but often it is not much use.

Why not bring TG4 under RTÉ, after all it is only a few 15 years since they got full independence from RTÉ. I don't see how RnaG fits with RTÉ, and their treatment of children's content has been abysmal, let others run the show.

The proposal makes sense since there are all ready organizations ready to manage the diverse operations of RTÉ. They would be funded by the government and clear governance guideline would be required.

RoTelly

One report in a newspaper today (I won't link as its a tabloid and I don't like the number of ads and pop ups on their sites) suggesting that the Government RTÉ wants RTÉ to sell of it assets before agreeing to help them.

IMHO splitting the company up (a company that has largely regrettably not serviced the Irish public since its establishment IMHO) would be a far better proposal than selling assets, assets that are worth very little even the assets that they did sell such as CableLink and the land at Mentors lead to very little.

Time for massive change and I think this would the the appropriate time.

RoTelly

The problem I see here is that almost all involved in Media and the Production sector believe whole heartly that the issues surrounds the funding model.

They seem to be unwilling to admit that if there was full reform of RTÉ that many of these funding issues would/could be resolved tomorrow.

Regardless of how you go about that reform, but reform of RTÉ is require, to change the method of funding does nothing to address the monolith that is RTÉ nor its use of funding nor its governance structures.

RoTelly

The other option is to have these companies come under one large organization, keeping commercial aspect at arms length.

I think this would involved bring TG4 under the umbrella or moving RnaG under TG4's umbrella

If you like : -

TG4, RnaG, Cula4, RTÉ Radio JR and RTÉjr

UMBRELLA COMPANY

1. 2RN and Studios
2. NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS
3. Acquisitions for Sport and International programming
4. Independent productions Unit
5. Commercial Media services: RTÉ2, 2FM, RTÉ GOLD, RTÉ PULSE
6. Public Media services: RTÉ ONE, Radio 1, Lyric FM, RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ NEWS CHANNEL

Either way it looks like RTÉ will be a largely different organisation to what we currently have, and that can only be for the better.

RoTelly

We are going to find that RTÉ will look to cut almost every service they have by the looks of things.

Their Radio Centre wasn't maintained according to them yesterday at the Oireachtas. I honestly don't know how you could accept a company not maintaining their buildings, I think the same was said about their Cork studio, I am not sure if they own that out right.

I can't see them being able to sell RTÉ 2FM or RTÉ2, neither have very much value at this point.

You can prob say good by to the Digital Radio Stations.

They really messed up badly.

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121109572#Comment_121109572

they'll cut everything apart from high paid management. so costs won't go down (like ever other state/semi-state)they'll be out with the begging bowl soon enough.

AJB39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121109572#Comment_121109572

I can’t speak for the building overall but RTE have upgraded several radio studios in the past year.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121109747#Comment_121109747

They did say this but they also said the other studio need a refrub and maintenance. 2FM studio were updated about 7 years ago with the new logo.

roadmaster

If RTE relocated there TV & Radio studios to one of the many empty office blocks in the city center would that be possabile with modern technology?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121110119#Comment_121110119

What would the long term effect of that be, could they buy an office block?

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121110310#Comment_121110310

Easily or long term lease, but the only thing is if you sold montrose would it acheive much of saving by the time you move staff and fit out studios.

icdg

Aertel has been on borrowed time for about 20 years and will probably go sooner rather than later now that the statutory requirement has finally been removed.

The DAB network has been axed, has it not?

RTE will almost certainly be going, if it hasn’t already, for direct Exchequer funding and there will be a price to be paid, in terms of savings.

bigroad

I wouldn't put or buy any office for rte.

Plenty of industrial units outside of the M50 .

A few containers converted or portacabins would do nicely and they can go to the local shop for their lunch.

RoTelly

Reform of RTÉ isn't really an option from what I can see. It seems to be that almost everyone thinks it is a quality service and it should be preserved. I seem on the wrong side, even after all that has happened.

It's clearly a case that the only real problem that RTÉ has is the way it is funded: -

1. Not governance (those mistakes are excused due to the dual model funding they have)
2. Not how they spend money (rather that is excused because these are natural cost of such an organization)
3. Not how they cut funding in certain areas (rather that is excused because they had to, rather then trying to examine the smaller incidental funding that they have that they could cut and when they could fairly cut)
4. Not the decision to fund 2fm from the license fee since 2011 (This is excused because they should have some yuff programming as a PSB)
5. Not the decision to cut funding to children's content (this is excused because hard decision had to be made)
6. Not mismanagement of the service for the past 2 decades (if not more)

No the only real reason for the downfall of RTÉ is the funding model and once that is fixed....

Carry on Repeating

Carry on Taking

Carry on Erring

Mickey Mike

Just a thought, some of the services could be relocated in Athlone, RTE have a 14 acer field in Moydrum. A central studio or hub smack bang in the middle of Ireland, could take in Galway, Limerick and Cork.

RTE have made some progress in making cuts, ie, switching off MW, LW and DAB. All the digital radio channels can go too, we are swamped with online radio stations.

And the number one thing, cut all salaries, no one should be paid above €170,000 pm.

Sorolla

RTE is broke.

i betcha Ireland will win next years Eurovision in Stockholm and that will be the end of RTE as we know it.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121122611#Comment_121122611

Why sit on that land? It looks to me like they just stopped maintaining a huge amount of buildings, not just building that they seem to have abandoned but also buildings that they are using.

ebbsy

I see RTE has to pay out €300,000 in WRC settlements.

That is a lot of €160s..........

iseegirls

So you think they should be looking at any sports coverage that they don't necessarily need, and renegotiate or sell off. I'm sure VM would take the Tuesday CL game.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121132155#Comment_121132155

I think they mean Workplace Relations Commission not the Rugby World Cup.

iseegirls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121132178#Comment_121132178

Oh sorry, I started that question incorrectly. I didn't even mean that to be related to the earlier point.

Would just be interesting if they would be reviewing their sports deals especially for international events like the football World Cup and Euro's. Fair play to them though for broadcasting such events like the U21 international games and Women's football including the upcoming Nations League matches. It's possible that no other independent broadcaster would choose to show them