Licence Fee to increase but with conditions

three · 14-12-2002 10:39pm

Originally posted by mike65
I saw Dermot Ahern on TV3 News getting a light roasting from the newscaster, (the tubby fella) who wanted to know if the money would be squandered by RTE in bidding wars (with TV3 of course!) for US/UK imports. Ahern wondered about TV3s commitment to home produced programmes!

A draw then...

Mike.

How can Dermot Ahearn use this an excuse for a licence increase. This was said on wednesday when TV3 home-produced programmes from 5.30pm-1.35am was 6 hours and 35 minutes
Meanwhile Net 2 from 5.30 - 1:30 was 1 hour 25 minutes.
And RTE1 between 5.30 and 1:35 was 4 hours.

So to finish off, TV3 had more home-made programmes than RTE1&2 put together that night.

:mad: Also, it's not fair to compare their homemade programmes with RTE as we PAY TV3 €0, WHILE WE PAY RTE TOO MUCH FOR NOTHING.

DMC · 14-12-2002 10:54pm

Hmm, I call shenanigans with that stat.

All that time was just Champions League and News.... and, get real, over 180 mins of that was foreign produced football. Only in-studio links and commentary were home produced, and NOT the entire output of that evening. Its not as if TV3 were the host broadcaster of a match, covering a Man Utd and Deportivo match from Manchester. Passing it off as a "home production" is ludicrous. Time to smell some roasted ground nuts in the morning!

Stats like that can be manipulated to prove anything, and in this case, they prove nothing.

Oh, and on Thursday with that figure...

RTÉ 1: 6hrs 10 mins
Network 2: 30 mins (live football and a film were on, News 2 is the only home programme there)
TV3: 2 hrs.
TG4: 4hrs 25 mins

:rolleyes: Next!

Elmo · 15-12-2002 1:06am

Home-produced drama costs a lot of money, and it looks like On Home Ground is becoming another Glenroe (neither of which I can watch). Why cannot RTE simply make a three or six part series or whatever and leave it at that, instead of dragging things out past the point of embarrassment (Bracken, Leave it to Mrs. O'Brien, Extra, Extra etc. also fit in this category). Just because the ratings are good doesn't make it good TV (Irish people will watch any oul' ****e too!).

Very Irish Of you darby.

1. On Home Gound will be off the air next year hopefully as it gets less the 300,000 viewers each week and it is CRAP. Let it Go RTE
2. Bracken and Glenroe were popular because most people enjoyed them and the critics were usually very good to them, You have to remember that it was the 80's and really are the any good tv shows from the 80's Dallas, Knots Landing etc
3. Leave it to Mrs. O Brien, Extra Extra, Upwardly Mobile and The Cassidy were all terrible. Most of which were taken of the air as soon as we had seen them. Most of them only ran for six weeks.
4. On Home Ground is only a Ten part Series.
5. No, ratings don't mean that something is good but then ITV and BBC have not stopped making EastEnders, Emmerdale(Which is based on the Riordan's) and Coro St. (I don't Like Soap, there is too much of it.)
6. Irish people will watch any oul' ****e too! this is not the case with On Home Ground, they don't watch it. And they aint watching Ireland AM.

Elmo · 15-12-2002 1:13am

How can Dermot Ahearn use this an excuse for a licence increase. This was said on wednesday when TV3 home-produced programmes from 5.30pm-1.35am was 6 hours and 35 minutes
Meanwhile Net 2 from 5.30 - 1:30 was 1 hour 25 minutes.
And RTE1 between 5.30 and 1:35 was 4 hours.

So to finish off, TV3 had more home-made programmes than RTE1&2 put together that night.

Also, it's not fair to compare their homemade programmes with RTE as we PAY TV3 €0, WHILE WE PAY RTE TOO MUCH FOR NOTHING.

Okay Three Three Three (In an Echo) Lets point out that most of TV3's Irish output comes in the form of News. I don't know if anyone else fells the same way about TV3 News but does the 5:30 resemble the 6:30 and 11 o'clock news. RTE produce The Den which if you add up all ten to fifteen minute slots it would add up. RTE one Has a nearly 100% Irish Programming in Prime Time TV. TV3 have 0% except for Champions league which I consider an import, and i will consider it an import when it returns to RTE.

15-12-2002 12:35pm

Originally posted by icdg
Man, try to keep political views off this forum please. Good mind to edit your post...

Comments duly edited.
Rather than expand here, on why I posted them, I have sent you a p.m instead.
mm

Darby OGill · 16-12-2002 4:28pm

Elmo, can't agree with your version of events. While I can't back up my figures with proof, I suggest that Leave it to Mrs. O'Brien ran for at least three series, if not more (I even recall an on-air ad looking for scriptwriters at one stage!). Extra Extra ran for at least two, and I think Upwardly Mobile ran for two or three. The Cassidys did only last one, I think.

I can't understand your justification for Glenroe and Bracken. RTE made The Riordans from 196? to 1978. It then decided that this rural-based drama/soap should end. So the obvious thing to replace it? Another 20 years of rural-based drama, with even some of the same characters. Now that's progress, not to mention challenging TV production. So what if it was the 80's (and 90's!)?

On Home Ground is only a ten-part series? At 75,000 euro an hour, I believe, that's very expensive crap, don't you think? When is RTE going to spend 750,000 on nature documentaries, science fiction, arts, a travel show, coverage of a lesser sport, a legal drama or whatever you're having yourself? Never. (I am not a fan of all of these by the way!

).

As I said before, I am in favour of the fee increase- but more Fair City suggests to me that RTE is not going to send shockwaves through the TV world, no matter how much money it gets.

Not sure what you mean by your opening comment.

Elmo · 17-12-2002 2:12am

I did not realise that Leave It to Mrs. O Brien ran for 3 Season, thankfully i am too young to remember that. Upwardly Mobile was a family show and was good for that, I wasn't a fan but it was better than The Cassidy's.

I can't understand your justification for Glenroe and Bracken. RTE made The Riordans from 196? to 1978. It then decided that this rural-based drama/soap should end. So the obvious thing to replace it? Another 20 years of rural-based drama, with even some of the same characters. Now that's progress, not to mention challenging TV production. So what if it was the 80's (and 90's!)?

Emmerdale has run for the last 30 years on ITV what is their justification for it, oh and its based on the Riordan's. (Suprisingly Emmerdale has some of the same characters even though many are written out with an explosion of some kind.)

As for progress the Riordan's used outdoor cameras for many of it sceans, these cameras were mainly used for sporting events at the time. RTE actually pioneered this transformation in TV.

My Justification for Bracken and Glenroe is that at the time they both han many critics and fans at the time, and its not just because the irish watch anything.

On Home Ground is only a ten-part series? At 75,000 euro an hour, I believe, that's very expensive crap, don't you think? When is RTE going to spend 750,000 on nature documentaries, science fiction, arts, a travel show, coverage of a lesser sport, a legal drama or whatever you're having yourself? Never. (I am not a fan of all of these by the way! ).

No while On Home Ground has a bad script many of it actors are very good and the camera work is exclent, but yes it is bland and just plain boring. RTE are doing well only spending €75,000 on it when you think about how much money is invested into british and american TV.

RTE have a travel show called No Frontiers and its quite good.
Coverage of a lesser sport, they are going to broadcast the 2003 Special Olympics.
I don't think a Sci Fi drama would go down too well actually you probably give out about this if it did happen.
I enjoy Batchelor's Walk, which by the way was drop by the BBC.
Arts programming they need more than just the View but not Popcorn.

Not sure what you mean by your opening comment.

You think Irish people have no sence when it comes to deciding what they watch, you're bregruger over bracken, a programme that did RTE well It ran for 3 season over ten episode and starred many of the people you see in BallyK, Father Ted and Hollywood stars, it did them well too. Perhaps people watched bracken and The Riordans because they thought it was good and its not up to me or you to tell people what is good. People and critics have discided on On Home Ground and it was a bad mistake to commission another series of it.

As for 60's 70's 80's and early 90's TV Glenroe, Bracken, Tolka Row and The Riordans etc. are quite good for that era in TV just look at what was coming out of the US, Dallas, Knots Landing, Dynasty etc. TV has come along way on both side of the alantic. So yes the era does matter.

Darby OGill · 17-12-2002 11:41am

Looks like it's going to be pistols at dawn, Elmo......

So Emmerdale has run for 30 years. I don't know or care what ITV's justification for that is, we're talking about RTE here. Are you really suggesting that because something is on UK TV, we should do the same, all the time? RTE seems to think so. Don't forget that RTE likes to remind us that it cannot be compared with its UK counterparts, when it suits.

We're not going to agree on Bracken etc. In 40 years, RTE's main home-produced non-sport, non-news/current affairs output has consisted of essentially the same programme. There have been a few exceptions (Strumpet City, that detective thing a couple of years ago for example). You think this is OK, I think it is a prime example of why RTE should be forced to do something new with all the extra cash it's going to get. As I've said already, I may not like all of the new stuff RTE might do, but at least I would acknowledge that it wasn't more Fair City, or the Riordans by another name. I'm old enough to remember The Riordans, and in it's day it was fresh and challenging at times. But once it was ended, it should have stayed that way.

I never saw The Cassidys, maybe it was crap, but at least it was new. If it didn't work, fair enough, in that case at least RTE didn't make another two or three series of it, unlike some of the other stuff we've mentioned.

I've only seen a bit of No Frontiers, but it looks like a repeat to me, and I only recall one series being made. (I could be wrong on that though- I'm talking about the girl (nurse?) and the tall Cork guy (Gavin Harte?) going halfway across the world).

How do you know I would give out if RTE did science fiction? (I never said science fiction drama by the way).

I never said Irish people had no sense. My point was that we tend to watch crap produced by RTE regardless of the standard and never demand a better service. RTE seems to take this as approval, and gives us more of the same. I've been paying for a TV licence for 10 years, and I want better value for (more) money.

I don't object to any TV which is new, home-produced, and trying to do something different. If it works, that's even better. If it doesn't, lose it.

Elmo · 18-12-2002 3:57am

In regards emmerdale and the riordans I would of thought that ITV copied RTE for a change.

No Frountiers has been running on RTE for the past Three years and is on RTE One. Across The Line is the show your thinking of which was produced in association with with the learning channel, it ran 3 series of that in the 90's and was a great show.

During the 90's there has been very little channeling drama put on by RTE, and RTE have point that out on several occations with its 40 years of TV celebrations. There was more once of dramas and mini serials during the 60's 70's and 80's. Sadly RTE still refer to their triumph of Strumpet City which was a great show.

I never saw The Cassidys, maybe it was crap, but at least it was new. If it didn't work, fair enough, in that case at least RTE didn't make another two or three series of it, unlike some of the other stuff we've mentioned.

I agree. Batchelors walk is better and if you haven't seen it I think you missed out big time.

How do you know I would give out if RTE did science fiction? (I never said science fiction drama by the way).

Can you do a documentry on Science Fiction? Maybe that would be interesting? or maybe a comedy? I think many people would give out about this.

I never said Irish people had no sense. My point was that we tend to watch crap produced by RTE regardless of the standard and never demand a better service. RTE seems to take this as approval, and gives us more of the same. I've been paying for a TV licence for 10 years, and I want better value for (more) money.

Yes people will tune in for a home produced programme more so than an import, i tend to do it just to see if its any good if it isnt i stop watching which is what happen to the cassidys and now with on Home Ground (This is not a spin off to gelroe by the way). However now RTE has alot more competition from TV3 and satilite broadcasters. You seem to have stopped watching RTE and like many people see it just a plain crap, which is another thing "Irish" people tend to do. If TV3 where to make a tv show(other then news and sport) i would give it a chance.

Darby OGill · 18-12-2002 10:35am

Not familiar with No Frontiers (is that the one with the nice-looking presenter, Catherine ??). I've three small kids, so anything that's on before 9.00 p.m. is just a blur. Can't believe Across the Line ran for three series, I'm getting old.

I'm totally confused, not having had a decent holiday for years.............

I did watch the first series of Bachelor's Walk, and liked it, although I did feel it was Cold Feet "as gaeilge". Still, it was new, and very well produced, so I can't fault it for that. Only watched the first two programmes (one and a bit really) of the current series, and have to admit I've lost interest. Not sure why, but the story seems to have run out of steam in my opinion. Maybe it'll pick up, and I'll tune in again.

Why not science fiction comedy, or remember plain old science fiction action/adventure? It's probably beyond RTE's resources, I realise that, but it would be interesting to see them try.

I KNOW On Home Ground is not the bastard child of Glenroe etc., I just have that sinking feeling when I see this lame duck get a second series, which is my main point.

I can't see TV3 ever making a home-produced show, but yes I would give it a chance too.

icdg · 18-12-2002 12:49pm

Originally posted by Darby O'Gill
Why not science fiction comedy, or remember plain old science fiction action/adventure? It's probably beyond RTE's resources, I realise that, but it would be interesting to see them try.

Have there ever been any decent sci-fi comedies besides Red Dwarf? (Lexx maybe, but we haven't really seen that here). Come to think of it, has there been any sci fi out of RTE ever? Fortycoats and Company probably counts, but that was a kids show (and a Doctor Who rip off) anyway.

Leave it to the Beeb, methinks?

Elmo · 19-12-2002 5:58am

3rd rock from the sun is a good sci-fi comedy. I never liked red dwarf.

Could Zig and Zag be considered Sci Fi?

icdg · 19-12-2002 2:25pm

Ah yes, good old Third Rock. Though John Litgow - who is excellent - holds the show together, the rest of the cast always seem to be there to pick up the gaps.

Although Third Rock is sci-fi, lots of people would not think of it as such because its' set on earth, has little or nothing in the way of special effects, even the aliens look human (of course, their non understanding of humanity is the central joke of the series. Even by the end though, they have spent so much time on Earth that they know humanity inside out and the joke is lost).

Anyway thats' all off topic. I don't think RTE could pull off either. Their treatment of foreign sci-fi is shabby (relegated to very late night slots on N2, and Star Trek hasn't been screened since 1995) so I dread to think how home produced sci-fi would do.

Victor · 19-12-2002 2:47pm

Originally posted by icdg
Although Third Rock is sci-fi

Isn't it more sit-com, although in this case the situation is sci-fi-ish.

Originally posted by icdg
on N2, and Star Trek hasn't been screened since 1995

I think Sky have done Trek to death, so there is no need to compete with them (other than 4-channel land people).

Darby OGill · 20-12-2002 3:44pm

It's amazing the way this thread has gone- I'm sorry I ever mentioned sci-fi.

Maybe it should be left to the Americans- although as a kid I loved Blake's 7 which RTE2 showed when it started up. RTE2 also showed the entire Prisoner series-my kid brother and I worshipped it.

Maybe I'm rambling, but there seemed to be far less dependence on American comedies in those days and an overall better choice of programmes. I can't actually recall any come to think of it, but there must have been some. A lot of the current crop are pretty poor. Maybe it was the excitement of a second channel!