Criticism of RTE

Miguel_Sanchez

Ok - not sure if this is the right section. I'm debating on Friday that "RTE's record is one of self-service rather than public service"

I've been running Google searches etc. for a while and am saving all information to be thrown together later. Just thought I'd check though if anyone has any thoughts, points on the debate that I could use and if there's any particularly scathing pieces about RTE out there on the web that I may have missed.

And I mean well written arguments now, not just piss-takes. (Although piss-takes are welcome too).

SprostonGreen

What bugs me is, if you look across the water. BBC generate revenue through a license fee, ITV though advertising.

RTE do both !!!

I've been told that there is a big management structure in RTE and thats where most of the money goes, instead of making quality TV.

Its all a bit anecdotal Jeff, but theres always room for that.

DMC

Yes, RTÉ have both ads and licence revenue.

But.

Licence revenue at present for RTÉ is €150
A UK licence is €168.36

UK Population: ~60 million
RoI population 3.9 million

Revenue:
BBC: €4,905 million (licence and commercial activity) (2002)
RTE: €225 million (combined licence, advertising and commercial activity)(2001)

Its all about the amount of money it gets in, and those figures are the only comparision you can make.

Also, we discussed this recently on ICDG here

Elmo

Television as a whole in Ireland has to be critised not just RTE.

RTE have their Problems. Lack of funding Licence fee alone cannot pay for quality TV in Ireland plus all the other stuff that RTE do. (The BBC have > 3,500,000 TV Liences, do the math).

RTE, NTL, TV3, Chourus, The Mister for Communications, ComReg, TV3 etc all pander to the might of Sky who have no regulations set on them thus they are free to buy and sell packages to an Irish Audience.

TV3 have yet to say to RTE that Irish TV can alone be paid for by Advertising, as they only show british and american TV in the main. Unlike their Sister network in the UK ITV which can provide a very good service on advertising allone but then they have 18,000,000 for Coronation Street in comparision to 500,000 for tv3

www.forumonbroadcasting.ie

Where is your debate?

Tyrrial

i was going to say something insulting about RTÉ but considering the tone of this tread i think i'll try to keep itas intelectual as i possily can...... RTÉ are poopy-heads! mainly cos there going to cancell No Disco!...

thank you for your time..

byte

Our small population would in turn make buying programming from other countries cheaper though I suppose homegrown will be expensive anyway. Which would explain why TV3 have very little homegrown stuff (bring back Pop on 3 which wasn't really pop, bit misleading).

RTE are bound to have much higher annual income than TV3 though? TG4 is the best channel broadcast in ROI I think, just pity I cant understand most of its programming... shame on me :rolleyes:

poobags

That motion is dire

" Self Service", is that suggesting they're lining their own pockets. Shouldn't think so, RTE are in constant deficit ( go and find that figure out, its you r debate so you do the funkin work!)

Maybe its implying neptism which has was prevelant in RTE up until recently but its still a case of "who you know".
There was a joke goin round that if RTE was asked to make people redundant they'd sack one person from each family to make it fair.

If you want some resources check out the Irish Television and Film Board website. Not sure of address. Otherwise go to the library and look up any articles or books by Roddy Flynn, he does alot of commentry on Irish TV.

Make sure you include some jokes in the thing cause debates are awful boring affairs otherwise. And there are endless jokes to be made at just Your a Star's expence never mind the whole of RTE.

RTE is overly cautious with new/original material.They of course turned over Father Ted, eventually bought up by Channel 4. They have axed the alternative music program No Disco, yet have gone to great expence to launch copycat shows such as Who wants to be a millionare.

argue that they're slaves to mass media. They let Tv3 set the agenda. They knew they would have a battle with Tv3 yet they let TV3 set the precedent for the conflict by not cultivating quality Irish programming that TV3 would have to match but instead buying up imported shows e.g. Eastenders/blockbuster Films for Irish telvision premieres/ Friends and every other American sitcom. Even by showing this tat they're dumbing down the island, RTE IS THE OPIUM OF THE IRISH MASSES.

Miguel_Sanchez

Thanks for the help. The debate's actually been put back till after Easter so I should have more time to do some proper research.

Oh and poobags although I agree with what you're saying - RTE did not pass on Father Ted. It's a common myth that they did but they were never actually offered it.

Elmo

No Disco is gone and they have put Songs From Another Room at another time for viewers of another Hour. (Why not show it at prime time????)

Yes I agree what they do with their programming and schedule on N2 is crap.

So when and where is the debate now?

Silvera

RTE, in it's current state, is almost a waste of taxpayers money.
It have very little "quality" programmes.

How is it that TG4 can produce better documentaries, for example, on a fraction of RTE's budget ?

TG4 is much better than RTE in almost every way.

Pity I don't know more gaeilge

Sin e on sceal eile !

pickarooney

RTE doens't need to spend a shedload of money to make a decent program, just a decent idea (or an awful one that's inexpolicably popular). Likewise, the population base shouldn't belimited to jsut Ireland, they should be looking to produce programs that will sell to other countries.

Has anyone ever seen the Lyrics board? Possibly the worst thing ever shown on a cathode ray tube, yet it's immensely popular the world over.

+

de5p0i1er

RTE has the same problem as every other semi-state body, its top heavy if your friends with the right people you can get a job in RTE, Airlingus or the council for life and draw a huge salery for doing nothing at the tax payers expence and the government do SFA to solve this problem as they don't want to put there firends out of jobs.

Belle Ende

Irish is a language on artifical life-support. I agree with other's sentiments that TG4 produces better output than RTE, certainly on a euro-for-euro basis.

The sooner Irish is put to rest in this country, the better. Then we can enjoy TG4, only fully in English!

Elmo

Irish is a language on artifical life-support. I agree with other's sentiments that TG4 produces better output than RTE, certainly on a euro-for-euro basis.

The sooner Irish is put to rest in this country, the better. Then we can enjoy TG4, only fully in English!

Irish is one of our national lauanges and should be represented on TV and Radio just as English is.

If TG4 broadcast most of its programmes in the English lanuage they would do as RTE and TV3 do and Import them from America and Britian.

If everyone thought the same way as you do we would have no cultural Boards.

Just Remember according to TV3 their aim is and I quote is:

to tap the qualities of community pride, independence, creative talent, humour and determination that are a vital part of Irish society, and, in so doing, to bring to its audience a full representation of life in Ireland and of its interaction with the rest of the world.

They acheive this every day.

hmmm

RTE is staffed with a great number of people who, let's say, lean to the left when it comes to politics (personally I'd say many have fallen off). They have an ambition to ensure that this POV is reflected in RTE output, and the whole public ethos thing is only a sop to ensure that they can maintain jobs they would never have in a private sector organisation.

The news coverage of the war on Iraq is a case in point. Whilst I don't expect cheerleading for the war, you can hear in RTE's report the use of some very pejorative language in their reports which has a cumulative effect of being very one sided. I remember the day the statue fell, which was lead story all around the world, RTE opened with something completely different. Prime Time, supposedly the premier current affairs program isn't much better - in the interests of "balance" (actually more to get the RTE political point across) they will drag up any old eejit to argue the anti-US point (usually the only anti-war Iraqi in Europe). The Iraqi community in Ireland organised a march in support of the war that merited a 30 second slot on RTE, the Sinn Fein/Labour/non-Iraqi peace marches got acres of comment.

And Robert Fisk - don't get me started on him. He's been completely discredited for a number of years now, and even after his reports about Baghdad and Iraqis willing to fight to the death were proved completely and utterly wrong, RTE still see him as the best person to talk to about the Middle East. Again, spinning a political viewpoint. "America, I have nothing against America, and I would hate to be perceived as anti- American, but you know that they eat babies no?"

So there :P