RTE want to double TV licence fee

Nekarsulm · 22-03-2017 2:31pm

CoolHandBandit wrote: »

Old people watch RTE and when the inevitable happens with age RTE are left without a pot to piddle in. The TV inspector called in to our new build house almost 9 year ago now and was told we don't have a TV. He hasn't been back since. It's a losing battle for Montrose as you can't force people to pay for something they don't watch.

Not just Pensioners, but every household that qualifies for the Household Benefits package gets a free TV licence.
What proportion of viewers actually pay?
Add in the level of pay to the "Stars" and you're in trouble!

masculinist · 22-03-2017 2:32pm

Grayson wrote: »

Just wondering. It's all gone digital now hasn't it? Is there any analogue signal? If so, unless a TV has a freeview tuner built in it doesn't have a tuner anymore.

No any sort of tuner puts you legally on the hook. You can still get a clear analogue signal from Virgin Media/NTL/UPC wall sockets.

Imagine you not maybe being able to justify the money for a new TV while the RTE fatcats have it all. Any reasonable self interested person would say enough is enough. If I'm going to lose 160 a year I may as well pay it in interest to a credit union for brand new high spec devices with no tuners involved. And RTE fatcats can go sing for their money because with no tuners under my roof they have no business coming to me with begging letters.

murpho999 · 22-03-2017 2:32pm

RTE always comes in for a lot of bashing some deserved and some not.

I don’t believe people when they say that they never watch RTE.

So they never watch any news, Irish sport or big shows like Love/Hate when it was on, political debates in the run up to elections?

Big events in the last week like the Coast Guard tragedy or Martin McGuinness passing and nobody used any of RTE services for that?

I just don’t believe that.
RTE radio also provides a good service.

They have good programmes, particularly documentaries and news shows such as Prime time.

They fall down badly on drama, entertainment and comedy and far too many repeats.

Too many chat-shows that feature poor guests.

They need to change. After all if TV3 & TG4 can survive with a smaller cut of the licence fee then why can’t RTE.

I do wonder if this mention of doubling the licence fee is a way of making a €50 fee look not so bad.

Finally, if people stopped evading paying the licence fee as they are legally obliged too then it probably wouldn’t be as expensive.

skankkuvhima · 22-03-2017 2:36pm

Do you know what really gets on my tits. I pay my license yet here I am, on RTE news website, unable to view news clips unless I turn off my ad blockers. Fuck off :mad:

CoolHandBandit · 22-03-2017 2:37pm

I very rarely watch TV but when i do i like to be entertained. Late late show, darcy show, prime time, fair city, property porn shows isn't entertainment to me anyway. Thanks but no thanks.

masculinist · 22-03-2017 2:37pm

murpho999 wrote: »

I don’t believe people when they say that they never watch RTE..

I believe them. I am one of them.

valoren · 22-03-2017 2:38pm

If you can somehow justify paying yourself €250k a year while you oversee an annual loss of €20,000,000 you simply lose all credibility.

Suggesting a 100% increase in the license fee vindicates that assertion.

Grayson · 22-03-2017 2:38pm

masculinist wrote: »

No . Its not about the ports.. Its about the tuner .

Check these out. How could you not fund one of these by paying the 160 a year to the Credit union instead of the RTE fatcats ? 320 a year to the Credit union instead of to the RTE Fatcats you'd be suckin diesel

https://www.vizio.com/tuner-free

http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/vizio-make-atsc-tunerfree-4ktvs/278312

They only seem to ship to the continental US.

PhuckHugh · 22-03-2017 2:39pm

CoolHandBandit wrote: »

I very rarely watch TV but when i do i like to be entertained. Late late show, darcy show, prime time, fair city, property porn shows isn't entertainment to me anyway. Thanks but no thanks.

Prime Time is a decent and needed show - If anything, we need more like it.

Grayson · 22-03-2017 2:40pm

masculinist wrote: »

I believe them. I am one of them.

same here. I don't have a TV subscription and I don't have a freeview box. I have an internet connection, a chromecast, a raspberry pi and an xbox.

BlinkingLights · 22-03-2017 2:40pm

As much as I agree with the concept of public service broadcasting, RTE is not worth 320 a year to me and that's getting beyond a simple fee and into the area of a regressive, stealth tax.

A lot of families would struggle to find €320 a year for TV.

They need to cut back big time.

One of the areas that really annoys me for example is that RTE sponsors things like sports, arts etc. That is NOT its job. If they can't find commerical sponsorors, let the state or councils decide to fund them or not. Do not siphon money out of the public broadcasting service into non broadcasting projects

Also there's way to much money being spent on non broadcasting activities like orchestras and so on. They're valid and reasonable art projects but they're nothing to do with broadcasting.

I would sell Montrose entirely, move RTE news and radio into the city centre and build new production facilities somewhere much cheaper.

Also RTE is an absolute disgrace when it comes to lack of regional television. You should at least have TV out of Cork for Munster and Galway for the West and it should have been like since 1961. Almost all equivalent EU public service broadcasters have regional TV and radio.

2FM should be sold off - I can see absolutely no public service remit whatsoever and if it is not profit making and subsidizing loss making public service content on other stations it should be sold or shut down.

You can't just milk more and more money out of the license fee. There's a limit to what people are willing to pay for.

Boom_Bap · 22-03-2017 2:41pm

I've just read a joe.ie article quoting yer wan saying the douling of the fee is nonsence.
But they are going after those who have not paid.

KKkitty · 22-03-2017 2:49pm

It's not even worth half the current license fee right now. Haven't seen Fair City in years. Only watch The Toy Show because I have kids. I get my news from other sources. My kids sometimes watch RTE junior but most of their programming is bought in from the UK. As has been mentioned The Late Late Show is full of guests from inside RTE or whatever depressing story has happened in Ireland during the week. Compared to Graham Norton and chat shows in the US The Late Late Show is sh1t. How much programming is bought in from other countries?

mzungu · 22-03-2017 2:58pm

€320? Quality content? You must be kidding me. Is this the same RTE that churn out cooking shows nearly every day of the bloomin' week? Sending Donal Skeehan to Nam, Nevin Mcguire to Spain, and Catherine Fullvio to everywhere just to cook a plate of food. Thats not to mention the Allen clan and all their various cooking shows. How much time do RTE think people have to be trying all this stuff?

If they were to start charging that amount, they would really want to get their act together content wise. They do have some quality shows, but to justify a price hike like that they need to start bringing more to the table. Sending Daniel and Majella to a different B&B every week just won't cut the mustard.

Cantona's Collars · 22-03-2017 3:01pm

She should have stood outside RTE and shouted "Are you not entertained". Sorry love,we aren't. Saturday nights aren't for listening to Ray D'Arcy pontificate. I remember when he was decent and suddenly he disappeared up his own porridge lined hole.I hear the lineup for the Late Late on a Friday and it only strengthens my resolve never to watch it bar the toy show with the kids.
The only thing the missus watches is Room to Improve and that's short lived.
RTE scrapped their Premier League highlights to save the equivalent of half Tubridys salary every year,rugby is going to TV3,Sky have GAA games that RTE deem of no interest to the public and alienate half the country.

murpho999 · 22-03-2017 3:02pm

masculinist wrote: »

I believe them. I am one of them.

So over the last year, nothing that happened in news or sport made you watch RTE?

FanadMan · 22-03-2017 3:04pm

Just read the interview with her and she said "Quite honestly, I think it should be double that. If you look to places like the Scandinavian markets, where their licence fee is over double what we're paying here, you see what they're getting for that, the content is singing."

It's all about context - nowhere did she say that they want to or are going to double the fee. In saying that, most of RTE programming is crap. Only time I watch RTE is for sport. And Radio 1 at night - less waffle and decent music.

animaal · 22-03-2017 3:04pm

I watch very little TV, but I'm glad RTE is there - for the news, Primetime, and a few other things. If RTE went subscription-only and was optional, I'd still pay the 160 for access. But I may be in the minority.

As things stand, it's a legal requirement to pay the license if you have a TV; the state has taken a decision to fund RTE in this way. They could instead fund it from general taxation, and increase income taxes. (or introduce income taxes, for the large portion of the population that pay no income tax). Funny how people get so principled about not obeying laws that require them to pay taxes or charges. I've never seen one of these people give out that they themselves have too many entitlements, and insist on paying some back. It's always somebody else who should be paying more.

I think RTE should introduce a subscription model, even with the current mandatory licensing model. All license payers should get an account that grants access to the TV channels and video streaming. Paying the license should give you something that you wouldn't otherwise have. It might even result in more income from abroad - there's a body of diaspora who feel they should be entitled to a vote in Irish elections, they presumably want to stay informed on Irish issues.

Mrs OBumble · 22-03-2017 3:05pm

Just get rid of your TV ... it makes you fat and stupid anyways.

Shenshen · 22-03-2017 3:09pm

murpho999 wrote: »

RTE always comes in for a lot of bashing some deserved and some not.

I don’t believe people when they say that they never watch RTE.

So they never watch any news, Irish sport or big shows like Love/Hate when it was on, political debates in the run up to elections?

Big events in the last week like the Coast Guard tragedy or Martin McGuinness passing and nobody used any of RTE services for that?

I just don’t believe that.
RTE radio also provides a good service.

They have good programmes, particularly documentaries and news shows such as Prime time.

They fall down badly on drama, entertainment and comedy and far too many repeats.

Too many chat-shows that feature poor guests.

They need to change. After all if TV3 & TG4 can survive with a smaller cut of the licence fee then why can’t RTE.

I do wonder if this mention of doubling the licence fee is a way of making a €50 fee look not so bad.

Finally, if people stopped evading paying the licence fee as they are legally obliged too then it probably wouldn’t be as expensive.

You can believe me. We've cancelled our Sky subscription 2 years ago and are now using a combined android and satellite box. It's really handy for UK and international stations (French and German mostly), but it can't receive RTE.
Tbf, it was about a year before I even noticed and asked the husband.

We still pay the fee, though, because, you know, the law and all that.

And quite a number of my colleagues don't even own a TV - they watch online exclusively, and I very much doubt the RTE player is anywhere on their lists.

bladespin · 22-03-2017 3:17pm

murpho999 wrote: »

RTE always comes in for a lot of bashing some deserved and some not.

I don’t believe people when they say that they never watch RTE.

So they never watch any news, Irish sport or big shows like Love/Hate when it was on, political debates in the run up to elections?

Big events in the last week like the Coast Guard tragedy or Martin McGuinness passing and nobody used any of RTE services for that?

I just don’t believe that.
RTE radio also provides a good service.

Drop over to our house, two boys who are only interested in youtubers, my kids literally don't watch 'tv' anymore, any channel.

For the grown ups if we get a chance it's usually a box set or netflix, all our tvs run off firestick etc.

Re. News etc, I have vey little interest but I get all mine on the likes FB, Boards and Independent.ie (no, I don't believe most of it but RTE was exactly the same).

BTW I do pay the fee but that would stop if it went any higher, as it is I think it's money for nothing.

stevek93 · 22-03-2017 3:17pm

Typical ignorant w*nkers that have no concept or appreciation of money. This really boils my blood it is to expensive as it fair enough RTE1 does have good shows on but I cringe every time the time comes to pay the TV licence, as other people said make it a paid subscription its not the only way to watch TV we have lots of online content.

VinLieger · 22-03-2017 3:30pm

murpho999 wrote: »

RTE always comes in for a lot of bashing some deserved and some not.

I don’t believe people when they say that they never watch RTE.

So they never watch any news, Irish sport or big shows like Love/Hate when it was on, political debates in the run up to elections?

Big events in the last week like the Coast Guard tragedy or Martin McGuinness passing and nobody used any of RTE services for that?

The ONLY thing I watched on RTE in the last 5+ years was six nations matches, 160 euro per year is not value for money for several rugby games in february and march.

I don't use the player, the news site or any of their radio stations. They are all awful and contain zero programming or content of any value as far as i'm concerned.

And now they have somehow managed to lose the rights to show the six nations for the next 4 years even though they have a huge legup with the license fee compared to TV3 who stole it from them.

Incompetence doesn't begin to describe what goes in in there.

gimmick · 22-03-2017 3:43pm

Did anyone actually read the article, where she went on to say that the TV License fee will not be doubled??

Just that she believes that if it was double the price it would be about right.

The current licence fee, at just over 40c a day, is I believe great value. Any notion that it be doubled is nonsense.

One way or other, i'll still continue to not pay.

jonon9 · 22-03-2017 3:48pm

No way in hell would I give RTE €320 a year. The absolute muck it churns out. The future of television is subscriptions and RTE don't want to hear it.
I cannot stand anyone bitching and moaning about other people who don't pay their tv license, If they don't use their service than they should not pay so stop whinging.

jackofalltrades · 22-03-2017 3:53pm

murpho999 wrote: »

I don’t believe people when they say that they never watch RTE.

I'd agree with you that there are those who are having their cake and letting the rest of us pay for it.
That said RTÉ need to move to a model where you either pay and get the service or don't and you can't watch any of it.
Give people the choice rather than forcing them to pay for TV and Radio that they don't want.

I do wonder if this mention of doubling the licence fee is a way of making a €50 fee look not so bad.

Oh that's definitely whats going on here.
They'll cut some jobs, sell a bit of land as a token effort to show how they're cutting costs.
Then they'll keep lobbying until they get some kind of increase and we'll be back in the same situation in 5 years time.
What RTÉ fail to realise is that younger generations aren't really watching TV anymore and certainly not RTÉ's programming.
Also with the free licence for over 70's, they're looking at less and less of their core viewers paying the licence fee.

Finally, if people stopped evading paying the licence fee as they are legally obliged too then it probably wouldn’t be as expensive.

The threat of higher numbers not paying is the only thing that is stopping the cost of the licence fee really shooting up.
If there was a 100% compliance rate they'd just keep increasing it.

Bob24 · 22-03-2017 3:55pm

While wanting to double it is a bit of a joke, a few years ago I would have defended them saying a publicly funded broadcasting service is essential to defend the interest of the general public and represent various political opinions, as opposed to private media which have to answer to whoever is owning/funding them.

But given the lack of variety of political opinions I see amongst their journalists and the bias they are regularly showing, I have to say they have lost my support.

Zaph · 22-03-2017 4:07pm

Boom_Bap wrote: »

I've just read a joe.ie article quoting yer wan saying the douling of the fee is nonsence.
But they are going after those who have not paid.

This I don't have a problem with. As it stands, I pay my €160 per year even though it galls me to given how little of RTE's output I avail of (Irish soccer internationals, the RTE News website and maybe a handful of programmes that I just happen to catch over the course of the year, but nothing I'd make a point of deciding in advance to watch). However they estimate that evasion costs €30-40m a year, which is ridiculous. If that amount extra was collected each year it would mean a) that my licence fee wouldn't have to go up next year to subsidise all those who aren't paying; and b) that the quality of RTE's output will improve. So basically they need to get their sh*t together and go after the people who aren't paying, instead of the usual crap in this country where those who are law-abiding get milked dry because it's easier to do that.

jonon9 · 22-03-2017 4:10pm

Zaph wrote: »

This I don't have a problem with. As it stands, I pay my €160 per year even though it galls me to given how little of RTE's output I avail of (Irish soccer internationals, the RTE News website and maybe a handful of programmes that I just happen to catch over the course of the year, but nothing I'd make a point of deciding in advance to watch). However they estimate that evasion costs €30-40m a year, which is ridiculous. If that amount extra was collected each year it would mean a) that my licence fee wouldn't have to go up next year to subsidise all those who aren't paying; and b) that the quality of RTE's output will improve. So basically they need to get their sh*t together and go after the people who aren't paying, instead of the usual crap in this country where those who are law-abiding get milked dry because it's easier to do that.

Highly doubt that somehow.

Bracken81 · 22-03-2017 4:19pm

VinLieger wrote: »

The ONLY thing I watched on RTE in the last 5+ years was six nations matches, 160 euro per year is not value for money for several rugby games in february and march

+1 here
Six nations or the Irish soccer games is all i watch on RTE

Dont understand people in this country under the age of 35, who still take their TV feed through RTE!

Boom_Bap · 22-03-2017 4:22pm

It's not just about what they make/produce themselves. They could potentially buy some decent shows from other networks so they can be showed at the same pace as they are aired on other networks.

Paddy Cow · 22-03-2017 4:22pm

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

I don't pay it anyway. Double €0 is still €0. No change for me.:)

She wants to add it to electricity bills to catch avoiders. What happens with people like me who genuinely don't have a tv?

Mr.Micro · 22-03-2017 4:23pm

RTE just don't get it. The whole world of communication has changed but RTE wants to stick to the old traditions of licence fee, and blanket ads.Now a double fee proposed, to fund the bloated salaries of its staff. Dream on. Look at that Late Late, Ray Darcy, and whoever else dross. Who needs it. Dire. And to pay more for it. All the ads are online, the news online, sport online, entertainment online, Netflix .....who needs the privileged few dictating bias to the rest of us.

Ciaran_B · 22-03-2017 4:26pm

Lt Dan wrote: »

Right everyone , a survey

1. Who still watches tv on a daily basis? Weekend?
2. Who watches RTE on a daily basis? Weekend? Christmas?
3. Who can say that the RTE radio Stations are their main radio stations (a lot I would imagine)
4. Who uses their website and RTE Player? How many times a week?
5. Who watched RTE's Olympic Coverage as their main source (I did in fairness, and Peter Collins was great)

Sports , which RTE TV and Radio DO a very good job on. But, if you were really stuck, there are several alternative ways that you can watch what they covered

1. Not me. TV mostly goes on to watch a film on Netflix or Apple Movies.
2. Not me. Right now I only watch the GAA coverage on a Sunday night.
3. Not me. Radio Nova for 25 minutes a day is all the radio I listen to.
4. Me. News, weather and sport coverage are good.
5. Not me. BBC coverage.

During the Summer I'd watch a lot of live hurling and football. And if there's an international football tournament on I'd watch the RTE coverage.

They can whistle for 300 quid though.

Bob24 · 22-03-2017 4:27pm

Paddy Cow wrote: »

She wants to add it to electricity bills to catch avoiders. What happens with people like me who genuinely don't have a tv?

I think this is just the collection method, I hope it doesn't mean changing the rules which define who has to pay or not.

Having said that electricity bills seem like a dodgy idea to me. Why can Revenue not collect it rather than the state mandating and paying external parties?

Sam Kade · 22-03-2017 4:32pm

Paddy Cow wrote: »

She wants to add it to electricity bills to catch avoiders. What happens with people like me who genuinely don't have a tv?

Where would she get the authority to do that as they are both separate companies?

hmmm · 22-03-2017 4:32pm

In the first place, the license fee should not go to RTE. It should go to an independent commissioning body, which will request particular TV segments at a particular quality level e.g. "TV news with 50% Irish content - 1 hour a day". Then RTE/TV3 and whoever else can compete for this money.

If RTE want to pay their "stars" hundreds of thousands a year, that's fine - but if this choice causes them to go bankrupt, so be it.

jonon9 · 22-03-2017 4:37pm

For my entertainment and needs are as follows

Entertainment: Netflix, You tube, Sub base websites
Radio: Online radio Rock FM, Hotmix etc (never listen to Irish channels)
News: again online material such as BBC news, Irish examiner etc (no RTE base material)
Sports are online even though I don't watch much sports (not a GAA man)

I don't have dishes or aerials on my house I have a Internet connection and thats it, Why should I pay for a service I don't use? Its like paying car insurance when you don't have a car.

FobleAsNuck · 22-03-2017 4:39pm

I've not watched proper tv for at least 8 years, same for crappy radios. Plex + netflix + amazon, I'd rather eat my tv than pay the license fee.

Lu Tze · 22-03-2017 4:52pm

FobleAsNuck wrote: »

I'd rather eat my tv than pay the license fee.

I'd pay to watch that!

Venom · 22-03-2017 5:16pm

jonon9 wrote: »

No way in hell would I give RTE €320 a year. The absolute muck it churns out. The future of television is subscriptions and RTE don't want to hear it.
I cannot stand anyone bitching and moaning about other people who don't pay their tv license, If they don't use their service than they should not pay so stop whinging.

Of course they don't want to hear it as it would be the end of them being able to suckle from the public teat if they brought something like that in.

jmayo · 22-03-2017 5:29pm

Grayson wrote: »

same here. I don't have a TV subscription and I don't have a freeview box. I have an internet connection, a chromecast, a raspberry pi and an xbox.

Where do you live again.

zerks wrote: »

...
RTE scrapped their Premier League highlights to save the equivalent of half Tubridys salary every year,rugby is going to TV3,Sky have GAA games that RTE deem of no interest to the public and alienate half the country.

That reminds me the bastards didn't show a couple of the Mayo games last year.
Where's me pitchfork gone. :mad:
Then again listening to that bollo* from Kerry gets rather tiring.

bladespin wrote: »

Re. News etc, I have vey little interest but I get all mine on the likes FB, Boards and Independent.ie (no, I don't believe most of it but RTE was exactly the same).

Oh FFS.
Facefook and independent.
You will be loved in Politics Cafe. They might even make you a mod.

Venom · 22-03-2017 5:29pm

Lu Tze wrote: »

I'd pay to watch that!

For sure I'd buy that for a dollar, but not €160

Feisar · 22-03-2017 5:52pm

Isn't the idea of TV licence archaic? Like it was grand back in the day when RTE was the only show (pun semi sorta not intended) in town. However these days it's basically a fee for having a telly.

If you've no tv but have a laptop and a Netflix account do you need one?

Permabear · 22-03-2017 5:57pm

This post has been deleted.

Harry Palmr · 22-03-2017 6:03pm

The only thing I watch is the news/weather and Champions League football on a Wednesday and

THAT

IS

IT.

As for radio, Morning Ireland for a short while and

THAT

IS

IT

I spend more time on Babestation.

mzungu · 22-03-2017 6:04pm

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

I would say it has been put on the back burner for a few years due to the water charge debacle. But I have no doubt the broadcasting charge idea will reappear.

RayM · 22-03-2017 6:10pm

I watch quite a bit of RTE and don't mind paying for a television licence (especially now that they've lost the rights to the 6 Nations), but not even the prospect of Fair City in HD would make me pay €320 per year.

Venom · 22-03-2017 6:11pm

mzungu wrote: »

I would say it has been put on the back burner for a few years due to the water charge debacle. But I have no doubt the broadcasting charge idea will reappear.

Agreed. The idea's been brought up a few times before but failed to get any traction going. When you consider it would have to include mobile phones I can see water charge type protests kicking off.

Fart · 22-03-2017 6:12pm

I don't ask them to broadcast the signal, so why should I (and others) have to pay? I might go busking and play some of my own songs and start charging the general public for having the ability to hear me.

RTE want to double TV licence fee

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