Winter is coming for RTE - Dee Forbes hints at a bleak future.

Ursus Horribilis · 07-09-2019 05:51PM

I have no issue with there being orchestras or that they play House covers with Jenny Greene. I don't see why they should be RTE's responsibility though.

It's not 1979 any more so it's unclear why 2FM is needed. It was established because the yoof were tuning into pirate stations for their music. 40 years later, all 2FM is is a lucrative gravy train for anyone lucky enough to have a job there. It should be scrapped or the brand name sold on.

When you see the salaries of certain RTE employees, it's hard not to question why they are being paid so much. Let them take their chances out in the open market and command similar wages.

Maybe RTE stretching itself too far and should only have one TV station again. There is a lot of filler on RTE 1 and 2. Is it time to pare the stations back to one and have it concentrate on producing better quality TV?

hullaballoo · 07-09-2019 06:53PM

STB. wrote: »

No it shouldn't. Its a private company.

TV3 as it was previously known cost the taxpayer a shít load of money despite being owned at the time by a private investment company. They had 81 million in loans written off, and the same private investment company even bought other loans of 60 million back at a considerable discount from IBRC.
...

Do you have a source for the above? I'm not entirely sure it's correct.

jk23 · 07-09-2019 07:02PM

I can assure you just going by the culture in RTE that there are old employees still on the payroll, family members listed as PAs and other little numbers created.

We are told that these so called stars in RTE are being head hunted by foreign stations. Unfortunately the only people that can't see that no one wants these below average broadcasters and hosts are the top brass in Montrose

07-09-2019 07:12PM

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

. There is a lot of filler on RTE 1 and 2. Is it time to pare the stations back to one and have it concentrate on producing better quality TV?

The only identity rte2 had was when it was called Network 2 for a few years.

Why couldn't rte 1 be put on 24 hours?

Wolff · 07-09-2019 07:58PM

RTE don't have 1000 employees - they have closer to 1800 - 200 or so are contractors

They don't separate out salaries or cost them separately according to department in their annual report - which is a pity

300 are employed just in news and current affairs

The costs in RTE are not related to a few overpaid presenters - its the whole institution being grossly overpaid for years

Denmark is binning its license fee in the next 4 year and moving to a funding model - they are also slashing the national broadcasters budget by 20%

Time we did the same - its no longer fit for purpose

Now them chickens are coming home to roost.....

Atlantic Dawn · 07-09-2019 11:49PM

The scheduling on the channels is shocking, showing repeats of home grown thrash ahead of stuff that has never been shown on Irish tv. Their income is only going to drop, people have changed their viewing habits, their €100million oil strike money for selling lands in the studio will be blown sideways. They should sell the rest of the place and move it out to rural Longford and put their manning levels to sustainable numbers.

fritzelly · 08-09-2019 12:12AM

That 100 million was spent before they sold the land, check their financials for the past few years

Montage of Feck · 08-09-2019 12:19AM

Reeling in the years on infinite repeat interspersed with brief segments hosted by Mary Kennedy and Marty Morrissey is the future of Irish public broadcasting.

STB. · 08-09-2019 12:36AM

hullaballoo wrote: »

Do you have a source for the above? I'm not entirely sure it's correct.

Yes my memory

But since you asked.

The 81 million loan that was written off and the other loans they bought back from themselves.

fritzelly · 08-09-2019 01:10AM

STB. wrote: »

Yes my memory

But since you asked.

The 81 million loan that was written off and the other loans they bought back from themselves.

Its a stretch saying the tax payer bailed then out...the government screwed the tax payer its more accurate

swarlb · 08-09-2019 01:11AM

KB22 wrote: »

I think the media people mentioned, are well able to answer for themselves .I doubt they would as so many of them are very "sensitive" regarding salary. Very gracious of the moderator :- " I'll allow the thread to continue" etc. Reminiscent of MUSSOLINI, ADOLF,MUGABE,TRUMP,BORIS ? Ah well back of the class for me again.

Not bad, only 28 posts and Goodwin's Law has finally kicked in.

Atlantic Dawn · 08-09-2019 01:13AM

fritzelly wrote: »

Its a stretch saying the tax payer bailed then out...the government screwed the tax payer its more accurate

And more shocking is if Lehman Brothers never happened the money pump would have went on for another number of years in this country.

Fibromyalgia · 08-09-2019 11:20AM

Why aren't RTE being challenged about the 5 million per annum that goes to 2fm ? 2fm have 11 djs on the roster at weekends while all other youth music stations have just 4 or 5 djs on the weekend roaster.

Fibromyalgia · 08-09-2019 11:24AM

Another one is the cosy arrangement where djs deemed too old for 2fm have been put out to pastor on RTE gold digital, a channel wth no income or measured listenership. What is Larry Gogan being paid for his golden hour on RTE gold?

Harry Palmr · 08-09-2019 11:48AM

Any mention of the RTE financial review on the Sunday morning gabfests?

STB. · 08-09-2019 11:49AM

fritzelly wrote: »

Its a stretch saying the tax payer bailed then out...the government screwed the tax payer its more accurate

What. How is it a stretch ?

IT wrote:

Finally it emerged yesterday the sale of corporate debt relating to TV3 to private equity firm Doughty Hanson saw a so-called ‘B Note’ debt of €81 million written off in its entirety. This €81 million loan had been parked by Anglo Irish Bank in 2009 after a complex restructuring agreed with TV3. Doughty Hanson bought TV’s remaining debt of circa €60 million at a discount. TV3 declined to comment.

Just Who did you think ended up paying the debt ?

Fibromyalgia wrote: »

Why aren't RTE being challenged about the 5 million per annum that goes to 2fm ? 2fm have 11 djs on the roster at weekends while all other youth music stations have just 4 or 5 djs on the weekend roaster.

National radio stations aren't youth stations. And the youth stations don't have that amount either.

lertsnim · 08-09-2019 12:37PM

fritzelly wrote: »

Its a stretch saying the tax payer bailed then out...the government screwed the tax payer its more accurate

That money came out of everyone's pockets so its not a stretch at all.

handlemaster · 08-09-2019 12:47PM

dubrov wrote: »

...but BBC and ITV will poach all the talent if RTE don't pay them well

Lol thats funny. Irish talent on rte is crazy bad. Why not open it up to communications graduates that are been churned out year in year out. No new talent coming through RTE. Tubs isnt a tv presenter .. should stick to the radio.

bigroad · 08-09-2019 01:04PM

I see Ray says he will take a pay cut,is this a move to save his own skin.
I would say the rest of the Rte stars may not like this move as it puts them under pressure.
Better a reduced wage than no wage at all.

vriesmays · 08-09-2019 01:09PM

The man who said he'd emigrate if Enda Kenny ever became Taoiseach.

handlemaster · 08-09-2019 01:11PM

bigroad wrote: »

I see Ray says he will take a pay cut,is this a move to save his own skin.
I would say the rest of the Rte stars may not like this move as it puts them under pressure.
Better a reduced wage than no wage at all.

That could be a 1 euro cut .

sanjose1 · 08-09-2019 01:32PM

Why no campaign started to not pay licence fee among public, if already attempted I havent heard of it

Spanish Eyes · 08-09-2019 01:50PM

A public service broadcaster that produces little of value really, together with ad nauseum repeats of pure c rap.

And an organisation that is funded by the license holders AND we have to sit through interminable ads.

A Player that will not allow a viewer to pause, and more interminable ads.

I don't watch TV anymore, and am all the better for it. Get my news elsewhere, and go down the YouTube rabbit hole far too often though.

I like the idea of moving operations to outside the M50 somewhere. The BBC went to Manchester I think.

It is an empire that needs to fall, and be rebuilt with a bit of good management strategy and those who are able to see future trends.

But I agree with a pp, the license fee will just be increased.

hullaballoo · 08-09-2019 07:07PM

STB. wrote: »

Yes my memory

But since you asked.

The 81 million loan that was written off and the other loans they bought back from themselves.

Completely passed me by somehow.

A bit embarrassing considering I'm working in this area!

Widescreen · 09-09-2019 01:19PM

Another way they could save a few quid.

What's this with news at six for an hour every evening!?

Two news readers plus a sports presenter, absolute joke and waste of our money .

None of the UK stations even have hour long news bulletins, even with all the brexit stuff going on! (apart from Sky news I guess which is just a news channel.

And in August with all this brexit kicking off they reduce the news to half an hour
and show that reeling in the years stuff yet again.

Joke shop, and as for the licence, go collect the money off all the non paying parasites!

dulpit · 09-09-2019 01:27PM

Widescreen wrote: »

Another way they could save a few quid.

What's this with news at six for an hour every evening!?

Two news readers plus a sports presenter, absolute joke and waste of our money .

None of the UK stations even have hour long news bulletins, even with all the brexit stuff going on! (apart from Sky news I guess which is just a news channel.

And in August with all this brexit kicking off they reduce the news to half an hour
and show that reeling in the years stuff yet again.

Joke shop, and as for the licence, go collect the money off all the non paying parasites!

Joke shop with a public broadcaster having a decent news service?

lertsnim · 10-09-2019 04:02AM

Widescreen wrote: »

Another way they could save a few quid.

What's this with news at six for an hour every evening!?

Two news readers plus a sports presenter, absolute joke and waste of our money .

None of the UK stations even have hour long news bulletins, even with all the brexit stuff going on! (apart from Sky news I guess which is just a news channel.

And in August with all this brexit kicking off they reduce the news to half an hour
and show that reeling in the years stuff yet again.

Joke shop, and as for the licence, go collect the money off all the non paying parasites!

So you complain about the news being an hour long and then later complain about the half hour summer bulletins being too short. Reads like you are complaining just for the sake of complaining.

BBC and ITV do actually have an hour if you include the local news bulletin. RTÉ's hour long news also has regional items as well as national and international.

Checkmate19 · 10-09-2019 08:01AM

Rte is not fit for purpose. One prime example is the amount of different correspondents on the news. There is loads. They have for example a trade union one who only does trade union stories. There is simply no need for the amount they have to cover different news stories. Rte needs a massive down sizing. Simply its a big gravy that needs to be stoped at the station and a load of carriages taken off. Or the whole train left in the station.

vriesmays · 10-09-2019 06:57PM

MOD: Posts of this nature are not welcome here

icdg · 10-09-2019 07:06PM

vriesmays straight 48 hour ban. That type of sexist posting isn’t welcome on this forum.

Indeed, I think it’s time we called a halt to this thread. I had hopes we might have a reasonable discussion, but for every reasoned post there’s an unrelated rant.

Winter is coming for RTE - Dee Forbes hints at a bleak future.

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