Dee Forbes banging the RTE TV licence drum again 60m uncollected fee *poll not working - pl ignore*

Forbes had an initial 5 year contract (same for Bakhurst), with a possible 2 year extension, she was given a 2 year extension, so was just about to complete her 7 years when all this broke, she'd said goodbye to staff a week before, I think they had a party or dinner on her departure. So this would have been the normal exit for a DG, she is on a handsome pension from RTÉ.

Geraldine O'Leary was just about to retire, but she took "early retirement" (BTW she had been on the Executive board back in 2003 also, so she's been around for a great number of years at the top of RTÉ, I actually assumed she'd get DG!).

Rory Coveney may have got a severance package, and the same goes for Richard Collins.

But no confirmation about either.

**** scandalous.

Riddles, Mrs Riddles should come on to boards.ie to explain herself 😂

There really is no real change in RTÉ.

The Ghost of Christmas Past (Noel Curran) remains ever present

The Ghost of Christmas Present (Dee Forbes) is a bit ill but still hanging around like a loose wheel

While the Ghost of Christmas Future (Kevin Bakursts) is playing scrooge but in reality not really changing very much.

The Daily Mail Headline states: FIRST TIME tv licence payers drop by nearly 50%, now in fairness to RTÉ it is a misleading headline as it only relates to Frist Time licence fee holders, €17m worth of TV licences have so far not been paid.

Over to page 14 of the Mail on Sunday, its HEADLINE is "Bakhurst axes RTÉ's €5k Christmas Tree", its felt is some quarters in RTÉ that the Christmas spirt has gone (IMO decadence in spending more like). According to a spokesperson we've saved approx. 5k compared to previous years... the question should have been why were you spending so much on such a Tree.

I'd wonder why a Giant Tree in D4, in an area of little attraction to most, which also has large tower, requires such a Tree? It is not like the public would go to seek it out, or would happen upon it on a day out in Dublin.

And then to RTÉ2 and 2FM on the same page "2FM and RTÉ2 WILL NOT BE SOLD OFF"

Speaking thought the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Ghost of Christmas Future stated : "2FM plays a valuable role for RTÉ in reaching younger audiences and the figures for 2fm in the recent JNRL survey are encouraging."

Meanwhile the ghost of Christmas Future stated "we also have plans for RTÉ2"... and that the "interim leadership team have done our best to answer" as many questions as possible..... Just not when the interim leadership team will become the leadership team!

How does 2FM reach younger audiences? It just plays generic crap like any other commercial pop station,the role is more than catered for.

Unlike every other commercial pop station though it can't make money for some reason.

The media are unwilling it seems to point out that 2FM has been loss making since 2011, and that RTÉ have funded from the licence fee since then. The also don't want to mention that RTÉ cut Young People programming funding, Drama and have never had much of an interest in Comedy, you would think that Young People's, Drama and Comedy content would help boost both RTÉ and 2FM for younger audiences, both Drama and Comedy are key to this demographic, but RTÉ are clearly hesitant to do either.

I was just think as I was going for my irregular jogs while listening to spotify that RTÉ might consider taking ads out on the service, the ad could simple be a 1min news update or something about 2FM. Same goes for YouTube ads.

RTÉ seem to have no clear Social Media or Marketing strategy. But then it doesn't help that you have no content.

We are all back to the beginning, RTÉ has no other ideas about how to go forward other than to cut funding. No rallying cries from management or staff to try to save the national broadcaster, no rather let just stop.

Interesting read , he could be just a pain in the ring also

What kind of music do they even play? Lovestruck teenage girls favourites I'm guessing.

I think it is too late and too expensive for RTÉ to try again with 2FM. They need to cut the service back to self-suffiency. They have had serveral chances between 2011 and now to get 2FM back, and they have failed massively. Cut it back for 3 years and then consider investing.

So just to end the year I thought I would post here. After 7 years of many posters trying to highlight the many issues at RTÉ even the most critical of RTÉ possibly didn't see this outcome happening.

The fall out after everything came out fully was : -

1. The first time in the history of RTÉ that the Director General was suspended, and possibly the first time that a DG quit under such circumstances
2. The resignation of their strategic director or depending on your point of view his sacking.
3. The early retirement of their commercial director or depending on your point of view her sacking.
4. The resignation of their Chief financial officer, or depending on your point of view his sacking.
5. The resignation of just one board member and another board member (who'd sat as the deputy Chair) deciding not to take on another term on the board. (though we have to assume their departures weren't caused by the scandal).

... but then you have the promotion of Adrian Lynch to the position of Deputy DG, a strange move, but don't worry its only a nominal promotion, he's not getting any extra money for his new role... who knows in 5 years time he might even be DG....

To those who argued for RTÉ, where did you go? Do you now trust, in someway, a bunch of Keyboard Warriors who tried to highlight the continued mismanagement of our public service broadcaster? Or is it still a case that before any changes can be made we must define what Public Service Broadcasting / media is!

All the same to everyone who post here on this thread, Happy Christmas and I look forward to more interaction with you all in the New Year.

Accounting practice from what I can see. The money maybe spent in year x, but the product my not sell until year y, allowing for the cost to be off set in year y rather than year x. They do this a lot, TV Drama Amber being the most noticeable one.

Read their independent productions unit/commissioning annual report and you'll see how the work it.

Our two are 18 and 13 and in neither of their friend groups nor themselves do any of them listen to FM radio at all, let alone 2fm.

The only exposure they have to radio is when ELM puts on Newstalk in the car.

The two-part Holocaust documentary 'The Devil's Confession', which was shown on BBC Two before the end of last year, is being shown on RTÉ2, starting on Saturday 13 January.

And in case were weren't sure some people arrive in a hour before with no research or names known: -

The book sounds as boring as watching Pat Spillane chat about GAA. Hilarious it is not and that's not just because I am unimpressed by the story but it is just a nothing story that really just says... Took money from RTÉ Sat and Sun, Man of the People Joe Brolly got away with a lot more.