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

I also like John and thought the purpose was to have people in for interviews, but there were non in the parts I heard.

Trip of a lifetime?

You mustn't get out much.

How many olympic games have you been at?

So government argument on "Why should I bother paying the TV license when the government will do it for me"

Sure, the €160 a year then that we will have to make up for is still coming from their taxes – so that’s the reason why. I’ve always been struck by this debate here, the idea that if the Exchequer steps in to provide the additional funding, where does that money come from? It comes from the taxpayer, it comes from the taxes that we collect

Lets put it this way, I won't pay the TV licence because I don't think RTÉ are capable at their job. They have 10 people in executive roles who are on over 250k, above the pay of the cabinet. We get to vote the cabinet out if we don't think they are doing a good job, meanwhile we have to pay to get rid of the top people at RTÉ because they didn't do a good job.

Johnny Tax payer saves time by not having to pay the TV licence a method of payment slowly being remove by the government.

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/donohoe-confident-tv-licence-compliance-will-improve-1659331.html

I’m confident that as we continue to restore trust in RTÉ – which I’m confident will happen – and as we allocate more funding to An Post to deal with compliance and collection of the television licence, that it will not only recover to where it was in the past, but it will go to a higher level.

Why was the trust lost? And your a fool if you think you can get they 15% who don't normally pay to pay.

+1 on too many RTE people in Paris.

Bare in mind that when Eurosport cover live cycling incl. Tour de France, one of their commentators - Robbie McEwan - commentates from his home in Australia! And Sean Kelly from wherever he now lives! Modern technology doesnt require them to be even at the event.

George Lee is on circa €180k, for what?

While other correspondents aren't on as much money, you have to question what they do on a day to day basis.

I understand that a news report can take time to gather, and most likely they are on their own for most of that "research gathering" but some of them are only just filing reports.

If there are so few reports why so many correspondents?

perhaps I am not looking at this correctly, but if anyone wants to make even a wild guess.

A Year of "Special Events"

When Noel Curran was DG RTÉ began coining the phrase "Special Events". Since 2016 (The year of his departure and the arrival of Dee Forbes) RTÉ has listed the cost of such special events. It's interesting that according to them there were none in 2017 (which would be largely unusual in any one year). They also coined the financial phrase EBITDA** (before Special Events) in their annual report, I'd wonder why EBITDA is even listed in a public bodies annual reports, this surely is just window dressing for investors of a private business (perhaps accountants out there would explain its requirement in an RTÉ annual report), and if it were a private business how having "EBITDABSE" might be a thing!

Now Those are the things listed as special event, "including", there are more event in each year. For example I assume in 2016 would have also included the brexit ref but then the 2017 UK general election is not included ! Anyone know what RTÉ coverage of the 2017 UK GE was like?

Also I don't see how World Cup Qualifiers could be listed as a special event.

These are waffle figures. With the exception of 2021 when their was an exception to the 4 year return of the Olympics and world cup. These are technically special events but RTÉ know well in advance that they are coming and that they will be covering them.

Although the reporting of sporting events as main stories on news bulletins is not confined to Ireland, RTÉ has, unlike the BBC, ITV and Sky News, an overlap between ordinary news and sports news because only RTÉ has sports coverage presenters on news bulletins as sportscasters and signing off with reference to the news division of the broadcaster in question, e.g. "Jacqui Hurley, RTÉ News". I think it raises the issue of - and this is strictly hypothetical - what would happen if, for example, Jacqui Hurley went into politics, got elected and then, like George Lee, quit politics and returned to broadcast journalism. Obviously, she wouldn't have to wait 6 months before going back to presenting sports programmes - but would the 6-month rule still apply to being on news bulletins as a sportscaster or as a reporter signing off with reference to RTÉ News?

You'd think otherwise from the RTÉ-twitteraity.

Well then Dear George you can get paid a public service wage. Close the door on your way out.

That's not what my point was about. I was raising a regulatory issue by mentioning the scenario in my post. Read it carefully.

Eurovision spends

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/rte-spend-bambie-thug-eurovision-33449260

What annoys me about Eurovision is their head of delegation. This time last year he was saying : -

While rival broadcasters employ teams of people to stage their Eurovision bids, Michael is a one-man operation, sometimes directing Prime Time, organising RTE’s New Year’s Eve coverage and the Rose of Tralee as he also tries to find a song and performer who could regain Ireland’s Eurovision glory.

Last year RTE splashed out on more than €315,000 sending Derry singer Brooke Scullion to Eurovision.

But Michael said: “It’s not enough to be perfectly honest ….and it’s a dog fight to get every cent.

“At the same time, I think we are one of the few organisation around Europe who tell you what we spend.”

Does matter who is running the show it really about the song and the act, and he is either lucky or extremely unlucky.

Expect more of the same next year from our entry as he's at last found the hook required.

And if it flops he tell us, you should have paid your TV licence.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/thats-rich-rte-splashed-out-27650436

https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/9877941/eurovision-rte-abuse-blame-sacked-michael-kealy/

The 6-month rule doesn't apply if the RTÉ person who left to go into politics and has then left politics to go back to RTÉ is not involved in news or current affairs.

Jacqui Hurley is a presenter on The Sunday Game and so it was erroneous of me to mention her in my hypothesis.

Evanne Ní Chuillin presented the RTÉ News coverage of the return of the Irish Olympics team yesterday afternoon. If she went into politics - and I'm not saying that she's interested in doing so - and then quit politics to return to RTÉ, would she be barred from being a sports reporter on news bulletins for 6 months? Is her affiliation with RTÉ News or is it with RTÉ Sport?

So no really changes to RTÉ radio following a raft of exits. So the idea that the top stars bring in a auidence can largely be dismissed.

And if your interested due to sport in July RTÉ had a 33% share of the audience, while in June similar figures. RTÉ2 will average about 7% share for the year but will have achieved 14% share in June and July, August will see those figure diminish as will the rest of the year.

I'd agree no bigger hitters, but a group of presenters that 2FM and some in the media considered to be big hitters.

Laura Fox has pretty much take over from Jenny Z and she's getting 141,000 listeners up 6k. Not much less than Westlife show which ended on 155k.

what kind of a wedge is Marty on?

Also I am thinking that many of those presenters have got away without having to be in the top ten list.

From what I can gather when the RTÉ annual report is published later in the year it will only show the top ten earners, this means because RTÉ have added the executives to the list they then remove many of the people that would have been added to the the list due to lowering of the earnings and the exit of others.

Now we are left with a list that you can't compare to previous lists. Really the top ten onscreen talent should be published along with the top ten non-onscreen talent at RTÉ.

I'd say getting FC and TLLS to become independent productions is to remove those stars from the top ten earners list.

Interesting to see Dáithí "Why would I give somebody 15pc of what I make, like?" Ó Sé on that list!

It's probably deemed to be an education story. Secondary school place shortages is going to be big, id imagine.

The only thing I can think of is a change.org petition, but doubt it has any real power. Did I read if it reaches a certain amount it has to be discussed in the Dail, or was that something/somewhere else? Either way, it wouldn't matter, no doubt the Dail heads are involved somehow, or at least are in the same circlejerk.

Never heard anything back anyway...

Would love to know how much he's leaving with.

Has to be this one? so €400k.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0612/1454413-committee-rte/