RTÉ 2 years left, unless finances are sorted out

msg11 · 10-01-2011 03:53AM #1

From the Sunday Tribune.

Mark Hilliard

RTÉ Staff have been warned that cash reserves will be depleted in two years unless dramatic action is taken to pull its operational deficit back from the brink.

An external financial review of the station's fiscal health was carried out to see if the 2009 pay cuts could be reversed. But its findings instead showed that the station is set to lose about €30m this year based on current budget projections.

According to Montrose sources, staff were told at a heated meeting on Friday that the station could only sustain current losses for another two years. They were told: "The way things are going, if RTÉ's figures were to continue like this, the station's cash reserves would be depleted in two years."

However, sources stressed the station would never be allowed to go broke. Demands have been made in some quarters that the station's highest-paid stars, who earn hundreds of thousands of euro a year, should be forced to take significant wage reductions of up to 30%.

A deficit of €5m for 2010 is expected to be revealed when the annual report is published in March.

But it's a far more serious situation for this year, with €30m in losses anticipated because of a recent restructuring of the licence fee and record lows in advertising revenue.

Only further severe pay cuts, redundancies or a slashing of programme budgets can get the station back on course, sources have said, although further cuts to salaries will not be tolerated by unions.

Total income at the station is projected at €363m this year but the projected operational cost will be significantly more. RTÉ, by law, cannot operate at a loss.

Staff are now bracing themselves for further cost-saving measures this year although how they are imposed will depend on the incoming director general Noel Curran.

Cathal Goan is understood to be stepping down next month.

A spokeswomen for the station said: "2011 will be a very challenging year for RTÉ as with other media organisations."

January 9, 2011

Couldn't give a rat's if it went down the ****ter. Top stars ain't going to take anymore cut's . Think Rté has it's faith sealed .. Or let me guess, it will be receiving a bail out.

You got to laugh some star obviously didn't believe the company was losing money, so hired someone to do an audit . Turns out there losing more than expected hahaha.

What's the guesses here too, some poor low paid workers in there are going to lose there job's , can see it now ' 100 jobs to go at rte ' .

ibarelycare · 10-01-2011 03:57AM

Would absolutely thrill me to see smug overpaid bastards like Ryan Tubridy and Pat Kenny be forced to take a paycut. But you're right OP, more than likely the people at the bottom will suffer the most.

Sea Sharp · 10-01-2011 04:02AM

Even with TV licences and adverts?

They should cut it down to one channel and stop showing sh1t TV.

AlmightyCushion · 10-01-2011 04:02AM

Never watch RTE anymore but I'd much rather see them break even and start producing some decent TV while at it instead of just closing the doors or whatever. Hopefully this is the kick up the arse they need to sort RTE out.

RockinRolla · 10-01-2011 04:04AM

I hope they privatise the bastard and let all those hangers-on who are getting a huge wage at our expense, clear out. It's daylight robbery that we are obliged to pay for this low production, innovative-less crap to begin with or else you're fined? "We've heard all the excuses and none of them work"...oh really, you extortionate pig.

If I don't watch RTE, if my family don't watch RTE and if I never intend to watch RTE - then why MUST I pay (by law, the TV license) RTE?! Ludicrous and the stuff of science fiction.

Once RTE becomes privatised, it becomes directly answerable to it's audience - meaning, WE get to see the programming WE want.

marcsignal · 10-01-2011 04:07AM

2 years is too long

it's a horse with a broken leg, shoot it now and get it over with ffs..

Carl Sagan · 10-01-2011 04:13AM

Hopefully the higher paid 'stars' will have to take a paycut. Haven't watched RTE in years so to be honest, I couldn't give a **** if the doors are closed.

PeterIanStaker · 10-01-2011 04:14AM

I hope the top earners get a severe pay cut, its not like they produce anything of quality.

mikom · 10-01-2011 04:14AM

Altogether now.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbAqWA-dxvw

skelliser · 10-01-2011 04:15AM

Its a well known fact that RTE is a closed shop.
The only way you can get a job there is if your related to someone, Lucey Kenndy, have political pull, Ryan Tubridy or have been around for so long that you basically own the place Gay Byrne, Joe Duffy etc.

With a situation like that no wonder it is in the ****.

Privatise the lot of it, dont see why we have to finance these gob****es massive pay packets.

Jesus Wept · 10-01-2011 04:16AM

msg11 wrote: »

€30m in losses anticipated because of a recent restructuring of the licence fee and record lows in advertising revenue.

What restructuring are they referring to? There hasn't been a cut in the fee, fewer people paying it probably.

From Wiki

An Post has signalled its intention to withdraw from the licence fee collection business

Anyhow, I could cut a great deal in RTE without any real loss.
Stop giving Katharine Lynch money to make tv shows, Pat Shortt doesn't need 3 - 4 shows on RTE on the go at any one time.

Wolfe Tone · 10-01-2011 04:17AM

RTE radio is decent enough now tbf

HellFireClub · 10-01-2011 04:18AM

Sea Sharp wrote: »

Even with TV licences and adverts?

They should cut it down to one channel and stop showing sh1t TV.

Everyone in the country with a TV in their house is subsidising this bucket of sh*t and they still are still losing their hoop. Their list of presenters is a national embarrassment, from the cringeworthy Tubridy to the truly extraordinarily embarrassing Derek Mooney, that's before we even start to look at what they are being paid.

With any luck they will run out of rope...

msg11 · 10-01-2011 04:25AM

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

RTE radio is decent enough now tbf

Are you joking ?

I take it you are. 2FM has one of the worst , station imaging packages I have ever heard. And it's a national station. RTE Radio 1 , RTE Lyric and then RTE RNG . Come on , they are not only clogging up the FM band, put are seriously ****.

In Dublin, you can pick up around 15 Transmitters of RTE ****. This non sense needs to stop.

Also, The BAI need too cop on and save the radio industry it's going down hill nearly all are reporting losses, there 20% talk and news is a total load of bollox, clearly that 20% is serviced by Newstalk .

mikom · 10-01-2011 04:26AM

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

RTE radio is decent enough now tbf

It would want to be........... Marian finucane €570,000 a year for a 2hr show on Sat/Sun

Oranage2 · 10-01-2011 04:31AM

ibarelycare wrote: »

Would absolutely thrill me to see smug overpaid bastards like Ryan Tubridy and Pat Kenny be forced to take a paycut. But you're right OP, more than likely the people at the bottom will suffer the most.

I'd be even more trilled if that over-smug, talantless, underweight, annoying idiot called Tubridy was "let go"

Bob the Builder · 10-01-2011 04:34AM

I think we should all just stay quiet and pay our TV license.

Now idiots, move along now taxpayers. Nothing to see here...

Bill2673 · 10-01-2011 09:13AM

I'd be happy if they got rid of the TV station and kept the radio.

Whats the point of a TV station that shows reruns of Bridget Jones Diary over and over.

In all seriousness, 80% of whats on RTE you can get on any station, eg all this CSI stuff, or Top Gun on last night, or Eastenders, or Grey's Anatomy or whatever.

I'd say 20% is home produced and of that about half of it is filler, like that Brendan O'Connor chat show or that all-ireland talent show nonsense that was on last night.

Then there is the 10% of their programming that is actually somewhere between ok and very good. Struggling to think what that is, you might include stuff like Ear to the Ground or At Your Service or The Sunday Game. What I would suggest is that RTE just operate its TV maybe 6 hours a day, cut out all the filler and the expense of it, and just make decent Irish TV.

Max Power1 · 10-01-2011 09:15AM

Goodbye, good riddance.

Dont let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.

u140acro3xs7dm · 10-01-2011 09:57AM

mikom wrote: »

It would want to be........... Marian finucane €570,000 a year for a 2hr show on Sat/Sun

I really cant believe she gets away with this. If she earned 50k a year she would be grossly over paid. Her show is just a review of the week too, all she does is tell you stuff you already know. She epitomises everything that is wrong with Rte. With her whiny little voice. God I hate that woman. If I accidently turn on the radio and she is on it puts me straight in a bad mood.

ctrl-alt-delete · 10-01-2011 10:06AM

Article wrote:

An external financial review of the station's fiscal health was carried out to see if the 2009 pay cuts could be reversed.

So they wasted money trying to find out if there was anyway they could reverse recent enough pay cuts? Am I getting that right?

That is just absurd on so many levels.

No doubt the solution for them will be moving the comma and continue on blissfully

"RTE 2, years left blah blah blah" hold hands and rejoice.

Dyr · 10-01-2011 10:12AM

ah things will be grand, de gubment won't let their pet TV station go to the wall

up for anything · 10-01-2011 10:21AM

This is all my fault because I'm a tv sponger. The lowest of the low.

Lord Derpington · 10-01-2011 10:34AM

mikom wrote: »

Marian finucane €570,000 a year for a 2hr show on Sat/Sun

Holy FUCK.....

Wompa1 · 10-01-2011 10:44AM

up for anything wrote: »

This is all my fault because I'm a tv sponger. The lowest of the low.

Enjoy hell my friend!

10-01-2011 10:48AM

However, sources stressed the station would never be allowed to go broke.

Of course not, they'll just double the tv licence fee

bonerm · 10-01-2011 10:51AM

I wouldn't miss it if it hit the wall. It won't happen of course tho because the Government need their propaganda wing in place just to keep the public in check.

Don't watch RTE and resent having to pay a licence just for the privilege of having a tv. That’s the bitterest part of the joke , that I have to pay for something I don’t want and then have to hear about an array of useless cúnts such as Kenny, Tubridy et al getting rich off it.

Wompa1 · 10-01-2011 10:53AM

bonerm wrote: »

I wouldn't miss it if it hit the wall. It won't happen of course tho because the Government need their propaganda wing in place just to keep the public in check.

Don't watch RTE and resent having to pay a licence just for the privilege of having a tv. That’s the bitterest part of the joke , that I have to pay for something I don’t want and then have to hear about an array of useless cúnts such as Kenny, Tubridy et al getting rich off it.

And sure what will we do about it? Everyone on here things petitions are crap, Protests fall to ****e...I think we'll just have to carry on being sheeple

10-01-2011 10:57AM

RTE radio is very good there are some great documentaries etc on...as for the TV i like the news and a few other programs .. radio is way unrated i think its a much better medium than than television.

Dravokivich · 10-01-2011 11:17AM

Read a report earlier in the Metro that said "They can't operate at a loss..." as if money coming in isn't an issue....hmm... but they are digging into savings funds because they aren't bringing in enough money...

Anyhow... it's all well and good saying they are broadcasting shows you'd see on other channels such as CSI and Greys Anatomy... But not everyone has cable / digital / freesat so the national broadcaster would be the only channels avail for some...

KeRbDoG · 10-01-2011 11:24AM

msg11 wrote: »

Are you joking ?

I take it you are. 2FM has one of the worst , station imaging packages I have ever heard. And it's a national station.

Always worth noting that RTÉ 2fm do not receive any public funding (ref)

RTÉ 2 years left, unless finances are sorted out

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