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RTE - National broadcasting service?

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Comments

  • #32
    Johnmb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,150 ✭✭✭Johnmb


    Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »
    It is well within RTE's reach though to provide a service to NI (they already are doing so for many homes) whereas your suggestion is impossible.
    It's not within RTE's reach, they need to use the infrastructure of a foreign country to do so.
    There's no if about it. This is the case. There was mockery of the OP's claim that a national broadcaster should provide for NI on the grounds that they felt NI was a different country.
    There's no "felt" about it, it is reality.
    Well the constitution at present declares that anyone in Ireland is entitled to be part of the Irish nation
    Yep, and if they want to view RTE, they can move here. Or do you think RTE should have to provide coverage to all Irish citizens? The US, Australian, UK, French, German, etc authorities may have a problem with that.
    (and before the constitution was amended it went further and used to suggest the island, ie the territory, WAS the nation and this was around the time RTE was first established!) so since the beginning RTE would have viewed it as important to present itself as a national, i.e all-island, channel. People in NI haven't been chased for a license because they are not part of the Irish state, but notice RTE are quite happy to charge them for competitions.
    And once again, nothing in the constitution says RTE was to cover the whole island, and RTE would only consider the license payers to be entitled to anything (not value for money, but coverage). Northern Irish are charged to enter competitions, not to view the channel.
    RTE are very keen on being a permanent presence in the North. I don't see why anyone would get upset at a person in NI wanting to see a service that the organisation itself wants them to see. People in this part of the island have been quite happy to look at British TV for decades without paying a British license fee as people in the North have had to do. I'm guessing similarly people in France aren't complaining that a lot of us here have been able to access TV5 for a long time. What is the problem exactly? As far as I can see this is a non-issue. Anyway I've said all I have to say on this. Here's hoping soon one day all homes on the island will have access to RTE so we can all simultaneously switch over to the BBC to watch superior telly. :cool:
    You obviously either have a comprehension problem, or are deliberately ignoring what has been said in order to create a strawman argument that you think you can win. Nobody has ever tried to force any of the British TV channels to pay for our infrastructure to be adjusted to carry their channels. Nobody has asked, or expected TV5 to pay for carriage here. None of the channels you mention are carried on the Irish terrestrial system btw. Nor do most of us feel we are "entitled" to view those channels and expect to see them at the channels own expense, we just take advantage of their overspill.


  • #33
    Kotek Besar
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,601 ✭✭✭Kotek Besar


    babarino wrote: »
    Geography clearly isn't your strongpoint. The state "Northern Ireland" is in Ireland.

    facepalm.jpg


  • #34
    Elmo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,641 ✭✭✭✭Elmo


    amacachi wrote: »
    They're free to extend it into the North AFAIK, not under any obligation, and I'd be surprised if the GFA specifically addressed the issue. You must just live in a hollow or pretty far from the border because my family in the North have always been able to get RTE from Crossmaglen to Newry and near Banbridge.

    RTÉ is not mention in the GFA but TG4 is committed to coverage in the North within the GFA. Under an MOU the between the UK and Irish Government RTÉ 1, 2 and TG4 will be available on FreeView north of the boarder, while BBC NI and UTV are to be made available on the pay Muxes of the commercial DTT service if it ever starts up. RTÉ also wish to provide FTA signal thought out the Island on SaorSat, made up possible of RTÉ 1, 2, NEWS NOW, TV3(unlikely) and TG4. (RTÉ Plus and Jr if they get up and running). While under EU law no TV service from another EU country can be prevented from broadcast into other EU countries, English channels have made much of this rule in Ireland taking nearly 60million in advertising from the Irish Market without any Irish Broadcasting commitments or laws.

    Currently UK channels are available for free on satellite and via Spillover. Irish Terrestrial should be available in some areas of the north and possibly parts of Wales. RTÉ are still committed to an International Channel (even if they can't afford it, however this continues to seem unlikely.)

    Also if it is of any interest the outgoing DG and the Director of TV at RTÉ are both from Northern Ireland.


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