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Child Item

Broadcasting charge will be levied on every home in the country

seamus

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/rabbitte-broadcasting-charge-will-be-levied-on-every-home-in-the-country-586197.html

The Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has said everyone will have to pay a new broadcasting charge to replace the TV licence, regardless of whether or not they own a television.

I thought AH would love this. In principle, I don't really have any issue with this charge. Public broadcasts and public programming provide an essential civic and cultural function and need to be paid for.

A separate broadcasting charge seems ridiculous though. If everyone is to pay it, then why not just throw it onto the property tax? What is the public service obsession for duplication of effort and having hundreds of little charges instead of one or two big ones that cover everything?

They also need to restructure it massively. TG4 produce great programming on a fraction of RTE's budget. Instead, all broadcasters should be required to apply for access to public funding in return for devoting 30% of their time to home-produced content, another 30% to public service broadcasting, with a limit of 15 minutes of advertising in every hour.

And if RTE can't afford to pay Miriam, Joe, Kenny or Tubbs their ridiculous salaries, then let them feck off to the UK to find work and we'll have a good old laugh at them when they arrive back here with their tails between their legs, begging to be given €80k a year.
We have a massive pool of talented people here, we don't need to be paying some old hacks huge money for doing a mediocre job.

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ManMade

Come on lads! Pay up.
Look at this value for money!

If it wasn't for your hard owned money what would pay for this.

Mrs Garth Brooks

FCKING CNUTS

I know some one who is so backwards and loves it. He doesn't have a tv, computer, laptap, tablet, radio or phone. Does he have to pay it?

Also, just a couple of months ago, they took down the phone mast where i'm from. I've got phone internet like in the 90s with GPRS coverage. No tv on my phone. I've got a laptop but no internet so no tv on that either.

Seriously, how are they justifying these charges?

lockon...

Here is the breakdown of the €160 TV Licence Fee:

RTÉ One – €58.01
RTÉ Two – €31.21
RTÉ Radio One – €13.40
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta – €8.33
RTÉ Lyric FM – €4.79
RTÉ Performing Groups – €9.26
RTÉ Support for TG4 – €6.39
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland levy – €1.75
TG4 Deduction – €6.71
BCI Sound and Vision fund – €10.53
Collection Costs from An Post/Communications and Social Protection Departments – €9.62

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/this-is-exactly-how-your-tv-licence-fee-is-used-542836-Aug2012/

I would love to see a breakdown per programme. Actually I want to find out where my focking money is being wasted on.

My name is URL

MadsL wrote: »

The licencing fee also covers the Arts in the form of RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and RTÉ Cór na nÓg.

Why does a national broadcaster need so many orchestras and choirs?

3ndahalfof6

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Like in Greece, I imagine this charge will appear as a levy on electricity bills. There will be no way to avoid it, unless you want to have your power cut.

There in lies the problem, no way to avoid it, "wee have you by the balls", this disgusts me, we were subservient and now we are still.

MadsL

My name is URL wrote: »

Why does a national broadcaster need so many orchestras and choirs?

To play music and sing stuff.

Some of us actually go and listen to them do that from time to time.

Tar.Aldarion

ScumLord wrote: »

It's worse than that even. No one can avoid using the roads even if they don't have a car, we need to to get stuff around so you could somewhat justify that kind of charge. This is taxing for a service they may not even use and in some cases a service people don't like or want.

If the money went into upgrading the broadband infrastructure I'd think it was of some merit but I think it'll just be used to prop up a bumbling broadcaster so it doesn't need to adapt to the times.

This. I don't use the service, I don't want the service and it would go towards paying stupid people stupid amounts of money. I've never paid for a tv licence (don't own a tv), and I won't pay this. Wonder how they will charge for it, maybe making it unavoidable.

wolfpawnat

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm hoping that means those of us who work aren't going to subsidise people on SW yet again.

yop wrote: »

Not sure tbh, I know my parents who are on a "standard" pension have to fork out for the household charge, the water chargers, septic tank etc etc and had a big chunk of their line rental handout taken off them.

Yet those on the dole are immune from all chargers.....

Actually anyone who gets Household benefits gets it. Which is not too many, mostly those over 70 and on disability (both of whom should get it!). Those on regular JSA like myself still pay out €160 a year, so please do not throw BS around! I just go for the direct debit monthly to make it manageable on a low income. I love some peoples idea of what you do and don't get on SW! :rolleyes:

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/extra_social_welfare_benefits/household_benefits_package.html

Allowance 1
The Electricity Allowance or
Natural Gas Allowance or
Cash Electricity Allowance or
Cash Gas Allowance

Allowance 2
The Telephone Allowance

Allowance 3
The Free Television Licence

I really hope they don't expect everyone who is paying their licence this year to fork out for another bloody licence. A better broadband system would be great, but lets call a spade a spade, none of the extra revenue will go on anything other than dodgy pay rises and the like!

I don't think charging a tenant through the rent as others have suggested is a good idea either, some landlords will take the píss and some tenants will refuse to pay leaving landlords out of pocket and with a issue. Everyone should be responsible for themselves.

My name is URL

MadsL wrote: »

To play music and sing stuff.

Some of us actually go and listen to them do that from time to time.

That's nice. Since they're state funded I assume tickets are offered free of charge?

And you didn't really answer the question regarding why a national broadcaster requires such orchestras etc.

Kxiii

MadsL wrote: »

To play music and sing stuff.

Some of us actually go and listen to them do that from time to time.

Why not pay to see them when you go as you would with any other band?

[Deleted User]

I already pay the licence so this shouldn't affect me too much, assuming that they don't take the opportunity to hike it up (which they probably will) but either way...

I wish they'd stop calling everything "charges" - they're taxes and we all know it. Just because they don't call it a tax, it doesn't mean that it's not a tax.

snubbleste

Contact your Dáil representatives and tell them clearly that you don't want this proposed legislation!

3ndahalfof6

snubbleste wrote: »

Contact your Dáil representatives and tell them clearly that you don't want this proposed legislation!

I can see them now, reading out your contact aloud, then I see the old advertisement (no hear it),

for mash get smashed.

Mrs Garth Brooks

Is there any way to find out Pat Rabbitte's address? I'd love to send him a big pile of dog poo

3ndahalfof6

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

Is there any way to find out Pat Rabbitte's address? I'd love to send him a big pile of dog poo

Defecate on some marbles, leave them in his sharing room, it will confuse him bignam style.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

MadsL

My name is URL wrote: »

That's nice. Since they're state funded I assume tickets are offered free of charge?

Kxiii wrote: »

Why not pay to see them when you go as you would with any other band?

Tickets are not free. Prices for the NSO run €35-€9 for the regular Friday concert season. There is (I assume) some level of subsidy in that, as visiting orchestras tend to run €30-€80 - but there is also the cost of travel for orchestras which is huge.

My name is URL wrote: »

And you didn't really answer the question regarding why a national broadcaster requires such orchestras etc.

They need the NSO as a full orchestra to play full classical pieces. The subset of that is the RTE Concert orchestra which is a smaller orchestra to play musicals, accompany soloists, play smaller classical pieces and the like - they are a bit of a moneymaker for the main orchestra.

RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet is just four players, for chamber music pieces.

The two choirs are all volunteer choirs, one adult, the other for children. No singers get paid.

It is actually a very small set of musicians compared to other orchestras, and can be punishing for the performers - I had a friend who's lip was constantly bloodied as he had no second to replace him, he worked a full season with no second, unheard of in orchestras.

Ireland has a fantastic set of modern composers whose music would not be heard were it not for the existence of this orchestra, and you would have to travel to London or B'ham to hear Symphony music on a regular basis.

The RTE Orchestras are incredibly good value for their funding.

My name is URL

MadsL wrote: »

Tickets are not free. Prices for the NSO run €35-€9 for the regular Friday concert season. There is (I assume) some level of subsidy in that, as visiting orchestras tend to run €30-€80 - but there is also the cost of travel for orchestras which is huge.

They need the NSO as a full orchestra to play full classical pieces. The subset of that is the RTE Concert orchestra which is a smaller orchestra to play musicals, accompany soloists, play smaller classical pieces and the like - they are a bit of a moneymaker for the main orchestra.

RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet is just four players, for chamber music pieces.

The two choirs are all volunteer choirs, one adult, the other for children. No singers get paid.

It is actually a very small set of musicians compared to other orchestras, and can be punishing for the performers - I had a friend who's lip was constantly bloodied as he had no second to replace him, he worked a full season with no second, unheard of in orchestras.

Ireland has a fantastic set of modern composers whose music would not be heard were it not for the existence of this orchestra, and you would have to travel to London or B'ham to hear Symphony music on a regular basis.

The RTE Orchestras are incredibly good value for their funding.

I appreciate all that, but don't understand why RTE are the overseers of it. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be subsidised in any way.. the fact it's covered by the TV license fee seems bizarre to me.

They're really just trying to mimic the BBC

MadsL

My name is URL wrote: »

I appreciate all that, but don't understand why RTE are the overseers of it. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be subsidised in any way.. the fact it's covered by the TV license fee seems bizarre to me.

They're really just trying to mimic the BBC

I would agree that RTE should have no part - however they do broadcast the Friday NSO concerts from the NCH so that is why they have been involved. I suspect that there are some payroll efficiencies to be had to run it from Montrose.

However RTE are clueless about the demand for classical music, which is substantial by the way. RTE Living Music Festival was an amazing weekend festival featuring living composers started in 2002 and included modern giants such as Steve Reich, John Adams, Phillip Glass and Arvo Pärt attending and performing. It sold out in 2008 and I suspect by then was self-funding. Nothing was announced in 2009, I enquired and was told it had been moved back in date, by 2010 it was apparent RTE simply cancelled it. There is huge appetite for 21st Century Classical music in Dublin - Gigs by Crash Ensemble and evenings such as Kaleidoscope Night at Odessa prove that - yet RTE took something with great momentum and hurled it into a wall.

krudler

MadsL wrote: »

To play music and sing stuff.

Some of us actually go and listen to them do that from time to time.

yeah but the entire country is now expected to pay for something only a tiny percentage of people living here ever go see, if you dont live in Dublin then what use are they? i'm not anti-classical, far from it, but it seems like a huge expense for something so under utilised by the people paying for it.

lockon...

krudler wrote: »

yeah but the entire country is now expected to pay for something only a tiny percentage of people living here ever go see, if you dont live in Dublin then what use are they? i'm not anti-classical, far from it, but it seems like a huge expense for something so under utilised by the people paying for it.

Hugh expense indeed. On my calculations they received €11.34m in 2011 from TV licence fee income:

Total licence fee income = €196m
Performance groups received €9.26 of the €160 TV licence fee
http://www.rte.ie/documents/about/RTE%202011%20Annual%20Report%20-%20English.pdf

170,479 attendend a concert in 2011 by the RTE Performance Groups so the taxpayer subsidised their ticket by €66.50 each.

ilovesleep

For fcuking christ sake. That broadcasting charge is a load of crap and balls going towards paying an over inflated state broadcastor and thats all.

Im actually furious about this. I remember when i was renting away from home in my own little apartment, i didn't have a tv. Then I got one eventually for movies. Then it broke not long after getting it. So for the most part I lived without a tv, and lived very happily without. If there was something on telly i wanted to watch, I went home or to the pub. I didn't have a laptop or computer. I went to the library or internet cafes for that. My mobile is a small, old android, heap of crap bought about 4 or 5 years. I have internet & boards but certainly no tv.

It was a beautiful, peaceful way of living & in the future when i go renting again, i want to go back to that way again.

This broadcasting tax as identified already here is a tax on the internet, without any sort of a proper or up to date broadband infrastructure.

G Power

they can politely ki$$ my ring for it!! :pac:

ITS_A_BADGER

It seems they are waiting on the result of a report at the end of march before they decide how to implement and how much to charge for this new tax. It is a disgrace that it is more or less being forced on people to pay it. I myself have proabably only ever watched rte player or the like maybe once or twice a year.

How come they could't implement a pay per view setup instead, like if you want to view content on the player you could pay for it there and then instead of being made pay for it without using the service at all.

ridiculous that they are trying to squeeze more money out of the public with even more ridiculous charges

ilovesleep

Tv license price will probably increase as well and i can bet with all of you in after hours that it will and there's no opt out system. Nothing short of bulldozing your house will they be happy because apparenting if you have a house and a roof over your head you have all this fancy equipment - tv, computer, laptop, tablet, phone, iphone and your sitting in looking and watching rte.

[Deleted User]

ITS_A_BADGER, they will never implement a pay per view setup for RTEplayer as they know nobody would bother using it.

It's hardly used as a free setup

ITS_A_BADGER

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

ITS_A_BADGER, they will never implement a pay per view setup for RTEplayer as they know nobody would bother using it.

It's hardly used as a free setup

True enough

ilovesleep

Just disband rte. Nobody wants it.

[Deleted User]

ilovesleep wrote: »

Just disband rte. Nobody wants it.

And rely totally on foreign television? Do you know how stupid that sounds?

Anyone

ilovesleep wrote: »

Just disband rte. Nobody wants it.

The majority of people in Ireland use rte. That may notbe the case here, but AH and Boards really isnt any kind of reflection of Ireland or its population.