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

Boggles wrote: »

I imagine there is a cost associated with the collection TBF?

You mean the ads on the TV and Radio right?

Boggles wrote: »

Not just them. Collecting large amounts of money incurs a cost.

Only An Post don't pay for those ads and even though "This is a message from the Government of Ireland" neither does the Government. RTÉ produce and pay for those ads. I spoke to a department official who could not understand why a contractor for a service would spend the money advertising the service!

patmahe wrote: »

I think the biggest problem RTE will have in the coming years is competition from on demand streaming services like Netflix/Amazon Prime, I know if I'm at home during the day flick through the normal channels once and if there is nothing of interest, I go straight to the streaming service and put something on, no watersheds or anything to worry about I can watch what I want when I want. How can RTE compete with that?

Even if they fully embrace the technology side of things and come up with their own streaming service or make themselves available through Netflix or similar I cannot see them having the content available to compete.

I believe RTE will dwindle and eventually become a news channel that very few people watch with lots of filler content and no original programming.

Charging people €160 a year for that is no longer viable in today's world (where all of Netflix is 9.99 per month and optional!), if RTE is not commercially viable then it should be wound down and only the bits that can pay their own way kept.

Next Monday they're showing a movie that is on Netflix, The Hitman's Bodyguard. Why would anybody watch it with ads if they could just switch on Netflix ad free at any time of their choosing.

patmahe wrote: »

I think the biggest problem RTE will have in the coming years is competition from on demand streaming services like Netflix/Amazon Prime, I know if I'm at home during the day flick through the normal channels once and if there is nothing of interest, I go straight to the streaming service and put something on, no watersheds or anything to worry about I can watch what I want when I want. How can RTE compete with that?

RTE can't compete and never will, Netflix are not mandated by a Public Broadcast agreement.

Also Netflix had a 10-15% increase lately didn't it? Market share and bump up the price seems to be the MO. Also the vast majority of people in Ireland don'ts have a subscription.

Also let's be honest Netflix isn't as good as people make out, the vast majority of their catalog is very poor with a lot of old content from the likes of The Beeb, Sky and even RTE. 400 different series about life behind bars.

I think the demise of RTE is being greatly exaggerated TBH, they have faced (uniquely) very powerful competition to the tune of 10-15 billion per annum for years now and are still holding their own.

Like I said they get a lot right and the same amount again wrong, it needs to be overhauled but it is very doable.

Elmo wrote: »

There also supposed to support the rest of RTÉ. It's not just about the amount raised on their shows alone but how much that investment can be redistributed.

Well, where do you think the surplus from the profitable shows currently goes?

McGaggs wrote: »

Give it 5 years. The advertisers will realise that they're getting f all out of radio 1. Nothing but a load of old people who spend nothing and dentist waiting rooms tuned in. There's no value for them there.

Simply not true. They have the attention of up to 400k listeners. It'll be along time before that's worthless to any advertiser!

tayto lover wrote: »

The so called top presenters on RTÉ wouldn’t get work with the BBC and wouldn’t get the big wages they’re on anywhere else imo.

Tubridy has filled in for Graham Norton and Chris Evans for BBC several times. They're not 'so called' top presenters. They're top presenters because they top the ratings. The top presenter with the BBC earns five times what RTE's gets and he doesn't bring in a shilling for the station! At least ours generate their own wages.

Elmo wrote: »

Looking at the accounts I don't see that profitability going anywhere if it exists.

Case Study 1: Ray D'Arcy
You have to question why RTÉ brought Ray in, did Radio 1 really need Ray? Ray had worked on RTÉ TV before while at Today FM, one of the only non-RTÉ Radio presenters to be afforded that previlidge.
While he as brought in a high audience to the Radio 1 show, he's really only brought it back to Derek Mooney's old audience share.
And TV brings in more revenue than Radio, The Saturday Night Show was doing excellent, why was there a need to change it, on a risk, and I'd say the gains made by RTÉ Radio were wiped out by RTÉ TV's The Ray D'Arcy Show.

Case Study 2: Pat Kenny
Pat was kept on a 5 year contract by RTÉ. He moved from TLLS and saw only a small decrease in his salary. Frontline was dropped after 2 years and he was left languishing on Prime Time. I don't see how any presenter has brought in an audience to Prime Time.
Yes Newstalk has seen gains due to his arrival, but his TV career has been a shambles since, UTV Ireland's decision to put in on a pre-recorded chatshow, followed by Virgin Media's decision to give him his own current affairs show, which is now limited to just Election Debates.
Meanwhile RTÉ hasn't really seen much of dent because he has left.

Fairly convinced people watch RTE out of sheer habit
Turbidy's misery fest is surely proof of that

Replacing the best political interviewer in the country with Claire Byrne though is a piss poor swap.
Why do they let all their talent go?

Elmo wrote: »

So where are they getting the 15% evasion rate?

RTE are of the opinion that all houses should have a licence. Free licences such as for some carer's and over 70's are paid for by the state. The rules regarding a TV licence is that you are required to have one if you have a TV. Over the last 10 years we have more and more rented houses. Rented houses by there nature are harder to collect from and there will be gaps in payments when tenants change.

RTE cannot take over the collecting if the TV licence as it is collected for the Broadcasting corporation of Ireland. It is not all distributed to RTE. Over the years RTE wanted it indexed linked( now we have no inflation they are not crying half as hard as they were). It hard to know the real evasion rate but I imagine that it is hard to collect in so called working class area's, student area's as well as any high footfall rented area. Nowadays as well people are less inclined to answer doors and it is harder to catch people at home. The advent of social media especially in student area's makes it harder to catch people I say.

At the end of the day RTE has always spend its budget, it's cost cutting is never too real rather paying off lads to retire early. Finally you have over the odds wages right across the board

Elmo wrote: »

Case Study 1: Ray D'Arcy

Case Study 2: Pat Kenny

I'd look at these as a different case study.

Ray was pretty well regarded and liked on Today Fm, moves to RTE and it's like he invented cancer given the anger towards him.

Pat, pretty much lampooned when he worked for RTE, now I see him referred to as the finest journalist Ireland has produced.

Conclusion, you get your salary somewhat paid by the public, the target on your back becomes far bigger.

donkeykong5 wrote: »

They redeemed themselves with me with the recent rte1 investigates programme about the greyhound cruelty.

Speaking of greyhounds they did a Twink benefit show just when we thought we had seen the end ( ooooh Vicar! ) of her

Boggles wrote: »

I'd look at these as a different case study.

Ray was pretty well regarded and liked on Today Fm, moves to RTE and it's like he invented cancer given the anger towards him.

Pat, pretty much lampooned when he worked for RTE, now I see him referred to as the finest journalist Ireland has produced.

Conclusion, you get your salary somewhat paid by the public, the target on your back becomes far bigger.

That's why I number them 1 and 2

I didn't attack either presenters' work or personality.

Ray D'Arcy hasn't improved RTÉ Radio 1's audience in any massive way, and RTÉ ONE's Saturday night chat show has lost audience in comparison to The Saturday Night Show. With this in mind RTÉ rather than gaining anything actually lost, as TV advertising brings in more money that Radio Advertising.

Pat Kenny brought in some audience to Newstalk, but it didn't really cause much problems for Radio 1, his TV career since leaving TLLS has been on a downward spiral.

Perhaps I should have started with Ray D'Arcy is a good presenter but.... and Pat Kenny is our finest broadcaster but....

donkeykong5 wrote: »

Barry's piss tea

Turn the moment gold...

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Oh I agree RTE is going to wind down-and it's happening rather rapidly too. I mean, the children's 'division' of RTE was the first thing to go...and that was only a few years ago.

The problem is-they don't realise media is evolving, and they're stagnant and devolving. The losses are down to them not keeping up.
I think they are 'sort' of getting this-in that they are putting up older tv shows such as Falling for a Dancer, or Pure Mule, on the RTE Player. But even that is riddled with adverts you can't skip.
Even TV3 is surpassing them, tho VM 2 and VM 3 are just useless-they've repeated Hells Kitchen Australia how many times now? That had one series, no more, and that was in 2017. Since then VM2 or VM3 keep repeating it over, and over. And over again. (I tried to watch one episode, I gave up-Marco Pierre White is TV narcolepsy).

Even Netflix is in trouble-shows and films are being taken off of the platform in order for companies to focus on their own, individual streaming service.
And that's not only going to create problems for netflix, it will create problems for broadcasters like RTe.

Is Virgin Media surpassing them in terms of their player or the pay for ON Demand?

I think big studios want to get some money from residual rights outside of Netflix. TG4 took Orange is the new Black from Sony, and its also available on the Sony Channel.

Kind of think it is good that RTÉ are at least showing their Drama from the 2000s on the player, I think they only really aired them once since the original broadcasts.

Boggles wrote: »

I'd look at these as a different case study.

Ray was pretty well regarded and liked on Today Fm, moves to RTE and it's like he invented cancer given the anger towards him.

Pat, pretty much lampooned when he worked for RTE, now I see him referred to as the finest journalist Ireland has produced.

Conclusion, you get your salary somewhat paid by the public, the target on your back becomes far bigger.

Ray was originally good on today FM, but as he grew older and his various obsessions (poridge, running and his family?) started taking over his show, we all grew tired of him. He carried that over into rte.

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

There are rumours his show is in trouble... I'd genuinely believe it. Tommy Tiernan was on over the Summer. A far better interviewer, and able to get interesting interviews out of interesting people.
D'Arcy, for example, would probably have just mocked Eddie Lenihan (One of Tiernan's guests) for 10+ minutes. Tommy let a Seanchai be a seanchai.

Ah used to love Eddie's stories if its the same man. Tommy is slowly becoming a stereotypical misery story driven Irish chat show, does everything have to be a story of woe and sorrow on Irish Chat Shows?

donkeykong5 wrote: »

They redeemed themselves with me with the recent rte1 investigates programme about the greyhound cruelty.

It doesn't redeem RTE. What it does is demonstrate that public television licencing should be dedicated to creating and generating quality content.

I.e. the licence money is used to buy in independent content so that an independent company can focus on such investigates programmes, not to basically overpay "TV stars". With some competition we could get quality talent that is paid appropriately.

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Watched a bit of the twink thing earlier, I'd do life in guantanomo before I'd ever pay the licence again

There is something about her that just makes you want to put your foot through the telly. It's a horrible thing to say, but there really is. I gave that show a go, and I stuck with it for a bit trying to figure it out. I just can't put my finger on it. There's something about her that is incredibly infuriating. It's this auroa of looking at herself in the mirror with an undeserved sense of self accomplishment. I'm like hello Adele, you are not Elaine Paige and but for the sh't show that is RTE you'd be no where. Absolutely no where.

The modern day equivalent, albeit in a different area, is that Donal Skehan guy. Zero talent in his case though. At least Twink had a basic level. Donal Skehan tried his hand at absolutely everything, and with RTE all the way behind him. Utter, utter nepotism.

Boggles wrote: »

Don't know him or like his cooking stuff, but if RTE found more like him we may not be making such losses.

Problem is when you make massive cuts you find yourself repeat much of the shows he presents.

This is where it is important to understand that RTÉ needs reformation. Throwing money at it will not change its structures.

As I pointed out the cuts to Children's programming causes damage to RTÉ ability to train new people, while Donal didn't come from Young People's many of their presenters did Ray D'Arcy, Cathrine Thomas, Ryle Nugent, the work of Double Z and associated characters and so on.

The same goes for Drama. Not only are they core to a public service broadcaster they are also provide a training ground.

Not that either should just be used a a training ground.

redlead wrote: »

To be fair, in a small country like ours it's very hard compete with the likes of BBC with big international guests.

It's impossible to compete with London.

Big Stars and big Movies have their premiers in London normally midweek.

They sit in a hotel all day doing 10 minute interviews, then they make a brief appearance at the Premier and then it is off to a pre recorded version of the Graham Show. Irish Entertainment journalists travel to London for the interview.

The Late Late Show is unique, it's a live broadcast on a Friday night. They can't compete given the stars won't do media in Ireland and they certainly won't do it at such a specific time.

It's led to some pre-recorded interviews shoe horned into a live show, which seem rather flat TBH.

The Late Late show is also a completely different format to Norton or Ross, which IMO is getting pretty stale.

Big Star comes on tells a "witty story" to hock a product while Norton and Ross say rude things in the background.

Big celebrity love fest on the coach.

The Late Late show has turned into a bit of a misery fest, but some of the stories are very compelling, very real and very important to tell.

Turbidy isn't actually that bad, doing an interview with a young girl who has 4 weeks to live and then switching track to laugh at Pat Short is not an easy thing to do.

It's a tough gig.

I can remember in Gaybos time the Late Late had lots of A list celebrities.

Ush1 wrote: »

I can remember in Gaybos time the Late Late had lots of A list celebrities.

There was also way less competition. I mean, you could,reasonably, justify having two chat shows. Gay Byrne on a Friday, Pat Kenny on a Saturday.
The reason being you had celebrities who wanted to promote their movies, hawk their wares, or promote their books.

The internet wasn't around, many folks didn't have Sky or any other channels, so celebrities HAD to come here to promote their movies. Otherwise they might miss out on an audience ie money.

Nowadays, folks have access to Graham Norton, or even James Corden on the 'other' Late Late show. And the celebrities don't have to come over here.
Like, if you look at an interview by Gay Byrne(there's a fantastic one with Billy Connolly that was taken down from youtube...jerks) you'd see him getting folks to relax and then he'd interview them.

Meanwhile, this interview with the 'Dice Man' aka Tom McGinty is a fascinating insight into a really scary time, tbqh.



McGinty was diagnosed with HIV, which, sadly, was going to become AIDS. (It was years away from a cure). He wasn't in the best of shape, but kept much of those details away from the public eye.
The interview was from 1995, according to a comment on youtube. McGinty died in 1995.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, look how Gay Byrne treats it-it's not 'oh woe is me' it's more 'thank you for being The Diceman'.
Tubridy couldn't do this type of interview-he straight up would not be able to.