RTE and the Licence FEE

HugoBradyBrown

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Based on the now infamous rumor of "SIX... HUNDRED... THOUSAND... POUND!!!!", it takes the full annual license fee of 3750 people just to pay Pat Kenny.

Just throwing that out there...

This is something I posted elsewhere recently, and I think it does clarify the position rather well.

Salaries are paid from advertising, not TV tax revenues


The self-employed creative staff and talent negotiate their contracts freely with the PSB. The talent have the option of going elsewhere either in Ireland or abroad. But RTE's own internal research shows, firstly, that the listeners appreciate the experienced broadcasters and what they do, and secondly, the advertisers appreciate the huge audiences that can be put their way. It is, as it were, a triple win, with no losers. The contracts are funded out of advertising revenue, not from the TX tax, the public gets the best possible radio and TV for the money, and the advertisers and wealth generators get an opportunity to address the housewife in primetime.

What's not to like?

Mike 1972

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

and the advertisers and wealth generators get an opportunity to address the housewife in primetime.

Whats a housewife Grandad ?

HugoBradyBrown

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Whats a housewife Grandad ?

Point taken, sir! I apologise to any ladies present.

Badgermonkey

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Derek's nature work goes back many years, to when he had gravy yard shifts

Presumably that's the gravy train terminus at Montrose?

A delightfully bounteous jaunt for all concerned.

HugoBradyBrown

Badgermonkey wrote: »

Presumably that's the gravy train terminus at Montrose?

A delightfully bounteous jaunt for all concerned.

Apologies again, this is the fault of my spellchecker. I shall speak to her later!

Jesus Wept

Indo wrote:

"there's no guarantee of job security."

:rolleyes:

Jesus that story would break your heart. Let's have a whip around.

Wertz

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Thank you, Wertz, for dilating at such length on this issue. I have contributed to other threads on many other topics, but I do believe in a cobbler sticking to his (or her) last.

I rebut with indignation any suggestion that my carefully considered, consistent and reasonable posts meet in the smallest degree the definition of spamming.

Read up on what spamming means Hugo as regards the forum rules...we're not talking about an inbox full of penis enlargement tips or Nigerian princes' bank statements, we are talking about a clear policy on behalf of the poster (yourself in this case) to continually push one agenda, albeit in a verbose and lengthy manner. As I told you over in the Radio forum, you continually refuse to declare your interest and that is not fair to readers who may not be au fait with your tactics.
I have yet to see you discussing anything other than RTÉ and their various products in your 450 odd (some might say very odd) posts.

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

BBCNI / UTV current affairs in general (save when a tranche of funds is disbursed from central funds for 'specials' with 'mainland appeal') are studio-bound talking-heads TV, with participants drawn in on a buggins-turn basis and aired twice in a night at dead times; the end-credits taxi-driver segment is a voiceover on a piece of unchanging VT, for example. Good frugal stuff, but nothing like the quality from Montrose, which is prepared to spend appropriately on, for example, in-depth analysis and investigative work.

Please don't drag UTV in here...they are commercially funded. BBC NI news bulletins take much of their nightly output from a small range of regional reporters who travel the length of the province to report on the scene. Things being what they are in NI these days, it's not the hot bed of front page news it once was (although it still has it's days) but their output on the like of Spotlight frankly wipes the floor with the crowd in Primetime, who seem to delight in 10 minute OB pieces and then some studio talking heads with the usual faces...
Your allusion to Hearts & Minds (which I personally avoid) isn't fair either since RTÉ do The week in Politics, an altogther less droll affair and even more worthy of avoidance IMO.
Montrose sure do like spending on things...that aptness is highly debatable however...

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Comedy: think Scrap Saturday, Hall's Pictorial, Green Tea, Mrs O'Brien: meeting the needs of different audiences at different times in different eras, i.e. sharply focussed agile broadcasting, turning on a sixpence to follow its audience in the vagaries of its taste.

Sport: who can even think of comparing the range of coverage on radio, TV and other platforms, down to, until recently, the Gaelic Games results on the senior service on a Sunday evening? "Seo agaibh anois príomh-thoraí an lae inniu", if we remember fondly, down to parish level. Diaspora and internal migrant PSB at its very finest, I should say.

Anything I missed?

Please...the comedy you mention probably goes over the heads of anyone under 30 on this form and to even call some of it comedy is probably some of the best humour to come out of RTÉ (via your post) in some years. You managed to completely ignore the few comedic efforts that have been to their fore in the past... but I'll leave you figure out what they might be...
I'd say a supertanker could maneuver in a tighter turning circle than your lot. Imported ideas loosely adapted a season or two behind their original inspirations on UK or US TV, usually when the hype surrounding them has moved on to the next shiny new fad... Master Chef, various DIY makeovers, Come dine with me...the list is a long one, but RTÉ sure know how to squeeze every drop from them, a la dead horse floggery

BBC NI sport cover more than you seem to know...regionally they do their local soccer, manage some GAA, have great motorsport coverage and once again, manage their remit with a small number of staff and to a level apropriate to the level of population.

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

I dispute the use of the term 'shill'. It is not dishonourable to mount a defense in the face of a torrent of ill-informed and misguided criticism.

See above. Nobody said it was dishonourable...what paying job is? However you once again fail to take on board what people here and in the wider public consider valid criticism from their perspective. You may see how things are from the inside...most of us do not...we see the resulting output and we see the like of Terry (*waves*) brought to court for failing to pay his share (something which I can completely see his point on) for that output.
If the funding of PSB in this country is so vital that we see fit to effectively hold people in contempt of court for failing to stump up, then the model for collection is flawed and should pass to some other method...personally I'd sooner see it entirely commercialised with a small levy drawn through direct taxation to ensure news output and the bare bones of PSB.

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

I find it hard to get a purchase on this post, but suffice it to say that if it agrees with my line, I am content with it and if it disagrees, I am sure I could answer it easily if I grasped the point.

Stop obfuscating Hugo...as flutterinbantam said to you some weeks back, don't come the old soldier. You're not an unitelligent person, and your level of comprehension I'm sure can stretch to garnering enough from the post to make an attemtpt to reply to it's point.
Mind you she is from Cork and we know how all you south Dublin types have this innate inabilty to understand anything said by those from anywhere beyond your own postcode...

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

I do not think it should ever be economics in the cultural domain, in fact.

And, for Washington, think Carol, think Mark, think Charlie; this is what you cannot get from agency reports, the distinctive Irish interpretation, the careful selection of the issues that will resonate with our viewers.

RTE is not deluded in any sense, and, indeed, with consultant and facilitator support, conducts extensive and ongoing self-examinations. Nobody is more self-critical as an organisation than RTE, let me assure you.

Please... Coleman was the only half decent one between them... little? FFS he came back with more of a yank accent than some of those girls on Fade st.
Bird, my god...poor Charlie had to come running home to diddums (a la George Lee when he too a dislike to Kildare St) when he couldn't hack being able to do a reporter's job outside of a country where his only means of doing the job were personal connections. Then we pay for him to go off on a folly to Mc Murdo?

Delusional isn't the word.

Consultant and facillitator reports...yeah that'd be right...just like your buddies in the Dáil, the HSE and the civil services...can't do squat without paying over small fortunes to private individuals for advice on how to do your feckin' jobs.
the only hint of self criticism you see in RTÉ is the occasional gag on Oliver Callan or in the past through Dermot Morgan. The only reason Callan is let away with it now is because of the times we're living in...
The criticism is always comedic and self effacing in this friendly "ah shure aren't we great altogether really, but we like to laugh at ourselves too" manner... I have NEVER seen RTÉ discuss their own failings or wage levels in a serious manner (again something you see on BBC, probably because it's such a huge beast that no inner clique can keep people in check)

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

An Post, actually, but all credit to them. Direct debits, quarterly payments; monthly payments. Excellent and painless!

Sure, painless. the licence fee to someone on social welfare (which more and more people will be on and which will be falling in terms of rate of payment) is a large outgoing ...it's €3.20 approx per week... that could be the difference in someone eating for half a day out of that week for instance. Some of these people don't even have a feckin' bank account...like a certain former taoiseach.
Oh aren't an post great! Another unionised inefficient mess IMO. The level of infrastructure and bureaucracy necessary to enforce collection of the TV tax creates a multitude of jobs for a plethora of publically paid staff...all that could be done away with and save us all a tidy sum. Economics have everything to do with it Mr Brown.
Another thing on the licence is An Post and RTÉ's output on the production and airing of the numerous scare campaigns across the airwaves and screens...the spongers, could you live with the shame? Mona and her fishcakes... if our fine broadcaster put half the effort into the penning of these ads into their domestic drama they'd be in line for some Emmy's.

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

I cannot argue with a position like this.

I have little regard for 'common knowledge', since, while it may be 'common', it is very rarely 'knowledge'.

Nepotism is a foreign word in Montrose, let me assure you.

Would you like a handkerchief to brush the commoner's spittle from your collar, good sir?

Nepotism in RTÉ is rife and for once I know this from a personal factual level that I won't go into here...
Mc Savage? Tubridy? Political favouritism at least... Duncan Stewart and his daughter, Gerry Ryan's attempt to have his daughter make an entry... plenty more examples there that don't spring immeadiately to mind...the return of Gay Byrne, Mike Murphy to the fold following their experience in the real world of business and property failings...the aforementioned George Lee...there's more to nepotism than giving your kid a summer job.
We live in a very small country, so it is to be expected somewhat...but when it's to the detriment of rivals in attaining a paying postion it's downright wrong and your assurance that it doesn't exist is simply not credulous.

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

This is an utterly pointless waste of my valuable time.

Ah now I'm sure someone will sign the overtime slips for you. You're on After hours BTW...I warned you about the vernacular earlier...you're fair game as far as the locals are concerned.

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

And RTE News & Current Affairs is emphatically entirely independent of government in editorial terms, and always has been; recall that the late great Kevin O'Kelly of this parish went to gaol in the early 1970's, rather than reveal his sources. That is the touchstone of N&CA, let me assure you.

Again Hugo, you speak of another time...in less archaic times, the national broadcaster has jumped into bed with the ruling party and are intriniscally intertwined with them on many levels, particularly the Fianna Fail party... no-one out there wanted to rock any boats when everything was going swimmingly, either economically or politically.
Winston Smith himself would be in awe... of course it's all done with the element of an illusion of balance...but it doesn't take much reading between the lines to see that he who pays the piper (or sets the licence fee) calls the tune...

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

This matter is not our issue, but, since it is frequently confused in the public mind, I shall address it authoritatively.



(Nor, I might add, are we talking about sentences being served in the 19th century Marshalsea Debtors' Prison, but in an open prison, where the presence of the national flag may be the only indicator that we are not looking at a Clarion Hotel!)

Please be assured that RTE is not pleased to see any citizen breaking the law, nor to see any citizen sent to gaol. Neither, I might add, is RTE the prosecuting authority.

I trust this disposes adequately of any concerns expressed on this matter.

RTÉ couldn't give a flying f*ck once Joe Duffy gets his wage of a weekend. Mountjoy was in the past used for failure to pay fines. People may only have went for a night but it wasn't some open prison (or Spa break) you purport it to being.

The only ones RTÉ don't want to see go to jail are the political and financial figures they gave substantial airtime to throughout the boom to peddle their brand of newspeak or cheerleading whoever was paying their bar bills...

jimmynokia wrote: »

How much are your employers (RTE) paying your per post?

I'd say he's paid per keystroke. I envy him in that regard :pac:

mike65 wrote: »

Irelands (read RTEs) top talent whore Noel Kelly has spoken out as his clients struggle to pay the mortgage

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rte-stars-are-struggling-to-pay-their-mortgage-bills-2933380.html

Aw is poor Adele in negative equity again? Welcome to the reality the rest of the country have been living in for 2-3 years.
Kelly eh? I'd say he's feeling the pinch himself...wouldn't surprise my cynical self at all if Mr Brown was on retainer from him either...

Keep up the brave fight sir Hugo. Tally ho.

jimmynokia

The-Rigger wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Jesus that story would break your heart. Let's have a whip around.

what are you waffling about ive never mentioned anything about job security anywhere ever...

MOH

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

24 hour broadcasting, with the finest of production staff and of on-air talent,

You'd think with such a level of talent they'd manage to stick to a schedule. I'd love to know the last week in which the 9.00 news actually started at 9 every night. Or even the last day on which all programs started on time. Inability to manage basic issues like this annoys me nearly as much as the dross they regularly churn out.

mikom

Boards.ie charge for the Sub-Forums : Talk to...
Why are they not charging RTE, Talk to... HugoBradyBrown/RTE?

Freddie59

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Salaries are paid from advertising, not TV tax revenues

Therefore REMOVE THEIR ADVERTISING STREAM and make them live in the real world. It is ludicrous that they now appear to have a TRIPLE INCOME STREAM (this subsidy from the Government for the licence fee - as well as the licence fee itself and advertising:eek:). FFS.:mad:

Ash.J.Williams

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

I am loath to intrude on this discussion, but I feel it needs to be pointed out that for the price of the Racing Post a couple of times a week you get two full TV services, many radio services (including RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and RTE Luric FM, value-added services on multiple platforms, Aertel, the two orchestras, a vast and rich archive and library, podcasts, RTE Player, some SW broadcasts when required, and much more. In addition,and at no cost from the TV tax, there are other fine services, such as the RTE Guide. (In addition, we sustain the infrastructure to allow other potential competitors to operate in the market.)

24 hour broadcasting, with the finest of production staff and of on-air talent, at a cost that is, in objective terms, in fact marginally too low. The cost ought to increase to 200 Euro immediately, with a gradual increase thereafter to 250 Euro, in order to continue to meet the quality and quantity demands of the audience, and the parallel demands of the professional personnel who know how to and want to deliver even more, even better.

(I trust I have not intruded on a trolling game?)

Hugo there is no doubt that if RTE's house was in order, then it would be great value..however...it is not. Everybody is overpaid and and above their station. To us the the viewer that is quite sad, because we want that life too...

Ash.J.Williams

jimmynokia wrote: »

then this appears in the paper today i nearly fell of the chair laughing

RTE stars struggle to pay mortgage is this a joke.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rte-stars-are-struggling-to-pay-their-mortgage-bills-2933380.html

Sunday November 13 2011
Some of RTE's well-known faces are struggling to pay mortgages and other bills, according to Ireland's biggest talent agent.

Noel Kelly has spoken out against the backlash RTE presenters are facing over their pay -- revealing that some of the personalities are struggling to make ends meet on their current salaries.

His comments come as RTE announced this weekend that the top 10 RTE presenters earned €4m between them in 2009.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Mr Kelly, who is Ireland's first showbiz superagent, said the fixation on stars' salaries is in stark contrast to the reality many TV personalities are facing.

"These figures are completely blown out of proportion," he explained.

"You forget that you have to take 51pc tax off, PRSI, PAYE and then health insurance, which gets more expensive as you get older. And then, of course, there's no guarantee of job security."

Mr Kelly, who represents some of Ireland's biggest names, said everyone had now played their part.

"Some of the talent on my books have taken a number of pay cuts since 2008. There is no doubt about it, they are stepping up to the plate time and time again."

And he revealed the financial pressures that some of Ireland's household names were now facing: "Some of the talent can't afford to pay their bills or bloody mortgages with what they earn and with work not being renewed. If a show is cancelled what can you do? You can't exactly force them [the RTE bosses] to keep it on.

"We have people struggling like everyone else, trying to get an interest-only mortgage and not being able to get one, having to sell their car. This idea of them living in this ivory tower on huge wages is simply not true.

"When you look at a footballer's career, they only get a certain amount of time and there's no certainty in it, and it's the same in the media.

"People contracted to RTE who are not permanent members of staff have no pension, no sick pay and no security."

Commenting on TV3 presenter's Mark Cagney's comments this week that RTE's biggest names "are living in a cocoon", Mr Kelly said: "It's easy to throw stones but it's not true. Commercial station rates aren't exactly small either. They are willing to pay for big names and big presenters too."

Meanwhile, Sean O'Rourke, who appeared on the list earning €214,084 in 2009, has spoken out this weekend about the latest figures.

"I've already taken three pay cuts since the start of the recession and that figure includes the amount RTE put towards my pension contribution.

"It's also worth pointing out that I believe there are several broadcasters in the private sector who are earning the same, if not more, than the people on RTE's top 10 list."

The only newcomer to the top 10 is 2fm presenter Colm Hayes, who joined the station from FM104 in 2007. He earned €213,954.

Speaking this weekend, he said: "That figure is two years old and does not reflect what I'm earning now.

"That reflects a figure that I was enticed out of commercial radio for. Then the recession hit and there were cutbacks and I have had two contracts since and taken a significant pay decrease in each. Noel Curran has made it clear that when new contracts come around, there will be a 30pc cut and that's the reality of where we are now and I'm delighted to play my part."

Remarking on the top 10 salaries, a long-serving producer in RTE said: "The biggest thing that jumped out at me was, despite being probably the hardest working presenter in the country with Prime Time, Miriam Meets and Saturday Night With Miriam and taking virtually no holidays ever, and constantly doing endless additional work like the presidential debate, all the weekend coverage of the presidential election count and this coming new year's eve special, it's clear Miriam gets a lot lot less than the other big names.

They added: "The fees are high but it's remarkably unfair how some are inexplicably much higher than others. It's also worth noting that only two of the top 10 are female, so there does seem to be a large degree of gender imbalance there."

Pat Kenny remains RTE's top-paid presenter, according to the latest salary figures which were released by the state broadcaster on Friday.

In what is the first time in two years that RTE has agreed to publish the fees it pays to its top 10 presenters, it was revealed that Kenny earned €729,604 in 2009, while the next highest earner in 2009 was the late Gerry Ryan, who earned €585,944.

Ryan Tubridy is in third place with €519,667, despite taking over the Late Late Show.

Marian Finucane's fee of €570,000 is seen as the most controversial because she only broadcasts four hours a week. The presenter saw a 10 per cent reduction to €513,270.

RTE's Liveline presenter Joe Duffy's fee was €389,314 in 2009, while Miriam O'Callaghan earned €290,625.

Derek Mooney is RTE's seventh highest-paid employee earning €268,985 in 2009, while Eamon Dunphy took home €225,485.

- NIAMH HORAN, Entertainment News Reporte

the substance of that article came from noel kelly who is already bleeding RTE dry as he represents just about everyone in RTE!

STB

G-Money wrote: »

I was wondering recently why RTE is getting money from the licence fee when they also get money from advertising. The BBC aren't allowed to advertise so why doesn't the same apply to RTE? I know there is a difference in population numbers but I don't really see what that has to do with it, except that perhaps the BBC has to cater to a more diverse and bigger audience so you could argue they deserve funding from more avenues than RTE does.

I almost never watch RTE One or Two. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I've watched RTE this year to date. There's just very rarely anything on it that I want to watch. Occasionally I will flick on the RTE News if there's something specific going on here that I want to know about, but other than that, I never watch either channel.

It is all about population and revenue. We dont have a 66million population like the UK. Neither do we have the luxury of 4000m in licence fee revenue that is collected in the UK.

In Ireland the collection is apx €200m and not all of that goes to RTE.

RTE simply cannot survive on that cash without commercial income and still perform their public service function that is enshrined in law. They spent €75million on the new Saorview infrastructure. AFAIK not one of the other TV stations is even paying carriage costs on it!

Regardless of what you watch, Irish people as a whole count RTE1 and 2 in their top viewing preferences by some distance. Ask the advertising agencies!

I'm no RTE protector, but lets get it straight at least. The amount of poor mouthing commercial TV vox box posts here makes this thread somewhat unbalanced.

Hugo, please answer the question I have posed to you twice already

No wish-wash answers, no fobbing off, just a simple yes or no will do. I will rephrase the question for you

Have you ever been paid, directly or indirectly, by the RTE?

Mike 1972

STB wrote: »

In Ireland the collection is apx €200m and not all of that goes to RTE..

So how do you explain the fact that TG4 gets a tiny fraction of RTE's funding and yet can produce top notch documentaries and the type of public service broadcasting which RTE miserably fails to ?

And this coming from someone who doesnt speak Gaelic and has no inclination to do so !

saa

Who ever benefits from the fee should really cut their cloth to measure.
No high salaries!
Get rid of Fair City, please?

HugoBradyBrown

saa wrote: »

Who ever benefits from the fee should really cut their cloth to measure.
No high salaries!
Get rid of Fair City, please?

If anyone thinks that serial drama should be abandoned, or that the viewers would tolerate it, think back to when Tolka Row and then The Riordans were discontinued (both before my time), or, later Glenroe. When, at the time, I defended the decision on the latter, I recall being accosted by disappointed aficionados of the drama. People everywhere love serial drama, it provides an anchor in the schedule (itself one of the minor arts, deserving of a muse of its own, in my view), and it appeals to advertisers, and, in the case of Fair City, it is our own. Even Eastenders plays an important role in bulking up and retaining the audience for PSB television in Ireland. QED, I should have thought.

Doc Ruby

What I don't get is people who voluntarily pay twice as much for a Sky subscription, only to get repeat channels, blocked channels, channels that are on saorview or youtube anyway, and advertisements every five minutes. I mean its complete crap.

mikom

Deleted User wrote: »

Hugo, please answer the question I have posed to you twice already

No wish-wash answers, no fobbing off, just a simple yes or no will do. I will rephrase the question for you

Have you ever been paid, directly or indirectly, by the RTE?

Quoted to highlight.
"Have you ever been paid, directly or indirectly, by the RTE?"

*Awaits bolloxology...."Well my dear fellow we have all been paid in one way or another through RTE's dedication to broadcasting"

Ash.J.Williams

"in fact i recall the great marty whelan ....bla bla"

HugoBradyBrown

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

"in fact i recall the great marty whelan ....bla bla"

It's less than 12 hours until the next edition of Marty in the Morning, RTE Lyric FM, 7 - 10 am, Monday to Friday! (Thursdays live from Dundrum Town Centre, Fridays with Neven Maguire as special guest.) Thank you for the reminder.

)

mikom

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

It's less than 12 hours until the next edition of Marty in the Morning, RTE Lyric FM, 7 - 10 am, Monday to Friday! (Thursdays live from Dundrum Town Centre, Fridays with Neven Maguire as special guest.) Thank you for the reminder.

)

He's shite.

ifitburwilll

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

If anyone thinks that serial drama should be abandoned, or that the viewers would tolerate it, think back to when Tolka Row and then The Riordans were discontinued (both before my time), or, later Glenroe. When, at the time, I defended the decision on the latter, I recall being accosted by disappointed aficionados of the drama. People everywhere love serial drama, it provides an anchor in the schedule (itself one of the minor arts, deserving of a muse of its own, in my view), and it appeals to advertisers, and, in the case of Fair City, it is our own. Even Eastenders plays an important role in bulking up and retaining the audience for PSB television in Ireland. QED, I should have thought.

What about the fact that spar paid €900,000 to brand christies shop a Spar store for the next few years THAT show is more than paying its way it seems.

HugoBradyBrown

mikom wrote: »

He's shite.

Marty, I find, appeals to people in the same way that coriander, foie gras and caviar do: until they try them, they believe they hate them; they try them and they find they cannot get enough. Do try; barely 11 hours away now, and the finest of PSB radio is available at no charge. The result, usually, is that the listener emerges into the exterior daylight with a smile on her or his face, and a spring in the step.

ifitburwilll

mikom wrote: »

Quoted to highlight.
"Have you ever been paid, directly or indirectly, by the RTE?"

*Awaits bolloxology...."Well my dear fellow we have all been paid in one way or another through RTE's dedication to broadcasting"

a politicians way of saying yes
lessons from the school of straight talking
now lets practice
repeat after me
yes yes yes yes yes
see how easy it is

patwicklow

Its a bit like the irish pub trade a cartel end of, nothing we the honest people can do only throw the TV sets out the window then can they still force us to pay for some thing we dont watch!

mikom

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Marty, I find, appeals to people in the same way that coriander, foie gras and caviar do: until they try them, they believe they hate them; they try them and they find they cannot get enough. Do try; barely 11 hours away now, and the finest of PSB radio is available at no charge. The result, usually, is that the listener emerges into the exterior daylight with a smile on her or his face, and a spring in the step.

Marty, I find, appeals to people in the same way that a turd does.
I don't have to taste it to know that it is vile.
The smell and look of it is enough.

He's shite.
signed,
A member of the public unconnected with RTE.

HugoBradyBrown

mikom wrote: »

Marty, I find, appeals to people in the same way that a turd does.
I don't have to taste it to know that it is vile.
The smell and look of it is enough.

He's shite.
signed,
A member of the public unconnected with RTE.

I would always advise a person with an open mind to suck it and see.

Ash.J.Williams

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Marty, I find, appeals to people in the same way that coriander, foie gras and caviar do: until they try them, they believe they hate them; they try them and they find they cannot get enough. Do try; barely 11 hours away now, and the finest of PSB radio is available at no charge. The result, usually, is that the listener emerges into the exterior daylight with a smile on her or his face, and a spring in the step.

you're right about fois gras...listening to marty is like getting force fed with a tube shoved down your throat and having your liver removed and eaten.

mikom

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

I would always advise a person with an open mind to suck it and see.

Well you'd be an authority seeing as you are sucking at the teat of RTE.

mikom

Deleted User wrote: »

Hugo, please answer the question I have posed to you twice already

No wish-wash answers, no fobbing off, just a simple yes or no will do. I will rephrase the question for you

Have you ever been paid, directly or indirectly, by the RTE?

Quoted to highlight.
"Have you ever been paid, directly or indirectly, by the RTE?"

Hootanany

Hugo have you ever had a sexual relation with RTE

Wetai

Doc Ruby wrote: »

What I don't get is people who voluntarily pay twice as much for a Sky subscription, only to get repeat channels, blocked channels, channels that are on saorview or youtube anyway, and advertisements every five minutes. I mean its complete crap.

Because they choose to. They decide they want Sky - and what packages/stations of sky they want - they don't just get automatically bundled in and pretty much forced to pay for it, because Sky assume you have a TV (that's actually used for viewing television channels).

HugoBradyBrown

But, to cut, as Proust would say when he was relaxing, to the chase: if RTE PSB was anything like as bad as the vocal minority here claim, would we tolerate it? The public themselves would be up in arms. The contrary is the factual position; check the figures for the latest available Late Show; see what Brendan pulled in; check on how many chose to join the Liveline; how many watched the 'Streakers' on Saturday night?

These are facts; they may be unpalatable to persons with fixed views against the national broadcaster, but they are facts. To say otherwise is on all fours with trying to deny gravity, as everything tumbles towards the ground before your eyes. My views are with the people.

RichieC

I will not contribute to anything that pays that lothsome **** joe duffy a wage. He wouldnt be working in any other country.

Freddie59

STB wrote: »

It is all about population and revenue. We dont have a 66million population like the UK. Neither do we have the luxury of 4000m in licence fee revenue that is collected in the UK.

In Ireland the collection is apx €200m and not all of that goes to RTE.

RTE simply cannot survive on that cash without commercial income and still perform their public service function that is enshrined in law. They spent €75million on the new Saorview infrastructure. AFAIK not one of the other TV stations is even paying carriage costs on it!

Regardless of what you watch, Irish people as a whole count RTE1 and 2 in their top viewing preferences by some distance. Ask the advertising agencies!

I'm no RTE protector, but lets get it straight at least. The amount of poor mouthing commercial TV vox box posts here makes this thread somewhat unbalanced.

How true. It is ALL about population and revenue. I would love a BMW (drools). I cannot afford one. So I drive a Toyota. Because i can afford IT.

RTE is just another example of the craziness that is endemic in Ireland at present. People paid a million Euro a year in salaries, unions who wouldn't agree to changes in work practices to start breakfast TV, the list in endless.

We are not the UK. We do not have a population of sixty million. You have €200m in licence fee revenue AND advertising. And are employing TWO THOUSAND STAFF. FFS it is completely ludicrous.

RTE is a dinosaur. The only thing that is protecting it at the moment is Government inertia for fear of fall-out.

I don't want to see RTE go under.

However, I do want them to come into the real economic world. If they cannot survive then tough. It's a tough world. Remember, what the Government is doing here is actually anti-competitive - supporting a long-failed business model with state funding, while every other business in the State has to fend for itself.

Here in Waterford, Waterford Crystal (a national institution and huge tourist attraction) sought a LOAN from the then Government in 2009. They were told to eff off in the same month that billions were poured into failed banking entities.

And yet people choose to defend RTE's 'position'. It is a complete and utter joke shop.

PM sent directly to you Hugo, directing you to the question that you appear to be avoiding

Please declare your connection with RTE

Hootanany

We need an answer Hugo

markesmith

Yeah spill the beans

Eric Cartman

as to why anyone pays a tv licence is beyond me , RTE just wastes the money , fcuk em all I say

got a reply from hugo, Im not sure what the rules are surrounding posting PM's so i wont post it, but suffice to say, he chickened out of confirming what most on this thread already know

if someone can clarify if I am allowed to post PM's

HugoBradyBrown

Deleted User wrote: »

got a reply from hugo, Im not sure what the rules are surrounding posting PM's so i wont post it, but suffice to say, he chickened out of confirming what most on this thread already know

if someone can clarify if I am allowed to post PM's

Without yielding on the privilege of my PM, I should say that the quoted post is starkly at variance with the factual situation. I should also say that to breach the charter by even suggesting posting material conveyed in confidence fills me with great unease, and with concern about the ethics of the community of posters on this forum.

RichieC

HugoBradyBrown wrote: »

Deleted User wrote: »

Without yielding on the privilege of my PM, I should say that the quoted post is starkly at variance with the factual situation. I should also say that to breach the charter by even suggesting posting material conveyed in confidence fills me with great unease, and with concern about the ethics of the community of posters on this forum.

so youre on the gravy train. Thanks for clarifying.

Tomk1

It's only in the past few months, I've started watching some RTE. I must say the news is way better than any of the Sat channels, the distinct Irishness of it. I enjoy Nationwide great show, long ago use to watch 'ear to the ground' don't know if that's on anymore. The only reason I might watch the LLS is to take the p*ss out of it on boards, great enjoyment in that, but must admit that last Fridays show was best I've seen.

I think there should be a proper RTE feedback, maybe here on boards, just like pcworld, I know that mailbag-like-show is coming on air soon, but it's the day of the internet, and an impartial site is more user friendly than a paid TV presenter cherry-picking topics.

To tell the truth, the bill for the TV licence came the other day, this after clearing an eight month overdue ESB-bill, I am considering ditching the TV, it's not saorview, whats the point of upgrading. I spend most of my time on a PC, and usually watch Boxsets. (how many sale-priced box-sets can I get for €160 on top of those I get after dropping Sky)

If anything the TV-licence should be coming down to €100 instead of going up to make up for reduced ad-income, it's not the celtic tiger.

On the OP-topic Yes, but in ecconomics, if the price is too high people won't pay, and then the income will fall instead of rise.

A reply to those RTE-licence-ads, I feel it's RTE that's putting their hands into my pocket and stealing from me.

Liam Byrne

RachaelVO wrote: »

Why should they have both when TV3 don't?

To avoid Irish TV being absolute ****e like Z-factory and "I wanna be a celeb" ?

psychward

We managed to have a culture and society for thousands of years before the existence of RTE and the invention of television yet you have the self regarding egomaniacs at RTE making their propagation of foreign shows and promotion of overpaid mediocre party hacks to be something indispensable to this ancient culture even though it managed to survive under terrible conditions for 99.9% of the time without it... a pure propaganda lie vested in selfish self interest . The parasitic cancer of RTE needs to be disposed of asap.

HugoBradyBrown

psychward wrote: »

We managed to have a culture and society for thousands of years before the existence of RTE and the invention of television yet you have the self regarding egomaniacs at RTE making their propagation of foreign shows and promotion of overpaid mediocre party hacks to be something indispensable to this ancient culture even though it managed to survive under terrible conditions for 99.9% of the time without it... a pure propaganda lie vested in selfish self interest . The parasitic cancer of RTE needs to be disposed of asap.

This is, I suggest, a touch extreme, even in its very language.

jimmynokia

anybody here ever heard of the libertas institute?

Freddie59

Liam Byrne wrote: »

To avoid Irish TV being absolute ****e like Z-factory and "I wanna be a celeb" ?

Wouldn't agree. So you agree with programmes like 'Strongest Man' etc on RTE???!!!!!