RTE slams "secret" producer for telling the truth?

leggo

There probably is room for Vogue in an Xpose-type role, since that kinda stuff is her bread and butter and she's not talentless either. But trying to position herself as a serious documentary maker then draws comparisons with the likes of Louis Theroux and she just doesn't have the chops to stand up with that.

It's likely not her fault, RTE sees a 'celeb' as integral to making this kind of programming these days (more important even) so she's likely positioned there at their behest and none of us would say no if offered the same money/opportunity, but she's in the limelight for long enough and should know this is part of the gig.

jmayo

Today we learned that the great Jimmy Magee has passed away.
A couple of years ago we lost Bill O'Herlihy.
Terry Wogan cut his teeth in RTE in his youth before moving to become one of Britain's best loved and admired broadcasters.
Likewise with Eamon Andrews.

Gay Byrne was once lauded as one of the best broadcasters on the planet and had offers to move even to the states.
You had Brian Farrel, Olivia O'Leary, Jonathan Bowman who were fantastic current affairs presenters/interviewers.

RTE was once a land where talent was bred and honed.

Now look at what they have to offer.
Overpaid muck masquerading as broadcasters.

The best homegrown Irish programming is coming out of TG4.

loyatemu

I agree with TSP that RTE has value as a PSB and should be supported, but there is so much dead wood - 2FM and all the digital radio stations; everything on RTE2 bar sport; the unnecessarily huge campus in the most expensive neighbourhood in the city; the endless chat shows. They should shrink down and stick to what they are good at - news/current affairs, documentaries and cultural/magazine shows, some of the reality stuff is OK.

Hannibal_Smith

steddyeddy wrote: »

Not really. There seems to be a culture of entitlement in some of Ireland's public bodies. People are paying a lot of money for TV licences and they're entitled to know whether their money is being spent correctly.

So far we've heard of people spending large amounts of public money on taxis, staff that couldn't care less. work practices which cost the public far more than they need to and Lottie Ryan hired exclusively on the basis of whose vagina she came out of. I apologise for the vulgarity, but to me this sort of entitlement is vulgar and I will describe it as such. So no, an organisation which demands the already squeezed public paying more money for a pension while squandering our money for jobs for the boys isn't a fuss about nothing.

Did you not already know the organisation was demanding the already squeezed public pay more money for a pension while squandering said money on jobs for the boys? Did you really need this secret producer to point it out?

The union stuff and camera work is interesting, but there have been no earthshattering revelations. So yes, it is a fuss about nothing. Anonymous person says a few things online. Big wow!

mariano rivera

If you think about it Netflix, Amazon, BBC etc. are all crying out for the next super drama series. BBC regularly show foreign language series like Wallander, Moltabano, Versailles any old Scandinavian drama thingy.
These series are not even in English!

In the words of Mr. Jules Winnfield

"English, motherf***r, do you speak it?"

loyatemu

Drama is very expensive to produce, therefore high-risk. Love/Hate (which was OK but nothing revolutionary) was sold abroad.

leggo

loyatemu wrote: »

Drama is very expensive to produce, therefore high-risk. Love/Hate (which was OK but nothing revolutionary) was sold abroad.

People earn big salaries for a reason (and I've zero problem with them doing so if they're earning it). If you're not good enough to find and commission a winner then budget the resources necessary to make it succeed...it's kinda like a McDonalds employee saying chicken nuggets are difficult to make. It's literally your job!

loyatemu

leggo wrote: »

People earn big salaries for a reason (and I've zero problem with them doing so if they're earning it). If you're not good enough to find and commission a winner then budget the resources necessary to make it succeed...it's kinda like a McDonalds employee saying chicken nuggets are difficult to make. It's literally your job!

for every successful drama series the likes of the Beeb or Netflix produce they probably have 2 that do less well. RTE only produce a handful every year because that's all they can afford to do - if one does well and is saleable abroad, great. But they have to get the ratings here as a priority. Producing 20 episodes of "The Killing" would absorb their entire drama budget for the year.

VinLieger

loyatemu wrote: »

for every successful drama series the likes of the Beeb or Netflix produce they probably have 2 that do less well. RTE only produce a handful every year because that's all they can afford to do - if one does well and is saleable abroad, great. But they have to get the ratings here as a priority. Producing 20 episodes of "The Killing" would absorb their entire drama budget for the year.

Yeah and as weve learned their budget is so low for things like this cus of the wastage, mismanagement and jobs for life

leggo

loyatemu wrote: »

for every successful drama series the likes of the Beeb or Netflix produce they probably have 2 that do less well. RTE only produce a handful every year because that's all they can afford to do - if one does well and is saleable abroad, great. But they have to get the ratings here as a priority. Producing 20 episodes of "The Killing" would absorb their entire drama budget for the year.

Fear of failure is not a valid excuse for lack of effort in ANY job. You or I can't turn up to work and say "That particular task might show me up as incompetent, so I'm not going to do it." That is especially so if you are earning a six-figure salary paid for by the taxpayer.

Freindly

VinLieger wrote: »

"get a life" come one vogue thats like soooo 2003

But if that life happens to involve Islam then Vogue may suggest locking you up in a box without trial. If some Yank C list celebrity wrote that tripe she wrote about Muslims it would make the 6.1 and the 9 News if it was on cnn.com homepage because the researchers in RTE are so lazy.

But that wasn't mentioned on RTE at all. "Vogue Internment RTE" gets zero hits online. That article should have been the end of anyone considering paying her to look into social issues and making documentaries. Not at RTE.

Unions + Taxpayers Money + Zero Transparency seems to be a complete recipe for disaster but due to their own self interest I can't see RTE dedicating a prime time episode to it.

I love Sean nos

CatFromHue wrote: »

Vogue was good on the first doc she did on Home and Away

Seriously? :pac:

steddyeddy

leggo wrote: »

Fear of failure is not a valid excuse for lack of effort in ANY job. You or I can't turn up to work and say "That particular task might show me up as incompetent, so I'm not going to do it." That is especially so if you are earning a six-figure salary paid for by the taxpayer.

Also if people don't perform then it's up to RTE to move them on and get someone who does. There is talent out there. We produced a lot of entertainers as a country. I'd be extremely surprised if the dead weight at RTE is shifted easily.

Dutch Gold Society

RTE needs to be drastically downsized and the license fee scaled down accordingly. We need a state broadcaster for news and sports coverage and weather. TV stations as we know them are becoming obsolete as people increasingly use the internet for their entertainment needs.

Billy86

Dutch Gold Society wrote: »

RTE needs to be drastically downsized and the license fee scaled down accordingly. We need a state broadcaster for news and sports coverage and weather. TV stations as we know them are becoming obsolete as people increasingly use the internet for their entertainment needs.

It should still be used for original content on top of those though, and develop talent therein. Note: original content, not using your and my money to outbid TV3 for the latest season of The Big Bang Theory.

What's amazing to me is that we have so much we can borrow from the BBC who are absolutely exemplary at content creation just right next door to us (and Irish and British culture and tastes being so similar means this should be even more relevant) but don't really seem interested in doing so.

Dutch Gold Society

Billy86 wrote: »

It should still be used for original content on top of those though, and develop talent therein. Note: original content, not using your and my money to outbid TV3 for the latest season of The Big Bang Theory.

What's amazing to me is that we have so much we can borrow from the BBC who are absolutely exemplary at content creation just right next door to us (and Irish and British culture and tastes being so similar means this should be even more relevant) but don't really seem interested in doing so.

I would agree with that. Let's keep RTE but downsize it. I would get rid of RTE 2. One channel is enough for the output that is required.

Purple Mountain

Who's not to say that the tweeter isn't from a rival station?

leggo

Billy86 wrote: »

It should still be used for original content on top of those though, and develop talent therein. Note: original content, not using your and my money to outbid TV3 for the latest season of The Big Bang Theory.

What's amazing to me is that we have so much we can borrow from the BBC who are absolutely exemplary at content creation just right next door to us (and Irish and British culture and tastes being so similar means this should be even more relevant) but don't really seem interested in doing so.

The problem is that the licence fee only forms part of RTE's income, as opposed to the Beeb, simply on the basis of there being more people in the UK so a bigger pool to work with. As a result, RTE has to have commercial considerations so bidding on ratings winners from abroad is also necessary.

That said, the shows that typically get the biggest ratings and the entire country around the TV watching RTE are the home-produced ones like the Toy Show. So there's that too.

However the mix of entrepreneurial genius combined with the state requirements usually breaks the meagre brains of those calling the shots so, as a result, the lazy option often wins out in favour of getting the abacus out and balancing things to fire on all cylinders. It'd take someone special but they'd be worth their paycheque at least.

For Forks Sake

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Who's not to say that the tweeter isn't from a rival station?

A: It's not as gaeilge (ruling out tg4)
B: It's not looking for money. And spells properly. (rules out tv3)

AndrewJRenko

Dutch Gold Society wrote: »

RTE needs to be drastically downsized and the license fee scaled down accordingly. We need a state broadcaster for news and sports coverage and weather. TV stations as we know them are becoming obsolete as people increasingly use the internet for their entertainment needs.

Certainly, change is needed - but the idea that all Irish TV stations would be just like TV3- lowest common denominator commercial content - is just a bit scary.

Seth Brundle

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Who's not to say that the tweeter isn't from a rival station?

As the claims haven't been disputed, I don't think it matters who the person is or where they're from. The important piece is that it all appears true.

mariano rivera

loyatemu wrote: »

leggo wrote: »

People earn big salaries for a reason (and I've zero problem with them doing so if they're earning it). If you're not good enough to find and commission a winner then budget the resources necessary to make it succeed...it's kinda like a McDonalds employee saying chicken nuggets are difficult to make. It's literally your job!

for every successful drama series the likes of the Beeb or Netflix produce they probably have 2 that do less well. RTE only produce a handful every year because that's all they can afford to do - if one does well and is saleable abroad, great. But they have to get the ratings here as a priority. Producing 20 episodes of "The Killing" would absorb their entire drama budget for the year.

Right there is the RTE mentality

Its too hard

In an international market where most competitors don't speak English, we/ RTE/ National Broadcaster cannot create anything of value to sell. 
 (Except Love/ Hate. Gangster drugs thingy. They really put the IMAGINATION boat out on that one)
This is the country that produced Beckett, JM Syne, Behan, Joyce, Banville, Roddy Doyle, Colm Toibin, Patrick Kavanagh and Loads more............
The production costs argument dosnt stand up to any scrutiny. Its cheaper than ever to make film with today's camera technology
Criticially acclaimed movie "Tangerine" was made last year using primarily an iphone camera
It looks gorgeous!
Loads of other examples out there too.

Hotblack Desiato

They've driven out all the good writers and forced them to seek work in Britain rather than have to deal with the headwreck that is RTE. Read what Graham Linehan has to say on this topic...

Billy86

mariano rivera wrote: »

Right there is the RTE mentality

Its too hard

In an international market where most competitors don't speak English, we/ RTE/ National Broadcaster cannot create anything of value to sell. 
 (Except Love/ Hate. Gangster drugs thingy. They really put the IMAGINATION boat out on that one)
This is the country that produced Beckett, JM Syne, Behan, Joyce, Banville, Roddy Doyle, Colm Toibin, Patrick Kavanagh and Loads more............
The production costs argument dosnt stand up to any scrutiny. Its cheaper than ever to make film with today's camera technology
Criticially acclaimed movie "Tangerine" was made last year using primarily an iphone camera
It looks gorgeous!
Loads of other examples out there too.

Also here's a random one... what apparently is the RTE's most internationally successful/profitable show of all time? The Lyrics Board, which was picked up in about 15 different countries. :eek:

Another poster pointed out that the BBC gets far more licence money than RTE, and that is completely true of course - I personally don't mind them running ads because of this, or even filling out some of the 'dead times' with shows bought in, but there would need to be a cap to ensure it's just bargain basement type stuff. You might actually get some little unknown gems in doing so - leave a team with X amount of budget and Y amount of slots to fill, with the right staff in there there could be a pile of motivation to blow people away with what they produce and that should be a position with a lot of potential for growth and promotion (though there's the whole other side of things RTE would need to change here about culture).

But you're also right that shows can be made on a shoestring... even look at TG4 who have built a good reputation when it comes to documentaries. Some look great and would deceive you into thinking they cost far more than they did, while others don't do as good a job masking it but if the content is good then people will often overlook that.

And about the BBC making two poor shows for every good one, that's because they've got the right attitude! You've got to be prepared to fail to an extent. Of course a lot has to be weighed up before greenlighting something or not, but a bit like a good sports team you're bound to be more entertaining when you're passionately trying to win than fearfully and pragmatically just trying to avoid losing. I'm more than happy to see shows come and go and some awful dreck on the telly so long as I know the overall network is pushing and promoting innovation - and of course, so long as they know when to call it a day on a failed effort and not wind up on season 4 of the show nobody liked three episodes into season one of; it's also a reason to keep budgets down where possible and to spread the risk. people won't remember that crap show a few years from now so long as you don't drag it on, but they'll remember the ones that succeeded for a long time to come. And they'll likely be willing to part with additional TV licence money when they feel better about what is being produced.

ohnonotgmail

Billy86 wrote: »

Also here's a random one... what apparently is the RTE's most internationally successful/profitable show of all time? The Lyrics Board, which was picked up in about 15 different countries. :eek:

Another poster pointed out that the BBC gets far more licence money than RTE, and that is completely true of course - I personally don't mind them running ads because of this, or even filling out some of the 'dead times' with shows bought in, but there would need to be a cap to ensure it's just bargain basement type stuff. You might actually get some little unknown gems in doing so - leave a team with X amount of budget and Y amount of slots to fill, with the right staff in there there could be a pile of motivation to blow people away with what they produce and that should be a position with a lot of potential for growth and promotion (though there's the whole other side of things RTE would need to change here about culture).

But you're also right that shows can be made on a shoestring... even look at TG4 who have built a good reputation when it comes to documentaries. Some look great and would deceive you into thinking they cost far more than they did, while others don't do as good a job masking it but if the content is good then people will often overlook that.

And about the BBC making two poor shows for every good one, that's because they've got the right attitude! You've got to be prepared to fail to an extent. Of course a lot has to be weighed up before greenlighting something or not, but a bit like a good sports team you're bound to be more entertaining when you're passionately trying to win than fearfully and pragmatically just trying to avoid losing. I'm more than happy to see shows come and go and some awful dreck on the telly so long as I know the overall network is pushing and promoting innovation - and of course, so long as they know when to call it a day on a failed effort and not wind up on season 4 of the show nobody liked three episodes into season one of; it's also a reason to keep budgets down where possible and to spread the risk. people won't remember that crap show a few years from now so long as you don't drag it on, but they'll remember the ones that succeeded for a long time to come. And they'll likely be willing to part with additional TV licence money when they feel better about what is being produced.

that wasnt an RTE production though. The profits that were made from the format dont go to them.

osarusan

kbannon wrote: »

As the claims haven't been disputed, I don't think it matters who the person is or where they're from. The important piece is that it all appears true.

If RTE started disputing/refuting certain claims, they'd start a precedent of engaging with specific claims and thus put themselves in an awkward position regarding the other claims that were not disputed or refuted.

Billy86

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

that wasnt an RTE production though. The profits that were made from the format dont go to them.

RTE were not the producer, but it was an Irish programme that by an Irish production company (who I am fine with RTE outsourcing to as well on occasion as it achieves the same aim of promoting developing Irish talent and productions) and RTE acted as the distributor.

VinLieger

osarusan wrote: »

If RTE started disputing/refuting certain claims, they'd start a precedent of engaging with specific claims and thus put themselves in an awkward position regarding the other claims that were not disputed or refuted.

Yes but they could equally just dispute the entire thing and say its all false, the fact they haven't even done that means its likely some and possibly most of it is true and theres evidence to back it up

osarusan

VinLieger wrote: »

the fact they haven't even done that means its likely some and possibly most of it is true and theres evidence to back it up

Some of it certainly, but I don't think we can infer from RTE's lack of dispute/refutation that everything is true.

I doubt they want to engage in that way without knowing what the tweeter still has up their sleeve.

super_furry

kbannon wrote: »

As the claims haven't been disputed, I don't think it matters who the person is or where they're from. The important piece is that it all appears true.

Yeah but there's nothing there that wasn't already in the public realm or could be easily assumed. Things like producers being cornered in toilets and what not have already been out there - Graham Linehan told that story. Same with the taxis, long coffee breaks and your man Craig Doyle.

I still don't see any 'smoking gun' to say it's genuine.

This Times article summed things up for me https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/why-we-should-be-wary-of-the-secret-rt%C3%A9-producer-1.3226782