Is the narcissism of RTE employees getting out of hand?

Atoms for Peace

pleas advice wrote: »

Ploughing week is bad enough, and then you have the 'Fun on the Farm' week, and every second 'guest' on the Late Late is in some way connected to RTE...
but all of them pale into insignificance in comparison to the complete RTE circlejerk that was 'Weather Week'

The next logical step has got to be wanker week.

badtoro

Getting rid of the TV license and making RTE subscription based would put a quick end to these "personalities".

Brendan Bendar

Hector Savage wrote: »

Yeah and that Philip Boucher Hayes, such a champagne socialist, moaning about inequality and the housing crisis while driving around in one of his three 120k Land Rovers !!!

* Yes I'm jealous cos I don't have a Land Rover ...

Plenty of that lot around Hector, in all walks of life.

The meeja of course if rife with those type of people.

Wonder ‘whoy’. :cool:

topper75

Hector Savage wrote: »

Yeah and that Philip Boucher Hayes, such a champagne socialist

Second only to tyranny as a disgusting political stance.

No shortage of it in this land sadly:

• rock star hasbeens from the 80s who won't shut up
• charity CEOs creaming it
• many of our recent Uachtaráin
• Upper middle class activist types bleating about the 'vulnerable' whilst ensuring never to live within a good bus ride of them.

Rté is rife with it. These hypos turn my stomach.
****ing us over whilst trying to guilt us. Pissing on our leg and telling us it is raining.

razorblunt

Miriam O'Callaghan on Prime Time last week for the "what have we learned since the Banking Collapse" themed show.
She hasn't been earning less than, what, 300k p.a. since the early 00s at least and has the lack of awareness to head a show like that.

mariaalice

Haven't a clue who half of the people mentioned are how are people spending so much time watching RTE.

I am a bit of a current affairs junkie so do watch and listen to their current affairs offerings. The current affairs content is very mixed to say the least.

Prime time : Its silly at times some experts talking, for example, an economist and Miriam O'Callaghan response is something along the lines of...but what do you say to the parents/ordinary worker or some other emotional feelings based response to facts.

Clair Byrne live is basically a series of shouty rows described as a program.

RTE radio hit and miss, Sean O'Rourke can be good but the cynicism and stereotyping let him down.

A lot of the current affairs presenters seem to go for the shouty presentation.

Philip Boucher-Hayes is brilliant because he is laughing at himself listen to him when he is replacing Joe Duffy, he parodies the live line formula brilliantly but lurches in to being creepy at times, enunciating and dragging it out too much.

There are all too old and their too long that is the problem really.

TomOnBoard

I kinda like Claire Byrne's interviewing style myself. Shes much improved since she got her own programme away from way-2-syrupy Miriam.

And as for Marian at the weekend- Jeez, would she ever learn to ask a question without hemmin' & hawin' & splutterin'....

coolshannagh28

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Pat never excelled on TV but his radio shows over the years have been brilliant, on a par with the best in the world at times. He's incredibly intelligent, quick, incisive, always very well researched, he can turn his hand to anything fact driven, politics to science. His radio shows have always spanned a huge array of subjects and they're genuinely good mostly, I've never heard him caught out or sounding incapable of meeting what's presented to him. He's often as good at the subject he's doing as any specialist podcast devoted to that niche area. I can't really think of any other broadcaster who is a proficient.

Well said...... Pat

badtoro

razorblunt wrote: »

Miriam O'Callaghan on Prime Time last week for the "what have we learned since the Banking Collapse" themed show.
She hasn't been earning less than, what, 300k p.a. since the early 00s at least and has the lack of awareness to head a show like that.

Plenty well paid people like her around. In the depths of the recession I was at a meeting where a speaker said "10,000 isn't really, you know, a lot of money", to a room full of people probably not earning double that. Don't know how he didn't get a smack, people were pretty angry.

mariaalice

Just as an aside to this, where does the bizarre notion that someone cant be well off and have socialist type views, only the poor can be socialists is such lazy thinking and it's very common.

The Tetrarch

topper75 wrote: »

Second only to tyranny as a disgusting political stance.

No shortage of it in this land sadly:

• rock star hasbeens from the 80s who won't shut up
• charity CEOs creaming it
• many of our recent Uachtaráin
• Upper middle class activist types bleating about the 'vulnerable' whilst ensuring never to live within a good bus ride of them.

Rté is rife with it. These hypos turn my stomach.
****ing us over whilst trying to guilt us. Pissing on our leg and telling us it is raining.

I laughed.
... mouthy ex-rock stars, and working-class heroes who went to posh secondary schools.

topper75

mariaalice wrote: »

Just as an aside to this, where does the bizarre notion that someone cant be well off and have socialist type views, only the poor can be socialists is such lazy thinking and it's very common.

That is referred to as champagne socialism and it has no integrity.

I have a problem with somebody who has loads of money telling me and all the others who have earned some money to hand it to the people who have little money but didn't do anything to earn it. Show me where my thinking is lazy here.

mariaalice

topper75 wrote: »

That is referred to as champagne socialism and it has no integrity.

I have a problem with somebody who has loads of money telling me and all the others who have earned some money to hand it to the people who have little money but didn't do anything to earn it. Show me where my thinking is lazy here.

Mainly because in general, that is not what they are asking anyone to do.

Ush1

topper75 wrote: »

That is referred to as champagne socialism and it has no integrity.

I have a problem with somebody who has loads of money telling me and all the others who have earned some money to hand it to the people who have little money but didn't do anything to earn it. Show me where my thinking is lazy here.

The other side of it is they want nothing to do really with the great unwashed.

Sephiroth_dude

I remember when the late late actually had interesting international guests on the show every week, those days are long gone, RTE can't even produce decent in house soaps anymore, just look at the wannabe gowl's on fair city.

jetsonx

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I remember when the late late actually had interesting international guests on the show every week, those days are long gone, RTE can't even produce decent in house soaps anymore, just look at the wannabe gowl's on fair city.

Agree. There was a stage when the Late Late must have been the envy of every other national broadcaster across the world for the quality of the guests it could attract on a consistent basis.

I think most of this "dreamteam" left after GB called it a day.

GMSA

GMSA wrote: »

Has anyone mentioned the granddaddy of RTE Larry Gogan? The man should be retired with nearly 20 yrs. Googling says he is 83. I was working with a radio on tuned to 2fm in the background this evening and all he played were tracks from a (new)? U2 album. Only for the people doing the quiz, the show could be prerecorded from his bedroom. 2hrs on a Saturday is all he does I think. Big hoohaa about him playing the first Christmas songs for this year. What a privilege.:rolleyes:

I posted there above on the 2nd Dec 17. Here I am this evening listening to as he puts it "A special Golden Hour". Well what makes it special is his playlist is all U2 oldies. Don't suppose any other band would get the same airplay.

alchemist33

Weĺl, they are playing in Dublin this week

5rtytry56

jetsonx wrote: »

Agree. There was a stage when the Late Late must have been the envy of every other national broadcaster across the world for the quality of the guests it could attract on a consistent basis.

I think most of this "dreamteam" left after GB called it a day.

Here's the Late Late YouTube channel: in it's true flying colours

https://www.youtube.com/user/rtelatelateshow

at least the billy barry apt pupils can delight re watching their finest hours if anything else.

paw patrol

dirtyden wrote: »

A quick google says Lottie Ryan’s show has 200k listeners. Whilst not my cup of tea she does appear to be popular.

I don't think she is great but I listen, she however is streets ahead of her 7am partners....

playing the thick Bernard (his one fcukin trick)
smarmy keith who has always been ****e from his spin days,
& Jennifer who thinks she is a sassy know it all but in reality she is just a knackery lisa simpson with both an over inflated ego and false sense of intelligence.

It's a poor choice....but it's breakfast radio...a dog humping a cat would get 200k listeners.

fm104 has utterly braindead content but it does actually sound like a show.

amacca

jetsonx wrote: »

No wonder genuinely talented people like Pat Kenny left. Discuss.

I was totally with you until that.

jetsonx

amacca wrote: »

I was totally with you until that.

Name one RTE presenter who is actually able to ask interviewees difficult questions rather just exchange platitudes? Not many presenters in RTE could robustly challenge interviewees such as phony scientists on diverse issues such climate change, vaccines or nuclear power. This is a bit of change from bland Reader Digest-type questions asked from some RTE presenters.

holyhead

Just a number of points about RTE

Ironic that two of the biggest shows in the UK in the 1990s were Irish centered UK produced Ballykissangel and Father Ted.
Dermot Morgan, a genius of a man, was available to fill air time and yet bar Scrap Saturday he wasn't properly used by RTE.
I gave up on Fair City twenty years ago. Glenroe I did like. Full of characters. Haven't seen Love/Hate but it is critically well respected.
How on earth are Tubridy, Marian Finucane and Duffy still earning vast money in RTE. Tubridy is ok to a point but seriously! Duffy playing the common man when he earns as much as he does is just outright insulting.
The Late Late Show is a busted flush. Should have finished with Gay Byrne.
As I mentioned in an earlier post we have produced super broadcasters (GB, Brian Farrell, Pat Kenny, John Bowman, and Mike Murphy) but nobody new has come through in the last 20 years to match these guys.
Our soccer commentators are painful to listen to. George Hamilton would probably be the best of a bad lot.
Nobody presenting on RTE should earn more than 300k a year. I know a wage cap may cause lost talent but seriously what other broadcasting outfit would take the high earners from RTE. I also realise that those working in entertainment earn big money but generally they have to have a matching talent.

jetsonx

holyhead wrote: »

Just a number of points about RTE

Ironic that two of the biggest shows in the UK in the 1990s were Irish centered UK produced Ballykissangel and Father Ted.
Dermot Morgan, a genius of a man, was available to fill air time and yet bar Scrap Saturday he wasn't properly used by RTE.
I gave up on Fair City twenty years ago. Glenroe I did like. Full of characters. Haven't seen Love/Hate but it is critically well respected.
How on earth are Tubridy, Marian Finucane and Duffy still earning vast money in RTE. Tubridy is ok to a point but seriously! Duffy playing the common man when he earns as much as he does is just outright insulting.
The Late Late Show is a busted flush. Should have finished with Gay Byrne.
As I mentioned in an earlier post we have produced super broadcasters (GB, Brian Farrell, Pat Kenny, Jonathan Bowman, and Mike Murphy) but nobody new has come through in the last 20 years to match these guys.
Our soccer commentators are painful to listen to. George Hamilton would probably be the best of a bad lot.
Nobody presenting on RTE should earn more than 300k a year. I know a wage cap may cause lost talent but seriously what other broadcasting outfit would take the high earners from RTE. I also realise that those working in entertainment earn big money but generally they have to have a matching talent.

Agree with all of that. RTE don't nurture new talent. If they were a football club in the premier league they would go bust. Simple as.

BTW, its "John Bowman"!

jetsonx

he doesn't let guest respond. He also doesn't listen.

Not two qualities you want in an interviewer!

holyhead

Always get the feeling with Tubridy that he feels he is "cool" and appeals to the well off section of the TV audience. In order for an institution like the LLS to continue successfully and to be relevant it needed someone who could comfortably switch back and forth from light entertainment to hard hitting interviews. Tubridy is so so on the light entertainment but lost in terms of hard hitting interviews. Pat Kenny was just too wooden to be host of an all-round Friday night entertainment program. Superb radio broadcaster to be fair.

A lot of people didn't like Gay Byrne feeling he was arrogant. I just think Gaybo knew he was a top class broadcaster and more to the point he was correct in so thinking. He was equally brilliant on radio and television.

biko

I don't see why we should pay so much money to these wasters.
If RTE weren't subsidised with taxpayer money it'd go put of business in a year.

Keep one channel for societal needs, slash the rest.

suicide_circus

suicide_circus

holyhead wrote: »

Always get the feeling with Tubridy that he feels he is "cool"

Tubs wishes he was John Kenny presenting Mystery Train

D' Arcy is in the throes of menopause with his perpetual whine. As for Tubridy, beyond cringeworthy trying to compete with his guests when he isn't interrupting them mid-sentence. I remember a Bill Bailey 'interview' several years back, who mopped the floor with Tubs when he acted the upstart. Then there was that shambles a few nights ago in setting Casey up for a public hanging. An incorrigible eejit, who we have to endure because he is related to the right people. Compare that with Gay Byrne, a master of his craft. Why? Because he asked a straightforward question, sat back and listened.

AdrianLM

But since the rest of the schedules appear to be full of reality tv, cooking shows, self promotion vehicles for vacuous non entities, and god awful home grown soaps, theres a big arguement for RTE to cut it's cloth by maybe sticking to it's strengths. An awful lot of trash is produced in order to get ratings, ad revenue and keep the boys in jobs. What about cutting out all this rubbish, pairing the organisation down to the size needed to provide good quality news and sport and most important of all, finding a big enough cannon to fire Ryan Tubridy out of.

It's never going to happen, RTE is a White Elephant (Now there's a phrase from the eighties)

Brendan Bendar

suicide_circus wrote: »

Tubs wishes he was John Kenny presenting Mystery Train

John Kelly,actually, now there’s a chancer of epic proportions.

Was trousering huge wedge some time ago, may have been reined in somewhat since.

BattleCorp

Deleted User wrote: »

Then there was that shambles a few nights ago in setting Casey up for a public hanging. .

RTE were only doing the bidding of their paymasters (The Government) when setting up Casey.

Wanderer2010

Im curious as to whether the likes of Ray Darcy, Vogue, Lottie Ryan and Francis Brennan ever read anything negative about themselves on social media. I mean, this is a tiny country and they genuinely love themselves and think their talents require a spot on the walk of fame so it would be interesting to know if they completely shut out any negative comments or do they have a sneaky look at sites like this to see what people really think of them.
Hard to believe they could resist temptation!

JohnnyFlash

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Im curious as to whether the likes of Ray Darcy, Vogue, Lottie Ryan and Francis Brennan ever read anything negative about themselves on social media. I mean, this is a tiny country and they genuinely love themselves and think their talents require a spot on the walk of fame so it would be interesting to know if they completely shut out any negative comments or do they have a sneaky look at sites like this to see what people really think of them.
Hard to believe they could resist temptation!

No offence to anyone here, but I doubt any of them really care what people on sites like Boards and the Journal think of them. The sites are cesspits of anger, jealousy, and terrible pessimism. They almost certainly have something better to be doing than reading the opinions of some frustrated dweeb who spends his time watching and listening to shows he hates just so he can give out about the presenter with other isolated and anonymous weirdos on message boards.

Wanderer2010

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

No offence to anyone here, but I doubt any of them really care what people on sites like Boards and the Journal think of them. They are cesspits of anger, jealousy, and terrible pessimism. They almost certainly have something better to be doing than reading the opinions of some frustrated dweeb who spends his time watching and listening to shows he hates just so he can give out about the presenter with other isolated and anonymous weirdos on message boards.

Fair enough but these people do depend to a degree on popularity- people need to tune in, and of course Twitter accounts and Instagram posts need to be liked so their ego can get a boost. Negative comments aren't limited to Boards to be fair. I cant believe that comments like "You only got the job because you are Gerry Ryans daughter" and "Vogue, go away and get a real job nobody is interested in your opinions on working class problems" exists solely within these threads. A lot of people feel like that and I wonder do they just put a mask over that reality and go on thinking that everyone loves them or do they genuinely reflect.
Im thinking out loud on that one, there is no way to really know bar a non-RTE presenter asking them tough questions. In fairness, I don't like George Hook but the best thing he ever said was to Vogue Williams "What is it you do?" which was apparently offensive and he went too far when really he was just asking what loads of people were thinking. She didn't particularly balk at the question which makes me think she probably heard it before..

sabat

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

No offence to anyone here, but I doubt any of them really care what people on sites like Boards and the Journal think of them. The sites are cesspits of anger, jealousy, and terrible pessimism. They almost certainly have something better to be doing than reading the opinions of some frustrated dweeb who spends his time watching and listening to shows he hates just so he can give out about the presenter with other isolated and anonymous weirdos on message boards.

You can literally be sent to jail for disliking these people and refusing to pay for them.

valoren

The License fee.

Those who constantly watch RTE, effectively the over 70 brigade who watch it religiously, don't pay for it. Everyone else who rarely watch it given the options available today pays for the license.

razorblunt

Jennifer ZeppelinZamboodle of whatever she calls herself looks to have been caught lying in a tweet about Peter Casey. Trying to stay in vogue and on topic but its backfired.

Grandeeod

razorblunt wrote: »

Jennifer ZeppelinZamboodle of whatever she calls herself looks to have been caught lying in a tweet about Peter Casey. Trying to stay in vogue and on topic but its backfired.

This eejit annoys me. I tried with the Republic of telly. I managed a smirk. Then Brigit and Eamonn or whatever its called came along as a series. I'm amused at its amateur writing and performance and fooking astounded at its apparent success and screening on a UK channel. Add in a standard issue RTE radio show and some voiceover work, this eejit is well coined and probably at the expence of someone more talented, because she has no talent at all. A literal smart ass that you could meet in the pub and think, WTF, I'd love to smack her one.

Silentcorner

razorblunt wrote: »

Jennifer ZeppelinZamboodle of whatever she calls herself looks to have been caught lying in a tweet about Peter Casey. Trying to stay in vogue and on topic but its backfired.

This one is going to be intriguing...she was caught rotten being unprofessional.

She should never have talked about a guest the way she did, it was the first thing out of her mouth.

She then tweets about a private conversation that should never have seen the light of day, she should know this, you can't call out someone talking off air or off record.

It turns out that conversation never even happened....the idiot was making it up...a bare faced lie!!!

Now, either she was operating on her own free will, in which case she needs to face the repercussions immediately, like lose her DWTS gig.

Or she was part of the Late Late Show production teams hatchet job...which would be far more interesting.

They'll do well to brush this one under the carpet.

NIMAN

But will it be pursued?

Who will mention it again?

Do we know for a fact which is lying? Her or Casey?

Grandeeod

Silentcorner wrote: »

This one is going to be intriguing...she was caught rotten being unprofessional.

She should never have talked about a guest the way she did, it was the first thing out of her mouth.

She then tweets about a private conversation that should never have seen the light of day, she should know this, you can't call out someone talking off air or off record.

It turns out that conversation never even happened....the idiot was making it up...a bare faced lie!!!

Now, either she was operating on her own free will, in which case she needs to face the repercussions immediately, like lose her DWTS gig.

Or she was part of the Late Late Show production teams hatchet job...which would be far more interesting.

They'll do well to brush this one under the carpet.

I'm sure the brush is already out somewhere. They don't give a fook. Bubble, Ego and the RTE quango. Sickening stuff altogether.

elperello

sabat wrote: »

You can literally be sent to jail for disliking these people and refusing to pay for them.

Not quite true.

If you don't have a TV you need never "pay for them".

If you have a TV you need a licence.

If you have a TV and no licence you can be fined.

If you don't pay the fine then you may be sent to jail.

Silentcorner

NIMAN wrote: »

But will it be pursued?

Who will mention it again?

Do we know for a fact which is lying? Her or Casey?

She was lying, Casey is on the record speaking about Direct Provision only a few short weeks ago.

I'd imagine Niall Boylan just thanked his lucky stars that he operates in a world where the likes of Zamparelli is considered a talent...and simultaneously stupid...I can't see him not giving this one socks!!!

Silentcorner

Deleted User wrote: »

What is her talent exactly? Other than loitering the RTE corridor.

Thats enough in this country...it seems!

yuridwyer

kravmaga wrote: »

Some D4 head born with a silver spoon in his mouth who hasn't grafted or done any physical days work in his life, plays around with tossed salads for a living apparently

Not even a chef, he started off as a blogger!! I wonder if I start a blog about Champions League Football will I find myself in the commentary box alongside GH next season.... actually, I already know the answer, I have no family members in RTE

Sheep breeder

The sports commentary for years has being brutal with dunphy and Giles, Pat only Kerry and Joe and Colm break up Dublin on football.
The week on the farm is a pure embarrassment with Marty and the Dublin4 ones is so bad and ear to the ground is so bad and nothing like rural issues.
Ryan on Friday night was trying to be a man and unfortunately he has no balls.

Wheeliebin30

They have all lived a sheltered wrapped up life away from the real world.

Have no idea what a lot of people have had to suffer at the hands of scumbags.

The worst kind you could bump into on a night out.

goose2005

Thargor wrote: »

Take for example Vogue Williams, RTE ramming her down our throat, "documentaries", reality show appearances, Late Late interviews, probably a radio show in her future like the ridiculous nepotism that got Lottie Ryan her job for life.

But then if you actually ask the public what they think of her, like say writing a book and putting it front and centre in every bookshop in the country... they dont want her, 800 copies sold:

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/popular-author-vogue-williams-book-sold-883-copies-but-still-bagged-popular-book-awards-nomination-36372489.html

But that doesnt matter a bit, she has contacts in RTE, her parents are part of the scene, she'll be well looked after by the RTE crew no matter what happens.

same reason why Miriam wouldn't run for president. She would get a humiliatingly small vote.