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

twinytwo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122421795#Comment_122421795

Only in Ireland and its the same old story.

State broadcaster gets caught commiting fraud. News get broken by the press because as per usual the government hasn't a clue what is actually going on. A pointless toothless committee is set up to "get to the bottom of it". Everyone involved either blames each other or cries ignorance. Government pretends to be shocked. No one is held accountable and the tax payer ends up paying even more money.

yagan

Black cheque to rte, just like for the banks the last time the greens were in power.

Guaranteed more revelations will come out about rte jollies.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423142#Comment_122423142

Ah that would be Missing in Action George Lee.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122425594#Comment_122425594

All correspondents are missing in action.

How did their Washington correspondent do in the aftermath of the assassination attempt?

Emma O'Kelly is busy getting ready for the LC results and then first day of school.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423142#Comment_122423142

This proves that RTÉ does not go easy on the government.

https://about.rte.ie/2023/09/28/mother-and-her-autistic-son-call-on-department-of-health-to-apologise-after-compiling-a-secret-dossier-on-them/

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122425731#Comment_122425731

RTÉ don't always go easy on government.

The Greens have brought in significant funding for programming for the Environment.

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/36041-new-105m-fund-for-tv-and-radio-to-support-climate-action-live-music-and-irish-language-broadcasting/

To me this is clearly setting the agenda on the media via a Green minister. As you can see both Green minister are involved. It would be interesting to know what as produced across each area.

It also shows how under this minister that the government effectively decided what was going to be produced, the fund should have supplemented the Sound and Vision Fund, but the BAI (now CnaM) should be independent in their decisions as to what genres are funded. This is clear over reach.

The same goes for DFA supported media, no issue with DFA supporting the media but the DFA give the money, the media spend the money with only string being that they use it to promote Ireland abroad in a soft power kind of way, much like BBC World Service.

tayto lover

Awful scandal that these wasters have been given more public money to abuse again. Marty Morrissey will never be off the sunbeds.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122426340#Comment_122426340

Some things will never change as long as FF, FG, or the Greens are in government.

Viscount Aggro

Irish Times, today…

Bakhurst wants all TV licence evaders prosecuted.

glenfieldman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122427574#Comment_122427574

Fcuk him and them

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122427574#Comment_122427574

Cool, I want all Rté officials who committed fraud and/or fiduciary negligence prosecuted…starting with Dee.

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122427574#Comment_122427574

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122427618#Comment_122427618

same as that…if he said he will call in the fraud squad as well i might think about it but until that day comes fcuk him and the horse he rode in on!

z80CPU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122427574#Comment_122427574

Pure pot and kettle

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122427574#Comment_122427574

Well Quid Quo Pro Mr Bakhurst only if the fraud squad is called in and if all the Rté officials who committed fraud etc are prosecuted. However, we do know that there is more chance of Gerry Adams becoming the Irish President next year than this happening.

RoTelly

https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/will-this-golden-envelope-solve-rtes-funding-crisis/

Explainer: Many people are no longer liable for a TV licence this is one of the major issues…. no its not…. almost everyone has a big screen TV, almost all TVs are still sold with a tuner and a satellite tuner … I know there are a few people who might have decided to go down the road of find a smart TV without a tuner but all most all are still sold with a tuner… Sky Glass has analogue turner… even sky stream box's have an analogue tuner … though they can't be used (someone confirm this)

Ireland's high evasion rate … its because RTÉ isn't very good and the collectors aren't good at their job… there where three kind of evaders … those that ignore the letters … those that don't get letters … those that refused to pay … and now those of us who know RTÉ were lying about their finances.

People just don't understand the concept of the licence fee… but they pay more for other services … this has always been the case … long before the streamers … long before RTÉ people were pointing to the north!

Democracy and nationhood … forget about drama, comedy, entertainment … and how bad RTÉ do these things.

Why did we not have an increase in the licence fee in 2008 … thanks to the green minister, who was supporting FF… so thanks now to the new Green minister.

So they talk about it being a shortfall due to evasion … but actual what the government are doing is to add to the shortfall because there will be no increase to the 160 price … the top-up is to avoid increasing the licence fee as this would be political hell for the government … yes some of it will be due to continued evasion rates of the licence fee … but that's not the full reason. It is also to allow the funding to go slowly over to the exchequer and to help out An Post, McRedmond asked for some money in case he has to make staff redundant.

And then they are on to the free licence … and sure doesn't RTÉ already get Exchequer funding there … yes but this is part of the DSP budget and is them paying for free licences… and the government did reduce the amount down at one stage due to the financial crisis.

Now to the stability of RTÉ … I took a look back over the last 7 years (Dee Frobes time at the broadcaster)…. 1.3 billion … largely the same about given to them each year … averages around 190m a years… you want stability for the PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTER…. they always had stability .

Oh the figures sound huge because they went with 3 years… imagine if they went with 4 years! 1billion euro over 4 years …. now that is some stability.

Short term stability … seriously 3 years, Backhurst will be gone the following year.

Making up strategy documents not know how much they will have ? You forecast … you talk about why you did not reach targets … but guess what none of the strategic targets have ever really been about content and RTÉ have always self-review those strategies can anyone point me to where RTÉ failed to meet a target or any real tangible ones for the audience.

Lead times to produce TV programmes … yes… but there are live shows that can be produce tomorrow… RTÉ reduce its live news programmes and children's programming fairly instantly … they can pretty much re-introduce RTÉ NEWS on 2 tomorrow and children's programming.

It would be bad with all this that RTÉ would have to wait 2 years to show the results to its audience.

Discussion on other options and why did they keep this method… yeah! … but she can say that they might have 150m a year in advertising … no way they have stability there!… and back to Pat Rabbitte's argument when he was minister due to the water charges … same old talking points really.

Is it enough ? (they don't answer this really, but their answer is no!)

RTÉ asked for more … then she goes through the strategy ! and the cuts that will not happen … IMO.

Did the minister say what it should be spend on?

Well she should not get to … but she should see some plans for content and for the audience… sadly this is all about cuts and nothing more … hopeful to retain what we have rather than to change RTÉ for the audience.

They then say that RTÉ has statutory commitments towards certain content (I'd argue that is in Irish Language content rather then any other genre).

And sure look at RTÉ Investigates programming… yes this is part of news and current affairs.

Oh she's just realized that RTÉ don't spend much on Drama outside of Fair City (she says 6m, I'd argue more like 3m from that fund she talks about, with another 3m on Irish drama co-pro and imports, potentiality less).

Then she attacks the politicians when they ask "as to why aren't you doing this and that", but she forget this was when Dee Frobes went in and said that Normal People cost 3m per episode, Drama is expensive but look at what RTÉ had done in the pass with Bachelor's walk, paths to free, can't cope won't cope and even some of the TG4 dramas. The Quite Girl was produced on 1.4m while RTÉ were off spending 2.4m on a musical.

We need a grown up view on how much it cost to operate, has she looked at what these people did over the last 7 to 10 years?

Back to the license fee and evasion and An Post. We need a database of those that should pay! The presenter says there doesn't seem to be an acknowledgement that the world has change… what about An Post why can't they do their job?

Pat Rabbitte did nothing … linear and watching programming… like almost every house has a TV… even student houses… people want that big screen … to watch sport and film.

VMTV … bet they do not mention their 4 channels … being just an opt-out service … and also that they have more ad minutes … a similar budget if not more than TG4… when UTV Ireland came in it over shot on news coverage… it took about 3 years after the takeover of UTV Ireland for VMTV to revert back to what TV3 had being providing… there are 150 -200 staff in VMTV … how many are journalists? … the report from the wax works on Sinead O'Connor sounded like a intern. … much of VMTV's news was driven by UTV Ireland and Mick McCafterty (though this has fallen away sadly).

They axed news on the weekend. She forgets that they did this on the launch of Xpose, and again the weekend news largely return because they had a competitor in UTV Ireland.

They have massively reduce down in terms of VMTV, in fairness just didn't show their cuts. with the exception of the Elaine show.

Then back to political pressure.

Sorry for the rant.

Brendan Bendar

😶

Holy fook!!!

RoTelly

Also you can't get much more consistent than

2020 is covid year and this are operating costs total revenue was 331m in 2020, same as 2021 operating costs.

Archeron

What perfect timing from Bakhurst, just as people are reeling at the amount of 'sorry you got found out' money being given, he decides now is the time to start being threatening.

Fcuk you Bakhurst and Fcuk you RTE.

RoTelly

So I checked out RTÉ's last decade of Revenue.

The average revenue each years was €337m (consistent increases since 2013, bar 2020, which is COVID year)

RTÉ should largely have been able to forecast their income based on this hindsight.

And its a great graph above because it makes it look like RTÉ saw a massive drop in 2020 but that's only 10m off the previous year and remains above both 2014 and 2013.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122429963#Comment_122429963

Great work @RoTelly

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122428809#Comment_122428809

A perfect rant for the ages. Thanks @RoTelly

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423300#Comment_122423300

She has a point.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423801#Comment_122423801

So is fraud.

Hotblack Desiato

Good letter in today's IT (not from me BTW 😁 )

Sir, – RTÉ's boss Kevin Bakhurst says “If there’s no jeopardy in not paying your licence fee, it becomes extremely difficult to collect”, when asked if people should be prosecuted for evasion (News, July 25th).

Clearly, there wasn’t much jeopardy for RTÉ for its bad practices over the years, to say the least, with the Government’s reward of guaranteed funding to the tune of €725 million for the next three years. As Judge Anthony Halpin said last July, it saddened him that those before the court, “who are crippled with the cost of living, have to swallow the unpalatable pill of the licence fee when they see such a source of income is squandered and abused” (News, September 15th, 2023).

Let us hope that this new planned funding will not be squandered with such reckless abandonment. – Yours, etc,

monkeyactive

.......

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122429960#Comment_122429960

Ireland's high evasion rate … its because RTÉ isn't very good and the collectors aren't good at their job… there where three kind of evaders … those that ignore the letters … those that don't get letters … those that refused to pay … and now those of us who know RTÉ were lying about their finances.

As that poster said, evading the license is not exactly difficult. I'm kind of confused how people actually get caught. I imagine, their numbers for evasion are way off. The only indicator they have that lots more people are evading now is because of the drop in revenue since Tubridy-gate.

60m divided by 160 euros, is 375,000 people evading the license. I'd be amazed if its not way more than that.

My sister was in a house share when she was in college, one of the guys in the house was leaving one day and there was a TV License inspector outside and asked him if they had a TV License, the guy told him he'd been in the house for a house party and then asked the inspector if he knew where he could get a taxi in the area.

Since Covid, I actually wonder how many inspectors are actually still going around. Presumeably they stopped when COVID happened, did someone tell them to go back out there?

hotmail.com

Still no consequences for the Breda handshake of 400k.

JP Liz V1

Take from Social Welfare for RTE, Take from the poor to give to the rich

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/row-as-welfare-funding-raided-to-bail-out-rte-and-fill-tv-licence-black-hole/a1424706121.html

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434623#Comment_122434623

If you are a FFG supporter, do you defend this? If you do, why?

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434815#Comment_122434815

I don't think RTE should get a bailout, the redundancy exit packages stopped, top wages slashed etc., fraud charges brought, get Revenue and AGS involved, sell Montrose etc., even try to get money back

hotmail.com

Quite the nerve of Kevin Bakhurst to complain on Twitter about Twitter.

He needs to get his own house in order and start sacking people and reducing the wage bill.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434873#Comment_122434873

Kevin Backarse should go, he has done nothing since taking over, useless

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434815#Comment_122434815

Why do you think I am a FFG supporter?

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434873#Comment_122434873

Joe Duffy, 350K a year for 6 hours work a week.

2187 people need to pay their TV license just to pay for Joes salary.

So yes, Kevin Backhurts needs to get his house in order before he opens his mouth on Twitter.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434840#Comment_122434840

By the way I was not insinuating that you are a FFG, I was talking to the FFG cheerleaders on here.

skimpydoo

I don't think you are. See my post above.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122435080#Comment_122435080

We All Good @skimpydoo

BTW I do not think I am a cheerleader for any of the parties currently, disgusted with them all if I am honest

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122435088#Comment_122435088

Oh I know you are not a cheerleader for any of the current government parties. I was talking about the usual suspects on here.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122434450#Comment_122434450

Ah if you remember RTÉ have taken full responsibility for that even offering to pay her tax bill due to the error cause, when she was CFO!

Really RTÉ should release the text message that she sent and her email to the DG asking for him to make a representation for her to the Oireachtas Committee.

Tow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122443775#Comment_122443775

Don't forget that there is also tax (Income Tax, Employee PRSI, Employer PRSI and USC) on the tax Kelvin is paying for Breda, as the payment of an employee's tax is a Benefit In Kind.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122443863#Comment_122443863

I know that but sure … this is RTÉ way of thinking that nothing is taxable. Highly experience accounting staff in RTÉ and HR staff too.

RoTelly

Sorry a rant on Irish Times … link at the end …

Again there is this perception that RTÉ and TG4 do not have stability, and that they could not have forecast their strategies.

I have been following broadcasting for years I have never once heard RTÉ or TG4 look for a multi-year guaranteed budget. I am open to correction on this.

Again she persists with the idea its really not a great deal because TV costs money to produce, and RTÉ have remits to make. From what i can see there are 3 remits under the act 1. A TV and a Radio channel that is of Public Service in Nature (RTÉ 1 and Radio 1), 2. A set percentage of the licence fee to go to independent productions (~€40m) and 3. The Irish Language. RTÉ seem to feel forced to do these things.

They talk about the collapse of the licence fee sales, but again never venturing into why people don't pay the license or why evasion increased over the last year, lets not dwell on the mismanagement of RTÉ… however later in the podcast they start talking about how both RTÉ and TG4 have failed to invest in their studios. A suggested €300m price tag to bring RTÉ studios up to standard, on top of any energy efficiency that they have to make for 2030. So what was RTÉ management doing with their building over the last 40 to 50 years, how much were maintenance costs over the last 14 years, why was this left so late in the day. To avoid having to up keep listed buildings? And it seems almost everything is moving to the TV centre a newer building on the site. (I am also surprised that few people are not bring up this issue, this is just as much of a scandal as the governance issues).

Again she suggest the headline figure is huge, but RTÉ had looked for more and had looked for a 5 year multi-year budget. Again this is new to me from any reports I had heard, and for journalists to start to suggest this was a normally requested even in Dee Forbes time seems a little like re-writing history.

As you have seen from my last rant … RTÉ over the last 10 years has had stability in funding, it is up to them as professionals with years of wonderful experience to forecast for a strategy, again anyone want to take out a strategy and point to any tangible commitments, even take a look at the current New Direction and point to any that you feel are tangible.

So the voluntary redundancy was over prescribe last time, only 25 people were given an exit payment from that, at least one may have been an executive, to me the Vol Redundancy are set up to facilitate retiring executives.

She underestimates the value of Fair City, she says 12m, but in fairness to her a number of articles put it at that. So lets take a look at RTÉ drama production for 2022.

Drama for RTÉ1 was €16m (plus 767k for 2, 1.2m for online*, 572k for Radio and 360k for TG4 support). This €16m on RTÉ1 is mainly for Fair City… lets take a look at their Commissioning annual report… Kin and 3 storyland shorts in total… at a cost of 2.5m (this is entirely for Kin and not the 3 shorts which aired on RTÉ2 cost 767k in total, though perhaps that also includes any live action children's dramas???). Taking this into account Fair City is cost €13.5m to make in 2022.

What is strange about the Commissioning report they don't mention the TG4 from the main annual report, only Kin and the 3 Storyland shorts).

On top of this spend on Drama RTÉ also have a number of co-production that will go through their Acquisitions / Co-Productions Dept, total spend on Irish imports was 4.5m … not all of this is Drama… RTÉ therefore spend between €5m to €7m on Drama outside of Fair City… a pittance and at most 2% of their total budget.

I will take a break from the rant :)

*1.2m for online drama again not listed in their Commissions annual report! Is this 1.2m partly for Fair City also?

https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/inside-business/despite-its-725m-funding-plan-are-there-still-storm-clouds-on-the-horizon-for-rte/

https://www.rte.ie/annual-report-2022/pdf/RTE_Annual_Report_YE22.pdf

https://about.rte.ie/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/RTE-Independent-Productions-Annual-Report-2022-2.pdf

RoTelly

I pretty much cover everything but sport.

They talk about the partnership between RTÉ and VMTV on sports, and questions why RTÉ didn't sell any sport to VMTV since the 2016 euros.

Now TV3 at the time said they got a bad deal out of that or that seems to be what is being said now, however IMO this deal was not just about getting RTÉ out of a whole but more about giving TV3 a boost after it had lost Coro St and Emmers to UTV Ireland.

In June of 2016 TV3 because of the splitting of the games had 9% of the audience (its average for the year was 7.6%), this compares to RTÉ2's June figure of 11.6% and and average of 6.5% for the year. (UTV Ireland had an average audience of 6% but it move over to TV3 that autumn, become 3be (now VMTV THREE).

To me this was a good deal for TV3, it boosted their audience that year, when they needed it.

Slight different now RTÉ2 is dyeing a death, its audience share can be as low as 4% without sport, in June it had 13%, again a much need boost. And while Bakhurst might suggest that the Olympics won't bring in much in 2021 for July and August RTÉ2 had 11% compared to average for that year of 6.6%.

Imagine Dee wanted to move sports over to RTÉ ONE.

Yes I sadly have records of viewing figures going back to 2015!

RoTelly

Ah sure while I am here and have your ear.

VMTV - It owned by a large corporation… they have some corporate responsibilities towards the community, perhaps they invest in their broadcast service.

VMTV from what I know … VMTV is split between … names maybe different

1. TV3 network ltd (VMTV ONE, and I suspect VMTV MORE and FOUR)
2. Channel 6 Broadcastings (VMTV TWO)
3. UTV Irleand Ltd (VMTV THREE)

Their turnover I work out at 80m (again generous) per year, both Channel 6 and UTV Ireland are profit making.

VMTV last year had 19.5% of the TV audience, ad revenue from TV came to 281.4m, 75% of TV channels sell air time in the Irish market meaning that VMTV has a potential total of €75m from ad revenue.

ITV programming costing 20m, 15m in staffing costs (being generous), 15m for Sporting rights (again being generous), may 5m on broadcast and player costs?

maybe your talking a 5m loss or a 20m profit!

Back of the envelop stuff, but you see my point.

jj880

RTÉ and the government are a toxic codependency. Cant do without each other. I wouldn't give a shyite about such relationships usually except its us mugs footing the bill for this one. The benefits of a public service broadcaster aren't what they once were. It all rings a bit hollow when you see a sickening dose pilfering round them with no real sanction. And now calls to jail anyone who doesn't contribute! Deary me.

z80CPU

^^^ or Toxic Symbiosis

LambshankRedemption

The amount of drama on RTE is ridiculous. Yes Kin was good, but thats one limited run program.

Take a look at the originals on the RTE player: https://www.rte.ie/player/all-programmes/originals

There is not one program I would have any interest in watching.

On RTE 1 at the moment is Reeling in the Years - which admittedly is entertaining, but, it is a repeat. In fact at this point, its a repeat of a repeat of a repeat. Ironic, considering, it repeats stuff that happened in the past.

As RoTelly said, their budget for drama is a tiny percentage of their operating budget. I would ask, what are they spending it on, but we know. 350k for Joe Duffy. 250k for Ray, with that kind of money for 2 sub-par presenters, I'd imagine there are producers and researchers on that or more. Flip flops, dodgy deals with Renault, Marty Morisseys expense account.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122453932#Comment_122453932

oh yeah an RTÉ News are on their annual bus man’s holiday!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122453932#Comment_122453932

Kin was produced by a US network

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122454054#Comment_122454054

Well then thats even worse. What do they spend their drama budget on? It can't all be Fair City. Unless they are paying the actors Joe Duffy type salaries.

Best Irish drama of recent times, that is not Kin? Bad Sisters. Produced by? AppleTV.