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

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122562419#Comment_122562419

They don't and RTÉ2's audience is falling.

In Jan 2024 RTÉ2 had a 4% share this was large due to the lack of sport on the channel, This year both the Euros and Olypmics will help, but without sport RTÉ2 is failing badly.

I wouldn't be surprised if RTÉ attempt to move the 2 johnnies over the ONE.

There is nothing on RTÉ2 from an Irish perspective but Sport.

And just to be clear

• Jan 4%
• Feb 6% (6 nations)
• Mar 6% (6 nations)
• Apr 6% (GAA Championships)
• May 7% (GAA Championship & Champions League)
• June 14% (GAA and Champions League finals, Euro 2024)
• July 17% (Euro Finals, Olympics 2024)
• Average 9% for the first 7months

Last Week: -

1	Champions League Live - Live Play: Young Boys v Galatasaray	20:01	Wed	1.6	64k
2	FILM: The Godfather Part II	21:37	Fri	1.5	57k
3	Home And Away	18:31	Tue	1.4	55k
4	Earth	20:00	Sun	1.4	53k
5	Attack on Pearl Harbor: Minute by Minute	20:01	Sat	1.3	52k
6	Champions League Live - Post Match: Young Boys v Galatasaray	22:01	Wed	1.3	50k
7	Home And Away	18:32	Wed	1.3	49k
8	Champions League Live - Post Match: Young Boys v Galatasaray	19:30	Wed	1.2	47k
9	Home And Away	18:31	Thu	1.1	44k
10	FILM: Our Ladies	21:00	Sun	1.1	44k
11	FILM: Rocky	21:00	Sat	1.0	40k
12	DIY SOS: The Big Build	19:01	Tue	1.0	40k
13	All Fired Up	19:00	Wed	1.0	38k
14	Yellowstone	22:53	Sun	0.9	35k
15	Home And Away	18:31	Mon	0.8	33k
16	Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby	19:01	Mon	0.8	33k
17	Hippo King	20:34	Fri	0.8	33k
18	Home And Away	18:30	Fri	0.8	32k
19	Saving Lives at Sea	20:10	Tue	0.8	31k
20	The Alps	19:35	Fri	0.8	30k

fliball123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561637#Comment_122561637

Ok any one who is asked to pay it and feels like making a scene about it will do highlight how the law works for those in power and not for those who have none. I forgot the pensioners dont have to pay

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122562502#Comment_122562502

Then why has RTÉ persisted with the 2 Johnnies?

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561227#Comment_122561227

i think the interesting thing about blindboy is more that he spends (or at least spent, i havent kept up with his podcast recently) alot of time complaining about how terrible RTE is and how much better it was working with the BBC, yet hes back working with them again?

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122564398#Comment_122564398

Because the BBC don't want him. The Rubberbandits tried to crack the UK, and it didn't happen. And if it didn't work as a duo, it won't work solo. The act doesn't travel. But he's a sellout, so he'll take what he can get.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122563552#Comment_122563552

They can shoot the show for cheap, get the usual D-list 'celeb' for air fare and cheap. Then when the four episodes are done, they can just re-air them over and over again . And if there's a program cancelled due to tragic events (cos the world is messed up and sometimes a film or tv show would be offensive if aired as scheduled) they can just show a repeat of a 2 Johnnies Episode. Or Cheap Irish Homes. Or 'unfunny Prank Show #1306'. RTE 2 is the graveyard channel now. Rte 1 is not much better.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122562502#Comment_122562502

God, those numbers are depressing. Time was, you'd add a zero to those, and you'd be talking '520K watched the Godfather'.

I'll admit, I barely watch RTE at all nowadays. It's netflix, Film 4, or the BBC. Last thing I tuned in for was the Eamon Casey investigation and the Expose on Irish Women's football. Genuinely respectable investigation. (Tho the FAI buried the latter under the 'we have a new manager for the men' announcement.)

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561637#Comment_122561637

I see the government have started to run a household benefits package ad ( the one telling those in their 70s they get a free TV licence) on RTÉ radio recently. A lot of people have no idea of this packages existence, I've told lots of relatives about it previously ,worth the guts of near €600 a year. I guess the idea behind it is a way to top up licence numbers to RTÉ from the government to make evasion figures drop.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561704#Comment_122561704

My idea of hell would be stuck in front of Ireland's Fittest Family, Clockwork Orange style…

Kielty is a good host on the LLS but the problem is the guests, they were fecking chronic.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122562202#Comment_122562202

RTE and comedy in the same sentence? Shurely shome mishtake

This is the broadcaster that, when offered Father Ted by Channel 4, chose to show The Thin Blue Line instead

z80CPU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122566904#Comment_122566904

Down with that sort of thing!

20/20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122566904#Comment_122566904

RTE certainly made for it when they did get their hands on Father Ted.

There seems to have been an episode every week for the last 25 years.

Hotblack Desiato

Careful now.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561704#Comment_122561704

”Adventurer” where would a lad apply for that job.

Grifter Gazette probably would be a good start?

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122566904#Comment_122566904

They were never offered Fr Ted. I think Linehan and Matthews cleared that up years ago. They never offered RTE Fr Ted because they knew the station couldn't afford to do it. So they took it to the UK instead.
They'd contacts in the UK from working on the likes of Brass Eye, Big Train, Snuffbox, or The Fast Show. There was a burgeoning comedy scene in the UK, that RTE couldn't hope to compare to.

Even if they'd only offered the two lads a fiver, they still had better contacts than in Ireland.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122563552#Comment_122563552

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122564872#Comment_122564872

The 2 Johnnies are successful in their own right, even if we don't get them, and in fairness to them they produced to relatively well received comedy documentaries in The 2 Johnnies do…

The problem on RTÉ2 and the Player is they are surrounded by nothing. RTÉ2 has no real original Irish programming outside of sport. First Dates, Home Rescue and the 2 Johnnies sum up RTÉ2's content. Each do relatively well for RTÉ2 getting between 70k and 100k but as time goes on with little else on the channel save for repeats of Derry Girls, Fr Ted and the Young Offenders the channel has nothing to surround their "top tier" or original programming, and that audience will deplete, but you would hope that RTÉ would pick that audience up on the player? right? after all that's were the audience is. But no because RTÉ player has the same problem because programming is not filtering down to the player from RTÉ2 because their are no RTÉ2 programmes.

RTÉ's excuse, "everyone is going on line", but then you have the programming created for the RTÉ Player, almost all of it is short form, programmes that won't air on mainstream TV for this reason, its not that their comedy-drama's can't be aired on RTÉ2 it is that RTÉ just won't host short form on a main stream channel. RTÉ are basically trying to create YouTube on the Player but won't publish those originals to YouTube to garner an audience there.

But this is shown with the DG and his excuses: -

“Comedy is a very tricky genre, not just for us,” said Mr Bakhurst. “Most commercial broadcasters have pulled out of it, because it’s too hit and miss, and it’s expensive as well. But this should be part of our offering to audiences and having the guaranteed level of funding over the next number of years helps us take these risks.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2024/08/30/rtes-new-season-crime-dramas-gaa-docs-and-the-return-of-tricky-comedy/

And lets just rephrase that for Mr Bakhurst

“Comedy is a very tricky genre, not just because RTÉ have failed so miserably with it over the years,” said Mr Bakhurst. “Most UK broadcasters have pulled out of it, because it’s too hit and miss, and they have a vast history of strong comedy, even some inexpensive stuff ended up being real hits. But this should always have been part of our offering to audiences and because we have always had guaranteed levels of funding over the years which should have helped us take those risks. It a great pity RTÉ was terribly mismanaged over the years.”

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122569337#Comment_122569337

Let clear this up further. In fairness to RTÉ Linehan and Matthews had both worked on Nighthawks on Network 2, prior to leaving for the UK. Almost all Irish comedy output was developed in the UK. Why would Linehan and Matthews approach RTÉ with Fr Ted when they as you say had those contacts in the UK who were clearly interested in their work.

The UK's comedy scene was in full swing, as I said for Mr. Bakhurst "they have a vast history of strong comedy".

It is daft to think that RTÉ could not afford Fr. Ted but could afford "Upwardly Mobile", RTÉ de-facto (for want of a better word) rejected Fr Ted because it failed over the years to develop comedy, and Linehan and Matthews understood that they probably wouldn't have been able to work for RTÉ for this reason.

They are being nice to RTÉ.

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122568591#Comment_122568591

How do you even become and "Adventurer"? Is it climbing Croke Patrick or something?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122569805#Comment_122569805

I think you are asking the wrong question… how do you become an A-Lister in the eyes of RTÉ?

climb Croke Patrick or something? 😁

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122569805#Comment_122569805

I think the first thing you need is to be able to do is con some poor sap into paying for you to swan around the world.

After that just call yourself an ‘adventurer’ and you’re away on a hack canter, some poor stupe will sponsor you.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122569691#Comment_122569691

Why was Donie O'Sullivan, who was scheduled to appear on the Late Late Show (LLS), pushed aside (and I know it wasn't Kielty's decision) in favour of the 2 Johnnies even though a hotel room had already been booked for him by RTÉ?

Did it not occur to the people behind the scenes on the LLS that many viewers might have been interested in Donie's analysis of US politics?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122572346#Comment_122572346

Editorial decision was made to drop Donnie. I am not sure how much of an insight into American politics Donie has, the Irish MSM have put him on a pedestal purely because he's on CNN. But then I'd have no interest in either.

As I say RTÉ are in a difficult place when it comes to entertainment, and most likely reason was we have to support our own programming, what little of it we have.

All comes back to the mismanagement of RTÉ.

RoTelly

The Boy That Never Was, Funding: -

IFCIC helped with production cashflow

• Finnish Impact Film Fund
• Aristo-Invest
• BAIE Capital
• Finnish Cultural Foundation
• Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation
• Kelonia
• Konstsamfundet
• Otava
• Saastamoinen Foundation
• Tesi
• Screen Ireland funding from various funds (Development, Production Continuation Fund, Publicity and Marketing Assets Production Fund, Sustainability Advisor Fund)
• Creative Europe
• Section 481 Gov of Ireland
• Morocco Shooting Support

Production Companies

• Aurora Studios
• Subotica

End screen has the usual Supported by your Licence Fee, I some how doubt that this will appear on international version of the production.

It would be interesting to know how much RTÉ actual invested in this series. Seems to have been commissioned via the Acquisitions / Co-Productions department

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122569337#Comment_122569337

No, this is not about RTE making it, that was never going to happen. This is when Channel 4 were about to start showing Fr. Ted, Ch4 offered it to RTE and RTE turned it down. It was a year after it started showing in the UK that public pressure forced RTE to finally start showing it. They were terrified of the reaction from the creeping Jesus types.

RoTelly

If you want to pay for the Currency's column on the new CFO of RTÉ by the former Commerical Director, Mr Willie O'Reilly, he seems to think we have forgotten he left on a redundancy package also. The Currency owned by former Deputy Chair of RTÉ Ian Kehoe

Accountants are known to be cool, calm and collected. RTÉ’s new CFO will need these qualities in spades

You knew her predecessors, were they cool, calm and collected?

https://thecurrency.news/articles/160086/accountants-are-known-to-be-cool-calm-and-collected-rtes-new-cfo-will-need-these-qualities-in-spades/

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122573747#Comment_122573747

That is odd. Thanks for the clarification.

I find that odd, because many of the cast were religious. Frank Kelly was a regular mass goer. He had no issue with the show.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122573747#Comment_122573747

I'd actually say that the idea of TV3 showing it might have been a bigger issue. I think they only started showing the programming in 1997.

Gen.Zhukov

It seems that Noel Kelly's transgressions of the recent past have been wiped clear - He has the radio airways infested with his bottom of the barrel scrapings (masquerading as talent) - Be it entertainment gurus, psychotherapists, child psychologists, money advisers, tech experts, builders, architects, annoying 'content creators', chefs/cooks, grifter newspaper columnists, transport experts, etc, etc…

Looking at RTE's autumn launch, it's just the same old NK sponsored sh!te with a load of people that nobody really cares about -

RTE: We got our bailout now, so yis can feck off ya peasants

Baba Yaga

aye thats about right,the money is rolling in and we just know theyre going to pish it away as fast as possible,must be a feckin tidal wave flowing down towards sandymount and ringsend!!!

speaking of money…has dee poked her head up looking to get back to the trough yet,only a matter of time id say before shes welcomed back…?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122573778#Comment_122573778

There were still a few complainers writing into the newspapers. Probably people who'd never watched it… the sort who'd have been out at Montrose with their placards and rosaries in the 80s when TLLS was having lesbian nuns or something on.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122576397#Comment_122576397

Couldn’t have put it better myself, Ginneral.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122576397#Comment_122576397

Look on the bright side - at least Op Transformation won't be back after Christmas!

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580036#Comment_122580036

I am guessing it will be replaced by something similar, though I didn't see any announcement. Katherine Thomas hasn't been out of work for the last 2 decades and she's largely worked for independent producers with the odd stint as a stand in radio presenter.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122577531#Comment_122577531

I don't think she will be back in RTÉ but I imagine that Dee & Co will turn up somewhere in a new company no bother. Give it another 12 months. Rory has already started a consulting company.

The "Rehab" will work out nicely for all.

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122578342#Comment_122578342

Well, the legion of Mary got Stringfellows in Dublin shut down many years back, early to mid 2000s or so. I still remember seeing footage of Alan Hughes and his then partner (now husband) walking out of there to be greeted by placards. Hilarious stuff.

We still get those 'I haven't seen it, but I hate it' people. Just in different guises. Catherine Noone tried to start a campaign against MMA. She'd never even watched it, and was just going on an article she'd read.

It's bizarre, plenty of priests spoke about knowing a Fr Jack, or a Bishop Brennan. My uncle's a retired priest, but he loved the show.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580720#Comment_122580720

The show is unoffensive, it a sit-com about 3 priest, there are some jokes that might be joking about catholic theological teaching at a very basic level, certainly with Fr Dougal for example when he convinces one bishop to become a hippy or when he doesn't get god and an exasperated Ted has to explain that's what they do.

RoTelly

Kevin Bakhurst's salary

So on several occassion Mr. Bakhurst has stated that he took a pay cut to return to RTÉ, we assume as Deputy DG & MD of News and CA he was on about €250k - €300k per year, based on salaries of other Executive Board members.

He left RTÉ in 2016 on the arrival of Dee Forbes and when to OfCom

Ofcom publishes the salary details of its Board and Executive Committee. In addition to the individuals named in the Annual Report, there are several individuals whose salaries are greater than £150,000 per year. The names, job titles and salary bands of those individuals are set out in the documents below.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans/other-financial-reporting/

2017 - £235K - Group Director, Content Media and Policy

2018 - £241K

2019 - £241K

2020 - £248.3K

2021 - £248.3K

2022 - £255.75K- Group Director, Broadcasting and Online Content

In 2022 Dee Frobes had €259K (now this includes the car allowance, but Excludes the Pension of 58k)

Today £255,750 amounts to €303,701 (I am not sure if OfCom include car allowance or Pensions in their total figure*), even still he's not working for OfCom that cover far more than RTÉ does.

And it is only a pay cut due to foreign exchange rates, you could also argue a pay cut as the cost of living in Ireland is also higher, but I doubt he cares about €160 or £169.50 each year maybe he took out a Black and White TV license!

*Pensions, allowances are included in the annual reports, but I think my argument still stands.

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580751#Comment_122580751

People always find something to be offended by. Something is the talk of the town for a few days, or a week, and then people forget and move on to the other thing to be offended by.

It'd be funny if it wasn't sad.

Raoul Duke III

Are there any statistics on licence fee revenue for 2024? (i.e. can we infer any trend of people refusing to pay?)

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122584574#Comment_122584574

Posted a while back, they were down 100k from 2022 in 2024, though the fall had reduced in 2024.

Ten Pin

"Sales" are published weekly here...
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/d5f84-tv-licence-sales/

July and August 2024 figures show an increase of about 10,000 in each month compared with same months in 2023.
A cynic might suggest that some of the bailout money is being used to "buy" licences from An Post. In other words, a subsidy to both RTE and An Post.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122585449#Comment_122585449

July

76,769 - in 2022 normal year

53,882 - in 2023 just after scandal

66,768 - in 2024

That to me is a loss of 12K from 2022.

Aug

77,736 - in 2022 normal year

54,664 - in 2023 just after scandal

64,799 - in 2024

That to me is a loss of 13k from 2022

Figures don't include DSP free licences (I wrote to An Post a few years ago and in the AR's they have stop including them as part of the collect).

RoTelly

And looking at both they year and monthly trends the licence fee will be come close to making the 2023 figure.

Yearly would put it at 770,898

Monthly would put it at 777,122

or €27m about the figuring of the government in their bail out.

RoTelly

The monthly trend was done the wrong way round but I don't think correcting it will make much of a difference.

In other news

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/rte-to-spend-almost-e2m-on-audience-reaction-panel-1668965.html

So just to update this: -

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/rte-set-to-spend-e755000-on-market-research-over-next-three-years-1606051.html

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/cash-strapped-rte-spend-15-32355618

https://gript.ie/rte-say-who-wants-e250k-to-manage-our-kids-youtube-channel/

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rte-announces-its-hiring-fair-city-photographer-for-60k-a-year-after-dgs-shock-over-reported-80k-bill/a2030009355.html

total ~ €4.1m over the course of 5 years and this will just build up over those 5 years with more consultants and market research carried out by external people.

RoTelly

Fair City returns to 4 nights a week from Sept 20th, just shows that the programme has no reach beyond a week.

RoTelly

Fair City remains a firm fan favourite with an average weekly reach of 640,000 viewers on linear TV. The series also continues to perform well on RTÉ Player and is one of its Top 10 most streamed programmes for 2024 to date.

https://about.rte.ie/2024/09/06/fair-city-celebrates-35-years-on-our-screens/

I'd love to know where they got this figure, I suppose they say "reach" which is I think the amount of people reached in the week, not the average audience share.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122588526#Comment_122588526

https://extra.ie/2024/09/08/news/rte-wants-audience-reaction

A spokesman for RTE stressed that it is a ‘recurring contract’, adding: ‘RTÉ has been running this Audience Reaction Panel since 2007 and that ensuring we receive regular feedback from audiences is an important

Almost all of these are recurring contracts, so over the next 5 years: -

1. 1.2m
2. 1.9m
3. 0.6m
4. 0.3m
5. 1.8m

Total - 5.8m over 5 years

While "ensuring we receive regular feedback from audiences is an important… element in RTÉ continuing to serve our audiences."

Is the funniest thing I have heard in a while.

Baba Yaga

how would one become a consultant to rte?even better a consulting consultant,id work cheap,only charge them a cool half mill a year and i can be consulted about anything…

RoTelly

https://extra.ie/2024/09/12/news/irish-news/george-hamilton-new-channel

He was once one of the top earners, yeah there is a reason he isn't getting paid as much, and Nugent AFAIK took up one of those nice exit packages (but I could be wrong on that).

amlinopta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122607806#Comment_122607806

Nice for George yesterday. Premier Sports launch followed by filling in for Lorcan Murray on Lyric FM. The best of both worlds

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122588526#Comment_122588526

recurring contracts, so over the next 5 years: -

1. 1.2m
2. 1.9m
3. 0.6m
4. 0.3m
5. 1.8m
6. 1m (for travel)

total 840K over 4 years for travel. (6.8m over the next 5 years or 1.36m per year).

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/cash-strapped-rte-spend-up-29935246

RTÉ excuse is: we have contractual obligations to provide coverage to certain news and sporting events. RTÉ have no contractual obligations to cover news from abroad and they have no contractual obligations to send anyone to a sporting event. That is an editorial decision.

Let's break it down: -

210,000 per year will be spend on this agency for travel (currently holders are club travel).

RTÉ could with this money employ 4 people at €45K each to run a travel booking department at RTÉ.

Or

For every employee in RTÉ they are spending automatically €116 on travel per year. (1800 employees).

Or

If just 10% of their employees need to travel (180) once a year for a work, they could spend €1,166 on travel on average for that employee, just with this contract alone.

Overall if you look at these rolling contracts : -

In terms of content 1.36m could provide you with 1 film per year, which you could repeat. Image if RTÉ back in 2000 had invested this money in feature films over the years. They'd have a back catalogue of 25 films, and likely more depending on their budgets.

Or

Drama programming potential one six part long running drama that again could be repeated much like Heartbeat and the like.

With potential sales of those products.

Ultimately RTÉ are making excuses for these contracts and giving the two fingers to the public: -

https://about.rte.ie/2023/09/14/rte-statement-fair-city-photography/

This tender is a repeat tender and these services and/or products have been purchased previously under other contracts.

or to fix this

RTÉ have no intention on examining miscellaneous wasteful tenders that reoccur on a fix term basis. RTÉ have always run its business in this way. RTÉ will continue to do so. RTÉ knows what is best and has years of experience in managing the national broadcaster. Now away with you peasants.

RoTelly

And just think about this further

The average winnings on the first 14 years of the Chase was 5200 per episode. 142 are produce per year, total per year is 738,400, leaving you with 621,600 for production costs, you would have to up the production costs.

or you could just produce a series of pointless or countdown.