RTÉ, where did it go wrong?

Hedgelayer

kneemos wrote: »

That's why they got rid of that farming soap with Dinny and Miley,and the one before it The Riordan's in favour of Fair City, EastEnders for Ireland.
Both of those were national institutions and wildly popular. Dumped for no reason anyone figure out

Being honest I found it funnier watching Dinny painting chicken eggs with bird **** and feathers than the likes of Fair City...

I seen a funny skit on YouTube of Mark Wahlberg and a few more actor's watching fair city, it was embarrassing for rte lol

Absolute rubbish

I can't put up YouTube clips here, I'm sure someone can find it and paste it here....

dxhound2005

RTE had an urban soap back in the 1960's, before The Riordans or Glenroe. It was called Tolka Row. Continuing Drama is an international format, and everyone can be accused of copying everyone else. It was on radio before TV, and in print publications before that again. Charles Dickens' novels are really soap operas.

Most of his novels were published in monthly or weekly instalments, and thus pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. His plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor chipped in ha'pennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

Tigerandahalf

The bbc is excellent and gets a great balance between the different genres. Granted it has a huge population to pay its licence. Its lack of ads puts it in a great place in the era of netflix, etc. I believe the bbc has to give up shows that become commercially successful (bake off, etc. ) as not part of their remit to hold onto them. Thus itv and c4 pick them up.

I use the iplayer for a lot of my tv now. I can watch programmes going back months and in perfect hd quality. It is the best streaming service I have used.

Rte on the other hand are still struggling to put out a player that won't crash, play the actual content and have content up straight away.

'Hands' was an excellent series, something that could be shown in every school and kids would be fascinated.

Springwatch on the bbc is an excellent show. Rte could do something similar but then the calibre of presenter isn't there. Too much of their content is dumbed down these days and a lot of programmes have the random celebrity thrown in to appeal to the masses.

John Creedon's camper van programme was good and original. They could really do with more content like it.

Irish language, music and culture programmes have also disappeared. In an Anglo world it would be good to have them. I'd love to see them cover a county fleadh, provincial and all-ireland - going around the town and interviewing people - but do it live.

Who was the guy who had a programme where he would just wander around and interview people?

kneemos

They have a hard on for the BBC,right down to scheduling. If the beep show a programme a given time RTE will copy them.
2FM is an Aldi version of BBC Radio 1

nlrkjos

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

It's been uafásach since they stopped rerunning Bosco.

RTE went downhill when they got rid of "Wanderly Wagon" and Halls pictorial weekly... one for the kids...one for the adults, now it's just full of American shyte, intermixed wit aussie and brit soaps, and the other two gobshytes turpentine and darby.

SEPT 23 1989

Good radio costs fcuk all just talent and interesting topics

Why can't I hear documentaries and radio plays in the afternoon instead of some pius windbag like Ray Darcy

dxhound2005

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

The bbc is excellent and gets a great balance between the different genres. Granted it has a huge population to pay its licence.

And the BBC benefits from regular increases in the licence fee. It went up again this month. The licence fee in Ireland has been frozen for 11 years.

elperello

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Good radio costs fcuk all just talent and interesting topics

Why can't I hear documentaries and radio plays in the afternoon instead of some pius windbag like Ray Darcy

Exactly.
At point of use radio is completely free.
No licence fee, no subscription, no expensive equipment.
You could bridge that 90 minute gap while the Darcy show is on by listening to documentaries and plays on the web.

dxhound2005

elperello wrote: »

Exactly.
At point of use radio is completely free.
No licence fee, no subscription, no expensive equipment.
You could bridge that 90 minute gap while the Darcy show is on by listening to documentaries and plays on the web.

Apparently a lot of people are trapped in places where RTE radio is on all day, so they can't avoid listening. It makes their lives so miserable that some of them feel compelled to give a running commentary on the internet about their suffering.

For those who have control of the radio, and can get reception of the BBC, there is drama on there regularly. Including The Archers for those with a hankering for a Glenroe type experience.

SEPT 23 1989

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Apparently a lot of people are trapped in places where RTE radio is on all day, so they can't avoid listening. It makes their lives so miserable that some of them feel compelled to give a running commentary on the internet about their suffering.

For those who have control of the radio, and can get reception of the BBC, there is drama on there regularly. Including the Archers for those with a hankering for a Glenroe type experience.

Trapped in a prison cell with a criminal conviction with no control if you don't pay for it

kneemos

kneemos wrote: »

They have a hard on for the BBC,right down to scheduling. If the beep show a programme a given time RTE will copy them.
2FM is an Aldi version of BBC Radio 1

I noticed this the other night when I went looking for the BBC 9pm news to get their take on Brexit (I get the RTÉ version in the car on the way to and from work). Sure enough, the BBC has changed their 9pm news to a different slot - or at least did that night - something which RTÉ inexplicably does on a Sunday night to facilitate a gambling show from the National Lottery (where the prize fund doesn't seem to have increased since 1988 but you can be sure the odds on winning have quadrupled since). They should pick a time for the news, and stick to it every night. Consistency.

Indeed there's no reason at all why every news bulletin on all radio stations must be on the hour (Lyric is currently the only exception, it being on the half-hour). We would have more choice if they had them at different times, but were consistent about that time.

Will I Am Not

RTÉ are pushing a very left wing agenda but want money off everyone across the political spectrum or you get threatened with fines or imprisonment...

foxy farmer

nlrkjos wrote: »

, gobshytes turpentine and darby.

Tea sprayed across the room reading that. Classic.

A great name for a comedy Irish style.

dxhound2005

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Apparently a lot of people are trapped in places where RTE radio is on all day, so they can't avoid listening.

There are, unfortunately, loads and loads of places where we are forced to listen to garbage commercial radio - usually of the hideous commercial formula like 98FM, Q102, Sunshine etc that was imported here from the US in the 1980s. Waiting rooms in dentists, gp surgeries, hospitals, supermarkets, hairdressers, buses, pubs, service stations etc etc all impose their radio choices on us. Turn it off, and give us all peace.

And God forbid you end up with one of these dullards even in a semi-private room in a hospital and you are forced to listen to their tv choices next to you. There's absolutely no reason why all these people cannot listen to their own preferred noise on their own headphones rather than impose it on the rest of us in public places.

Balanadan

Who the **** are RTE? Who the **** are, who the **** ARE, WHO THE **** ARE RTE?!

elperello

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Trapped in a prison cell with a criminal conviction with no control if you don't pay for it

As outlined above you don't have to pay to listen to RTE radio.

bodhrandude

Hedgelayer wrote: »

Being honest I found it funnier watching Dinny painting chicken eggs with bird **** and feathers than the likes of Fair City...

I seen a funny skit on YouTube of Mark Wahlberg and a few more actor's watching fair city, it was embarrassing for rte lol

Absolute rubbish

I can't put up YouTube clips here, I'm sure someone can find it and paste it here....

flazio

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

It would if we had a national broadcaster that wasn't intent on wasting money on light entertainment and ridiculous salaries.

RTE should go down the NPR route, including collaborating with other state/ public broadcasters.

It does not need a pop station, it does not need to broadcast Home & Away twice per day, nor all the other soaps it broadcasts either. It needs to be pared back to its original intention as a force for public information, politics, arts and culture. Those other items are commercially viable -- so let the private broadcasters undertake them, and not detract from RTE's remit.

It wouldn't be a commercial success, necessarily, but that's why we're already paying the licence fee.

So essentially give up the entertaining the Irish and leave it over to Rupert Murdochs British Sky Broadcasting service and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Media group?

Balanadan

They can shove their TV licence up their hole.

NewbridgeIR

RTE don't respect their archive.

They've made plenty decent dramas, documentaries etc - that still survive - but won't repeat them, won't create a digital channel to re-run them and refuse to release them on DVD. Or allow anyone else to do so.

It's totally different in the UK where you have had Network releasing huge chunks of the ITV archive over the last 15 years. Some of the most arcane and obscure material that can only sell in the low hundreds and it gets out on DVD. Or Simply Media and their release of BBC archive stuff. But not RTE.
If Bracken and / or Glenroe were British then you'd have box sets. Some of RTE's programming was shown on ITV and the likes of Network would gladly release it but you get bullsh*t excuses like "actors' contracts never allowed for home video releases" [as if that's a uniquely Irish problem] so it just stays in limbo until the target audience dies off.

Silentcorner

Will I Am Not wrote: »

RTÉ are pushing a very left wing agenda but want money off everyone across the political spectrum or you get threatened with fines or imprisonment...

RTE are pushing what it thinks is relevant by virtue of what makes the most amount of noise...currently the SJW / Feminist / Diversity (aka the twitteratti) narratives...truth is they are an insular organisation in a very insular part of Ireland, desperately trying to remain relevant in a fast changing globalised country... they think they are leaders...bless 'em!!!

The Repeal Referendum and the Presidential election demonstrated how completely out of sync they are with Irish people!

Harry Palmr

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I noticed this the other night when I went looking for the BBC 9pm news to get their take on Brexit (I get the RTÉ version in the car on the way to and from work). Sure enough, the BBC has changed their 9pm news to a different slot - or at least did that night

When did you last watch bbc one? The main news has been at 10 for almost 20 years.

dxhound2005

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

RTE don't respect their archive.

They've made plenty decent dramas, documentaries etc - that still survive - but won't repeat them, won't create a digital channel to re-run them and refuse to release them on DVD. Or allow anyone else to do so.

It's totally different in the UK where you have had Network releasing huge chunks of the ITV archive over the last 15 years. Some of the most arcane and obscure material that can only sell in the low hundreds and it gets out on DVD. Or Simply Media and their release of BBC archive stuff. But not RTE.
If Bracken and / or Glenroe were British then you'd have box sets. Some of RTE's programming was shown on ITV and the likes of Network would gladly release it but you get bullsh*t excuses like "actors' contracts never allowed for home video releases" [as if that's a uniquely Irish problem] so it just stays in limbo until the target audience dies off.

You might be right, or there might be vast amounts of UK material which does not see the light of day again after broadcast. Only for an ardent fan, one of the best BBC comedies, Joking Apart would not have been put out on DVD. He had to buy the rights and publish it himself.

Do TV companies make box sets of soap operas?

SilverSideUp

In the 1950s when TV came into homes in the UK there was great hope for TV. It was considered to be a tool for educating the masses. For example, the BBC produced a fantastic documentary called 'Civilisation' which was about the history of art since the fall of the Roman Empire. It was a great success. But it was too high brow for popular media. Over time, the content of programmes became less intellectual. TV embraced comedy, sport and drama. Today, documentaries such as Civilisation are found mainly on one public TV channel, BBC4, after 7pm. So this thing of when did RTE get so ****e is not an Irish phenomenon. It depends on your taste. Programmes like Winning Streak and The Late Late Show are wildly popular. Personally, I have suicidal thoughts when I watch Winning Streak. But these programmes bring in the viewers. It stopped being about quality a long time ago. Nostalgia is something different. I thing alot of us remember the TV programmes we grew up with fondly, but whether you could say they were 'quality' is debatable.

NewbridgeIR

dxhound2005 wrote: »

You might be right, or there might be vast amounts of UK material which does not see the light of day again after broadcast. Only for an ardent fan, one of the best BBC comedies, Joking Apart would not have been put out on DVD. He had to buy the rights and publish it himself.

Do TV companies make box sets of soap operas?

No - RTE are desperately bad. I'll agree that there is UK stuff in limbo but huge strides have been made in releasing archive material over the last 15/20 years. Loads of children's drama I grew up watching (and never thought I'd see again) has come out - especially ITV. Even The Phoenix And The Carpet (BBC, 1976) is due out in May.

That Joking Apart DVD came out in 2006 - it could well have been put out by somebody like the companies I mentioned.

Network released a 41 DVD set of Crossroads which had all surviving episodes from the start to 1979.

They've also released "decade" sets for Coronation Street (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s - 8 episodes per year so 80 in each box) along with five volumes of Emmerdale Farm (roughly the first 160 episodes). Then there's The Bill with numerous releases in UK and Australia.

In Australia, the entire run of The Sullivans came out on DVD - 23 volumes containing 1,114 episodes. Crawford's UK distributor Eaton Films sold them through their London shop where I ordered them from. The DVD releases of A Country Practice stalled halfway but you can buy every single episode of Prisoner Cell Block H on the format.

upandcumming

sugarman wrote: »

One of their biggest downfalls IMO is creating one off Documentaries that are top notch and then never them never seeing the light of day again once shown.

They've done some fantastic soccer ones over the years of Euro 88, Italia 90, USA 94, WC 02, Euro 2012 and Euro 2016. As well as player focused ones on the likes of John Giles career, a fly on the wall of Mick McCarthys first campaign as manager, Brian Kerr whilst in charge of the Faroe Islands to name a few.

As well as the in dept Green is Colour series.

Equally they've produced some great Rugby ones too on the Grand Slam / Triple Crown years as well as individual efforts on O'Gara, BOD and Foley.

..and not forgetting their colossal collection of GAA ones on the succesful Dublin, Kerry, Tipp & Kilkenny teams as well as ones the likes Jim Gavin, Cluxton, Sherlock, and Mick O'Dwyre.

SOME are on their player, but many are lost in their archive.

Surely a weekly slot on Saturday or Sunday evening would be a great chance to re run them instead of poxy Big Bang theory or Young Sheldon repeats and whatever other crap they show.

Freefall: The Night the Banks Failed was brilliant, as was Crisis Inside The Cowen Government.

Have been periodically looking for Freefall, but not a prayer of getting it! PM me if anyone has a lead!

Sgt Hartman

Secret Sights with Rob Vance was an excellent RTE documentary shown about 15 years ago. Sadly it's never been repeated, there's no sign of it on the RTE Player, and there's only tiny snippets of it on YouTube. It's a disgrace that such a good show is rotting away in the RTE archives, probably never to be seen again.

EmmetSpiceland

Sgt Hartman wrote: »

Secret Sights with Rob Vance was an excellent RTE documentary shown about 15 years ago. Sadly it's never been repeated, there's no sign of it on the RTE Player, and there's only tiny snippets of it on YouTube. It's a disgrace that such a good show is rotting away in the RTE archives, probably never to be seen again.

There’s a Secret Sites book that’s well worth a look, if you haven’t already got it.

Church on Tuesday

bodhrandude wrote: »

"In Fair City, nothing's fair" - Will Ferrell.

whisky_galore

I find it amazing that people still buy the RTE Guide, most of which is Montrose navel gazing pap, the programme schedule you can get free online anyway.
Also the dinosaur that is Aertel is still with us.

Edgware

upandcumming wrote: »

Freefall: The Night the Banks Failed was brilliant, as was Crisis Inside The Cowen Government.

Have been periodically looking for Freefall, but not a prayer of getting it! PM me if anyone has a lead!

More dreary ****e. What is it about the economic crash that hasnt been regurgitatedat least a 100 times

NIMAN

Here's something I always wondered, can anyone answer it?

Why have RTE never repeated Bachelors's Walk?
A great show I would love to watch again.

Why, in the age of endless repeats, has it never been shown again?

Edgware

NIMAN wrote: »

Here's something I always wondered, can anyone answer it?

Why have RTE never repeated Bachelors's Walk?
A great show I would love to watch again.

Why, in the age of endless repeats, has it never been shown again?

Or repeat those Late Lates where Turbridy was the smart teenage **** in the audience representing the "youth"

NewbridgeIR

NIMAN wrote: »

Here's something I always wondered, can anyone answer it?

Why have RTE never repeated Bachelors's Walk?
A great show I would love to watch again.

Why, in the age of endless repeats, has it never been shown again?

Agreed.
They released series 1 on DVD but the other two are in limbo.

It was like an Irish version of This Life.

Woke Hogan

People pining for the days of Glenroe and Bracken, jesus wept. Even at the time we all thought they were ****e.

Though there is a dearth of rural programming on RTE and I will never understand RTE's continuing fascination with the various postcodes of the capital but the continuing adventures of Dinny and Miley were never the answer.

The Crowman

I almost never watch RTE now now, apart from maybe the news and Prime Time Investigates. Most of its content is an insult to anyone with a modicum of intelligence. As stated already its attitude to archive TV is baffling. I could list all the day the landmark series that have disappeared without trace, not even a DVD release. The Year Of The French being one example, I last saw that when it was broadcast in 1982 its never been repeated.

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Here's something I always wondered, can anyone answer it?

Why have RTE never repeated Bachelors's Walk?
A great show I would love to watch again.

Why, in the age of endless repeats, has it never been shown again?

Bachelor's Walk is on the RTE Player, but good luck in getting through an entire episode without the Player crashing.

NIMAN

Is it?

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Is it?

Yeah, and a load of former series are on there too - Dawson's Creek, The O.C., Love/Hate, Hardy Bucks, etc.

I wish they'd upload more of the really old stuff - Don't Feed The Gondolas, Glenroe, Blackboard Jungle, etc.

NewbridgeIR

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Bachelor's Walk is on the RTE Player, but good luck in getting through an entire episode without the Player crashing.

Thanks for that - didn't realise.

Music rights for songs used in series 2, 3 and Christmas Special have been cited as the reason for no DVD release.

Again, that's not a uniquely Irish problem. Many other programmes have faced the same issues and come out on DVD - because of successful negotiations with the rights' owners or using music substitutions.

NewbridgeIR

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Bachelor's Walk is on the RTE Player, but good luck in getting through an entire episode without the Player crashing.

Watched series 2 and 3 on the RTE Player over the last couple of weeks. About half the episodes crashed. Great stuff although the women come across as far more likeable and sympathetic than the men.
The 2006 Christmas Special is on YouTube.

mikemac2

Glenroe theme tune means Sunday night and homework still not done *shudder*

Yurt2

When you see the quality of stuff that some independent youtubers put out,it really puts RTE to shame. Professional level editing software and camera / microphone equipment has never been cheaper, and there are people out there doing the business on their own.

I subscribe to this guy on youtube (he's from Limerick or Galway I think) - he gets millions of views for his snappily made, high-quality and informative videos about engineering. Perfect educational public-service broadcasting remit content. They should be seeking out people like this to give them a few quid and some researchers to make decent non-gunk TV.

The Satanist

RTE, who pander primarily to farmers and the catholic church, have no business discussing science or engineering!

SPDUB

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

RTE don't respect their archive.

They've made plenty decent dramas, documentaries etc - that still survive - but won't repeat them, won't create a digital channel to re-run them

They actually did try to create a channel to repeat them in 2012

It was going to be called RTE3 .

Minister of Communication turned them down , said it was RTE1+1 for 6 hours a night or nothing .

Tried to dump kids programmes off RTE2 in 2015 or so . Minster didn't even bother to reply to their proposal .

NIMAN

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

Watched series 2 and 3 on the RTE Player over the last couple of weeks. About half the episodes crashed. Great stuff although the women come across as far more likeable and sympathetic than the men.
The 2006 Christmas Special is on YouTube.

When I search the Rte player app for it, finding nothing.

Can you link to it?

ogsjw

They dismissed most advances in entertainment as fads but tripled down on reality TV ****e.

Let's not forget, the best Irish television had to be funded by British networks. Father Ted, IT Crowd arguably, The London Irish etc...

They are a national disgrace and so is the TV licence. If you want money, put out a good product.

Gffg

orourkeda1977 wrote: »

Lack of squirt porn after 2am

What?

Rechuchote

RTE used to be great when it had the RTE Repertory Company and used produce TV and radio drama - several hours' worth - every week, and when it had units making its own documentaries, and when it had feisty young journalists doing investigative work, and hard-hitting question-and-answer political programmes like Seven Days.

In those days writers had a good market writing drama and stories for the station, and filmmakers and editors learned their trade and got work there.

It was when it kept a huge administrative staff but farmed out all the drama, documentaries and investigations to for-profit independent companies that it started going wrong. Now it's largely just a secondhand channel for English soaps, quiz programs and dramas, with some Irish versions of the same programmes added. In our house, RTE is rarely turned on after 6.30pm. TG4, yes, though less often than it used to be.

Franz Von Peppercorn

The Satanist wrote: »

RTE, who pander primarily to farmers and the catholic church, have no business discussing science or engineering!

Pretty soon a farmer, a Catholic and a catholic farmer will be on to day they cater for the metropolitan elite.

Not that they are any good at most things.