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RTE Cutbacks The Plan

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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,422 ✭✭✭MrMusician18


    Marian Finucane is 69. Joe Duffy is 63. Bryan Dobson and Miriam O'Callaghan are almost 60. Ray D'Arcy is 55. Even Claire Byrne and Tubridy are in their mid-40s.

    If RTE wants to attract younger audiences, it's hard to see how it can do so with an over-reliance on "stars" who are the age of their parents or grandparents.

    I suspect that a lot of the older cohort of "stars" will call it a day at the end of this contract.

    Although a cannot think of a handier gig than Finucanes. Read out the papers for four hours every weekend with your mates for €300k. It's genuinely obscene.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,447 ✭✭✭Calhoun


    Government minister getting the boot in by saying presenters should not be getting paid more than the Taoiseach. Hard to disagree considering the amount of tax paid.

    Hopefully this is just the start of the gravy train being rehabilitated.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,013 ✭✭✭✭James Brown


    I reckon it's more a publicity stunt to see if anyone cares.
    I don't see why 200 people should lose jobs when Tubb's salary alone could save three or four families from the dole.
    The unions will kick off and quite rightly.
    Meanwhile Lottie Ryan is set for life either way.

    You can run a radio station on a shoestring. The cuts aren't very well thought out IMO.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,250 ✭✭✭Seamai


    I thought Aertel had gone the way of the dinosaurs years ago, does anyone actually use it?

    I have yet to meet anyone who has a positive opinion of Tubridy, maybe one or two who think he's a bit meh, how can someone who is so universally disliked and pretty devoid of talent command such a wage? The mind boggles! With the passing of Gay Byrne this week it's really shone a light on how bad Tubridy is. Give me Pat Kenny any day.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,497 ✭✭✭nkl12xtw5goz70


    I don't see why 200 people should lose jobs when Tubb's salary alone could save three or four families from the dole.

    According to Forbes, around 60 of those jobs will involve moving orchestra members from RTE to the National Concert Hall. So that's cosmetic. Those people will not end up unemployed.

    The other cuts will be achieved by way of voluntary redundancies.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,422 ✭✭✭MrMusician18


    Yeah but they've maintained the same broad mix of programming AFAIK. If they came out with a big announcement that they were scrapping Fair City, Winning Streak, Room to Improve etc., you might have a lot of generally apolitical types asking what exactly they were paying for.

    If you dumped the filler, repeats, you'd still have time for RTEs most popular programming all on one channel (Although does that include Fair City?) with news now for occasional spillover. The three you mention are made domestically at least.

    Would anyone care if there were no more reruns of big bang theory? I doubt it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,447 ✭✭✭Calhoun


    According to Forbes, around 60 of those jobs will involve moving orchestra members from RTE to the National Concert Hall. So that's cosmetic. Those people will not end up unemployed.

    The other cuts will be achieved by way of voluntary redundancies.

    I would say they are going to use it as a way to get more funding . Pointing that they have cut their cloth while asking for more money.


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,236 ✭✭✭✭Boggles


    Seamai wrote: »
    The mind boggles! With the passing of Gay Byrne this week it's really shone a light on how bad Tubridy is. Give me Pat Kenny any day.

    Pat was an absolute horror show on the Late Late.

    It's was a cringe festival at the best of times.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,422 ✭✭✭MrMusician18


    Boggles wrote: »
    Pat was an absolute horror show on the Late Late.

    It's was a cringe festival at the best of times.

    Aye, with his moralising and pontificating...


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,490 ✭✭✭KildareP


    According to Forbes, around 60 of those jobs will involve moving orchestra members from RTE to the National Concert Hall. So that's cosmetic. Those people will not end up unemployed.

    The other cuts will be achieved by way of voluntary redundancies.

    And the stinger with voluntary redundancies is it's always the good people who end up leaving anyway. They know they'll get a job elsewhere so that redundancy lumpsum is just a nice added bonus.

    Whereas the sort of people you want rid of know only too well they wouldn't last a wet week anywhere else and/or wouldn't get anywhere near the salary/workload balance they get currently. So they stay.

    And so the problem deepens further.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,447 ✭✭✭Calhoun


    KildareP wrote: »
    And the stinger with voluntary redundancies is it's always the good people who end up leaving anyway. They know they'll get a job elsewhere so that redundancy lumpsum is just a nice added bonus.

    Whereas the sort of people you want rid of know only too well they wouldn't last a wet week anywhere else and/or wouldn't get anywhere near the salary/workload balance they get currently. So they stay.

    And so the problem deepens further.

    Or the other scenario take redundancy and then become a contractor getting overpaid .


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,013 ✭✭✭✭James Brown


    I suspect that a lot of the older cohort of "stars" will call it a day at the end of this contract. I've said it before but RTE I suspect are not competing with other broadcasters but "get out of bed money". They've paid them so well over the years that they have no reason to work any more.

    Sure Gaybo gave up broadcasting after his first retirement until he lost his shirt in the crash. He only came back for that, not out of love for the mic. Although by 2013 he had over €400k in his company so he was hardly on the breadline either.

    That said, I cannot think of a handier gig than Finucanes. Read out the papers for four hours every weekend with your mates for €300k. It's genuinely obscene.

    Gaybo was one of those the tax payer bailed out so he didn't lose on the stocks and shares gamble. His accountant ripped him off back in the day alright.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,250 ✭✭✭Seamai


    Boggles wrote: »
    Pat was an absolute horror show on the Late Late.

    It's was a cringe festival at the best of times.

    Agreed, he was no great shakes but still better than Tubridy


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,958 ✭✭✭✭Shefwedfan


    It would be interesting to see what happens after the 200 people go.....based on previous experience of companies like this. 200 people are let go who actually run the company and keep the lights on. A couple of days after they are let go they realize this but have a hire freeze on so they go out to the market and get a contractor because they dont show up on full time staff books.

    So instead of saving money they actually end up paying for, most of the time for the exact same person because they are not paying a wedge to a contractor company.

    Or do they do a proper review, see who is needed and who isn't. I would guess they have a huge layer of middle management doing f**k all. They always go after the poor sod who is doing his job, not the waste of space nominating the poor sod for redundancy


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,739 ✭✭✭johnmcdnl


    A lot of people have DAB only radios. This will leave a lot of people without radio.

    How many people in Ireland own a DAB radio?
    How many people in Ireland own ONLY a DAB radio?
    I find it very hard to believe there's "a lot" of people who'll be without radio if DAB is shut down.


  • Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 2,176 ✭✭✭ToBeFrank123


    There's a lot of stuff RTE do really well.
    Their coverage of the 1916 Anniversary was great. Many of their documentaries are good such as the one about Mick O'Dwyer. Prime Time Investigates, although expensive is good as is Prime Time in general. Also their news and current affairs.
    I'd like to see more of the programs such as John Bowman presented years ago interviewing people one on one. I forget the name of it.
    TG4 is also excellent.
    And Radio 1 is passable, particularly their documentaries.
    RTE2 just about holds its own, mainly for sports coverage.

    There is no justification for having both Lyric FM and/or 2FM. Maybe they could combine the two into one station and make it into a generic music station, which covers all genres: classical, alternative, pop, jazz, etc. There just isn't the audience there for Lyric as a standalone, and both it and 2FM are hugely loss making and are unlikely ever to break even. Cut costs for commercial reasons while also covering the public service remit. Its not that difficult a concept.


  • Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭tomwaits48


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Lots of people lose their jobs every day. We don't hear much about them and their struggles.

    ? job cuts are in the news every day of the week.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,128 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    John Moran and others are trying to revitalise Limerick city centre after years of neglect.
    University of Limerick are establishing a satellite unit in the old Spillane Tobacco factory.
    Meanwhile a few blocks away Lyric FM is exiting stage left.

    Nobody thought having a national radio station in the mix for a thriving city might be worth the effort.
    No joined up thinking, no cross fertilisation between public bodies.
    Typical really of the lack of imagination we have come to accept as normal.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,422 ✭✭✭MrMusician18


    Gaybo was one of those the tax payer bailed out so he didn't lose on the stocks and shares gamble. His accountant ripped him off back in the day alright.

    He had shares in the "blue Chip" Irish banks. Irish bank shares were diluted to worthlessness when, as a result of the bailout (due to the banks being bankrupt themselves), the state became majority owner in most of the banks.

    Gaybo was also involved in a Quinlan property consortium and that also went tits up. He was sued in the high court commercial court last year and settled the action. https://extra.ie/2018/02/02/news/irish-news/gay-byrne-one-million-property

    You could say Gaybo was bailed out by the taxpayer as RTE gave him a few cushy gigs after his second financial disaster


  • Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 2,176 ✭✭✭ToBeFrank123


    He had shares in the "blue Chip" Irish banks. Irish bank shares were diluted to worthlessness when, as a result of the bailout (due to the banks being bankrupt themselves), the state became majority owner in most of the banks.

    Gaybo was also involved in a Quinlan property consortium and that also went tits up. He was sued in the high court commercial court last year and settled the action. https://extra.ie/2018/02/02/news/irish-news/gay-byrne-one-million-property

    You could say Gaybo was bailed out by the taxpayer as RTE gave him a few cushy gigs after his second financial disaster

    And I'm glad they did as his Lyric program in particular brought him new younger fans who weren't old enough the first time around.


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  • Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 2,176 ✭✭✭ToBeFrank123


    Boggles wrote: »
    Pat was an absolute horror show on the Late Late.

    It's was a cringe festival at the best of times.

    I've come to the conclusion it takes about 10 years practice for someone to become a good LLS host. Tubridy has improved lately. But lets not forget his own horror shows in the past, particularly when interviewing various Hollywood stars.

    Tubridy does the light stuff better than Kenny and Kenny does the heavier stuff like politics far better.
    Gaybo's talent was he could do both well. His taking down of the likes of P. Flynn is still talked about to this day.

    The way Gay worked is he always portrayed himself as your friend and lured you into his web. Flynn in particular fell for this one and couldn't keep his mouth shut.


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,236 ✭✭✭✭Boggles


    Seamai wrote: »
    Agreed, he was no great shakes but still better than Tubridy

    He really wasn't. He nearly sunk it. Also back then actual celebrities use to appear on it from time to time.

    If you want to get someone of note on it now it has to be pre recorded on a Tuesday or they have to bring the show to London.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 70 ✭✭Zird


    JDxtra wrote: »
    They'd be bonkers to throw away the momentum they have with RTE Gold. Right now, RTE Gold has almost the same amount of online listeners as RTE 2FM. Other stations, like RTE Pulse, are justified for the axe - it has only 1.5% the audience online that RTE Gold has.

    It doesn't matter if RTE Gold has 10 listeners or 10k listeners because it doesn't have any income apart from the licence fee .


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,255 ✭✭✭✭Sleepy


    The more I look at this, the more I see it for what it is: a smokescreen from behind which to beg for more money. Interesting that they're including the RTE Guide as something to be flogged off in this announcement too as, AFAIK, it actually makes a profit...

    Any decent financial controller could trim a hell of a lot of the fat out of RTE:

    Sell/Shutter 2fm as it's loss-making and serves no public service remit
    Put all public service and home-made content onto RTE1 and give RTE2 12 months to turn a profit from commercial activity or face the axe)
    Get rid of the perks (the infamous taxi contract, subsidies for the canteen etc.) and wage reviews should be conducted across the board to bring roles into line with the market (for everyone from canteen staff right through to the board).
    A ban on the use of external contractors in front of camera / behind the mic and a basic salary scale and profit sharing scheme should be brought in for all presenting staff their production teams. Any presenters not working 35 hours a week for RTE to receive a pro-rata of this rate. Any exemptions to this to be approved at director level and publicly justified.
    Any activity RTE are engaged in that aren't profit making and isn't unquestionably serving a public service remit (e.g. the 6 o clock news, coverage of the national sporting teams etc.) should be cut.
    The current RTE Player to be binned and a licensing / revenue sharing agreement come to with Youtube, the BBC or Channel 4 for use of their technology platform.

    EDIT: Actually, thinking about it a little further, it may actually make more sense to approach Pornhub, Redtube or the likes in regard to licensing a streaming platform.


  • Registered Users Posts: 596 ✭✭✭TheBlock


    Shefwedfan wrote: »
    It would be interesting to see what happens after the 200 people go.....based on previous experience of companies like this. 200 people are let go who actually run the company and keep the lights on. A couple of days after they are let go they realize this but have a hire freeze on so they go out to the market and get a contractor because they dont show up on full time staff books.

    So instead of saving money they actually end up paying for, most of the time for the exact same person because they are not paying a wedge to a contractor company.

    Or do they do a proper review, see who is needed and who isn't. I would guess they have a huge layer of middle management doing f**k all. They always go after the poor sod who is doing his job, not the waste of space nominating the poor sod for redundancy

    It'll actually be the Middle Management who keep the lights on a run the business who will be sacrificed and then your scenario above will play out. The Senior Management are the ones who do and know FA.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,641 ✭✭✭✭Elmo


    This isn't a plan, it a plan to stay the same. Nothing more nothing less. No timelines, no real figures, excluding NSO RTÉ save 5 to 6m with this so called plan. It's not a plan, it is a set of cuts with the aim of retaining the same old same old.


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,236 ✭✭✭✭Boggles


    Elmo wrote: »
    This isn't a plan, it a plan to stay the same. Nothing more nothing less. No timelines, no real figures, excluding NSO RTÉ save 5 to 6m with this so called plan. It's not a plan, it is a set of cuts with the aim of retaining the same old same old.

    Has the plan been published?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,132 ✭✭✭downtheroad


    I just listened to Dee Forbes being interviewed by Brian Dobson this morning and she is very unimpressive with few genuine ideas on how to reform RTE and no reality into how poor some of their offerings are. She mentioned how great the RTE player is (I struggle to watch anytjing on it except for the ads which work flawlessly) and that a rugby match during the world cup had more viewers on the player than on tv (I'd bet this was the Ireland v Russia game that was on a Thursday morning so many people tried to watch from work rather than home).

    And she mentioned several times that the tv licence is not fit for purpose and that a lot of money is being lost by evasion. She seemed to put the blame anywhere but RTE's door. It's the licence evaders, An Post, the state's fault, anybody but RTE.

    A friend of mine works preparing content for the RTE website and gets a paid taxi to and from work outside of 9-5 hours. Doctors and nurses on shift work don't get this treatment so why should RTE staff? It's this kind of waste of money that leads to their financial problems. And that's probably a drop in the ocean compared to the waste of money that goes on in Montrose.


  • Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭tomwaits48


    Can i just say how refreshing it is to have a frank debate about RTE, unlike the Broadcast forum where overzealous moderation kills most discussions from even getting off the ground.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 29,101 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    With the moving of Sport from RTE2 to One it looks like they are laying the groundwork for the eventual closure or sale of RTE2.

    Some high profile contracts are not going to be renewed, I wonder what names they have lined up for the chop?

    closure would be most likely out of the 2 i would suspect.
    not sure who would be bothered actually buying the channel given there isn't anything any new operator could offer that isn't already being offered on existing commercial channels.
    a commercial operator would i suspect find it hard to make a go of things here given there is already an existing 1 and they just mostly buy in stuff from ITV i believe.
    dvdman1 wrote: »
    Add RTE to a referendum Yes/No

    "Should RTE be shut down?"

    I predict a landslide for Yes campaign

    i wouldn't be so sure.
    most people probably realise that if rte was abolished the tv license would still quite likely remain.
    Virgin Media don't need a license and are starting to move ahead of RTE in terms of watchability.

    the license is to own a tv capable of receiving a terrestrial signal, rather then a license to watch rte.
    virgin media is a commercial channel that i believe mostly buys in stuff from ITV, so to be fair isn't comparable to rte which is a public service broadcaster.
    virgin media is also junk of the highest order in my opinion, i don't know how or why anyone watches it, but each to their own.
    lawred2 wrote: »
    Still hanging on to RTE2 and 2FM for some reason

    both could be swapped for something else.
    programming made from the soon to be defunked digital stations could be a good swap for 2fm and would meet a public service remit, all be it for smaller audiences.
    the likes of rtejr, rte news now and other ps programming could be merged and put on to rte 2 with the dedicated channels closed.
    to be honest i'm not happy that they are cutting services, that is the last thing they should be doing. they need diverse programming, but if they did have to cut services, then using the main channels to provide such programming but in a smaller form would be the least worst option in my view.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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