Aertel to be switched off. Any memories?

freshpopcorn

It's been announced that Aertel will be switched off on Thursday 12th of October after 36 years.

I remember us getting a TV in the late 1990's and having Aertel. It was used for News, Checking Lotto Numbers, Cinema listings, TV Listings, Weather and maybe bus timetables. It was also switched off on Christmas Day.

We haven't used it in about 15 years I'd say.

I thought it closed down a few years ago.

Have you any memories of Aertel?

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/1002/1408582-rte-aertel/?fbclid=IwAR2oquDmp1U-ecFpr2z0oCERB4mgyrLW7NmmuObZG7Yzs7NvzfFGcl1pVY4

Strumms

Used it for news, sport, TV guide.

folks used to use it to get lotto numbers / results…

ohhh and any visitors / family flying in from abroad the flight arrivals on 571 I think was dead handy…

im surprised it’s taken this long for it to be canned. Can’t be cheap to operate/update….

Two blasts from the past there…

silly Keeping it going this long, loads of people 80+ are internet savvy these days, enough to look at news, sports, tv listings and so on.

Atlantic Dawn

Yes Dublin Airport flight information it was great in the pre mobile phone world for arrival and departure info. Nowadays you can track the flights with an app, takes all the fun out of it 😂.

Mena Mitty

Our neighbour who had no TV had us scalded for the Horseracing results most evenings for years. There was a time when I was so familiar with the Racecourse names here and the UK I could name them all.

One night my other half was watching snooker when our neighbour came in to get results. My OH could take no more and told him to go and buy his own fkn telly.

He never darkened our door or ever spoke to us again.

Pablo Escobar

Yes, celebrating a 94th minute winner for Cork City to make it 1-0 in an away game long before Livescore. Then a few seconds later the result flipped. It turned out it was an OG. It got the name Errortel for a reason.

Padre_Pio

Dad used to check his shares every day on it

chancer007

Aertel: Horse Racing News: Barry Geraghty rides Exotic Dancer

Princess Calla

180 for the days films I think was my main one. Then obviously the rest of the tv listings.

I vaguely remember then putting up the college cao points listings so that consumed an evening or two in August .

riffmongous

444

221

171

103

888

blackbox

I'm surprised at this news. I thought it was gone years ago.

sbs2010

Me and a few buddies went to the pub one evening to watch a match. For some reason it wasn't on but they put on aertel and we followed the game on the scores page.

It was a good game, 3-2 or something like that :)

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187344#Comment_121187344

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187590#Comment_121187590

I think the only reason it was left on for so long was because RTE were legally obliged to carry a teletext service. That was removed in one of the recent media bills so they're free to close it now.

L1011

Ian Dempsey doing a bit on this and the main memory someone sent in was of Teletext on ITV (Bamboozled).

whisky_galore

Cue protests from some pensioner in her 80s from the backarse of Roscommon who still uses Aertel.

josip

My mother who is profoundly deaf used to rely heavily on it until recently. Having subtitles on some TV programmes was a complete game changer and it also gave her access to news throughout the day until the paper came home at 5 in the evening with yesterday's stale news.

RoTelly

For me it was page 369 for the TV ratings.

I would point out that this is part of RTÉ very clear 2024 stratgic plan.

So expect some more amazing changes at RTÉ!

Evolve

We will move RTE's biggest sporting moments to RTE One

We will increase investment in live TV moments and big events (e.g. RTE on Climate, Late Late Show Specials)

We will launch a kids on-demand and digital strategy

We will evolve the user experience of many of our digital services through mandatory sign in and personalisation

Enhance

We will enhance our content offering or, RTE Player, with longer windows, improving and investing in the technology, features and functionality

We will develop our live and on-demand RTE Player product, building towards a more integrated service offering video and audio

We will create new visualized radio studios

We will deliver podcasts for a wide variety tastes and interests

We will offer new RTE experiences and events - music, sport, lifestyle, culture, politics

We will increase the hours of quality Irish drama

Modify

The RTE Guide is for sale

RTE will close its current studio in Limerick in 2020; production of RTE lyric- fm will move to Cork and Dublin

RTE will continue to provide a mid-west news service in Limerick

We will close the digital Audio Broadcast network, as well as RTE's digital radio(RTE 2XM, RTE Pulse, RTE Gold, RTEjr Radio & RTE Radio 1 Extra)

RTE Aertel will cease

The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra will transfer to The National Concert Hall

We will develop a new integrated media centre in Donnybrook , investing in new digital infrastructure

Reduce

We need to reduce projected costs by 60 million over three years (2020-2023).

in addition to the reduction of 23% delivered between 2008 and 2018

We need to reduce the foes paid to our top contracted on-air personalities , by15%, in addition, to the 30+% cuts as agreed in previous years

We need to reduce staff costs we will consult with staff and unions 011 a number of initiatives, to including pay freeze, tiered pay reductions, review of benefits, and work practice reforms

The Executive Board will take a 10% reduction in pay; the Board of RTE will waive its fees

We need to achieve a staff headcount reduction of c. 200 in 2020

of the 22 I have bolded those that they achieved, you will note the last one was temporary.

This was published in 2019 of the 5 they achieved, 2 required government action AERTEL and the NSO, and one has been reversed. That's the second last one on the list.

Montage of Feck

I remember always checking 180 to see what's on despite their only being two channels, later three and then four!!!

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187680#Comment_121187680

No it'll be from some middle aged grump doing the "won't someone think of the old people" routine. Same as any time mention of buying a ticket online or paying with a card comes up.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187646#Comment_121187646

Now that brings back memories. Played that game so often.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187634#Comment_121187634

"Watched" a few Champions League games in pubs on Aertel back in the day. Essential if you were a not a Premier League centred soccer fan.

waterwelly

Not a personal memory but Irish Rugby players used find out if they were playing or dropped etc. when the team / squad was announced on Aertel.

AMKC

Oh many memory's. I used it for cinema listings, TV guide, bus timetables, news etc.

Have not used it in a decade at least. Don't even think I can get it on my current TV lol not that I want to anyway.

I remember reading on a page and it would change before you finished reading it so annoying so would have to go back.

Sometimes it would work great other times it would drive you absolutely nuts.

Will be missed no.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187680#Comment_121187680

I am with her, how much are RTÉ actually saving by dropping AERTEL, seems to me they didn't want to push the Digital version on to Sky so they ended up with 2 version an analogue one on Satellite (maybe on Cable also) which few on those platforms could acces and a Digital one on Saorview. They never promote it so why would it be used?

With their mismanagement RTÉ have saved a fiver on the program that probably grabs the news from RTÉ website and pushes it to AERTEL.

I look forward to the RTÉ Executives taking a 10% pay cut!

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187734#Comment_121187734

I remember going to 180 just to see what was on the other channels :) When TnaG and TV3 came along, they were at the bottom of the list for years.

Cluedo Monopoly

I thought it was gone years ago. It was a great service back in the day for checking sport scores.

JIdontknow

Aertel 221 (or was it 232?) for the football scores. Then you would miss the page and have to wait for it to loop back around. I am not sure what year it was but I remember checking aertel one Saturday afternoon in my grandparents house for football scores, and remember Aertel saying Mark Hughes got a bad gash. I cannot remember what match it was but must have been early 90's.

Edit - it was 1995 Vs Newcastle.

artanevilla

232 was the football scores as far as I can remember.

Panthro

Checking me prize bonds! (Never feicin win mind)

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187767#Comment_121187767

They should keep it going for the 17 people who use it so. I'm sure there were people who moaned when they stopped using telegrams and Morse code.

ednwireland

looking up the results when Mary coughlan lost her seat in sw donegal in 2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187767#Comment_121187767

It’s out of date technology which is losing support faster than it can be updated. It’s okay for things to go away believe it or not.

JIdontknow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187847#Comment_121187847

You could be right. Was 221 for the fixtures / latest scores and 232 for the results - I can't remember now! Didn't they also put the irish goalscorers in green too. Hard to believe that was almost 30 years ago.

martingriff

Going to the soccer scores every 2 minutes to see a score update the days of 2 channels and no ahem box