"television" in -this- country?

Paddy20

RTE TV, Advertising Department.

The fact that RTE receive public license fees to enable them to fulfil their role as the state public broadcasting service, should be enough for them, if not then let them close down or get bailed out by Bertie & Co.

Advertising revenue should go to commercial operations who need it as their main source of income. In a competitive marketplace.

The fact, that RTE are allowed to sell" tv airtime" for commercial gain is scandalous, and just another example of how Irish citizens are used too being treated like children.

Only in Dear Old Ireland eh?

Yours,

paddy20.

"Nothing, if not controversial?":cool:

OHP

Originally posted by paddy20
RTE TV, Advertising Department.

The fact that RTE receive public license fees to enable them to fulfil their role as the state public broadcasting service, should be enough for them, if not then let them close down or get bailed out by Bertie & Co.

Advertising revenue should go to commercial operations who need it as their main source of income. In a competitive marketplace.

The fact, that RTE are allowed to sell" tv airtime" for commercial gain is scandalous, and just another example of how Irish citizens are used too being treated like children.

Only in Dear Old Ireland eh?

Yours,

paddy20.

"Nothing, if not controversial?":cool:

No offence P20 but your arguement / POV was ok up to this point. I think you just killed it.

OHP

Jasper

Originally posted by paddy20
RTE TV, Advertising Department.
Advertising revenue should go to commercial operations who need it as their main source of income.
:

Not a bad idea. But that would mean a substantial rise in the licence fee. Look at the BBC. The licence fee in the UK is £112 sterling which roughly equates to an income of £2.5 Billion per year. I must say that I would like RTE to dispense with advertising but we would have to pay for the privelage.

Paddy20

OHP,

The truth is the truth,and sometimes it hurts.

The fact is that TV Broadcasting in the Irish Republic is unfair and anti-competitive as the competitors who are trying to survive on advertising revenue are at a serious "disadvantage" because the state Broadcaster TV/Radioalso takes a largeslice of the advertising cake?

I was aware that pointing this out, might meet with a response such as yours, but no offence to you, you may well find that sometimes their is method in paddy20s apparent madness?

If you think the correlation between RTE and Eircom re:-" Anti-competitive practises", which are- aided and abbeted - by our Irish Governments is acceptable then that is where we differ.

Pat Kenny, who is well aware of the opinion that I have now publicly expressed on this Forum, yet he has featured the "Internet costs" on his radio programme.

Thankfully, the producers of showssuch as the Late, Late tend to be members of the union NUJ or something similar and they generally pay no attention to the Advertising Departments views.

Yours,

paddy20.;)

Dustaz

I have never heard so much ****e talked about RTE and broadcasting. Paddy, personally, i dont think your idea of a 'special' on the late late has a snowballs chance in hell of happening, but i suppose theres no harm in trying.

However, please stop taking the thread off-topic with your ill thought out opinions on the national broadcaster.

Youd be the first person whinging about having to pay a €500 license fee to watch RTE if there was no advertising.

If you want to disccus it, feel free to post to Television or ICDG. If theres anymore thats not ontopic, this will be locked.

Paddy20

Dustaz,

The main thrust of my thread IS on subject. Sometimes, however it can become necessary to deviate somewhat from the main issue. A fare Flat-Rate fixed fee Internet 24/7 access service for all, both my old 56k modem speed and Broadband ASAP. OK ?.

In relation to your opinion ? while I respect your difficult role as a moderator. I do not appreciate your threat to lock this thread if anyone should mention something off topic. A little leeway can go a long way towards maintaining harmony on a Forum.

Seems to me that quite a large number of members have found this thread of interest? but threats help no one, particularly when you consider tat we are dealing with an emotonally loaded and in my opinion a "Civil Rights issue".

Believe me, as an Ulsterman born and bred in Donegal, I know where a denial of - civil rights - can lead ?

Thank you.

paddy20

sceptre

Originally posted by paddy20
Believe me, as an Ulsterman born and bred in Donegal, I know where a denial of - civil rights - can lead ?

A Freddie Morris tribunal into the McBrearty affair?:)


Seriously though, as this section of the original thread has turned into a licence fee discussion, my own feeling is that I'd dearly love to see one of two thing happen:

a) Abolition of the licence fee. It's a remnant of the 1920s dammit, when the country didn't have a bean, there was no real market even for radios and those that had them could well afford a few shillings to support the establishment and preservation of an Irish broadcasting station. How much public service broadcasting do RTE do these days anyway?

OR

b) Abolition of adverts on RTE. If they're to see through the public service mandate that is the political reason for the licence fee they can't be in the debt of any potential or current advertisers. In an ideal world, the national broadcaster should be able to make editorial comments without fear of reprisal from advertisers (or the government - there's the possible problem as they set the licence fee)


However, RTE is in a country where realistically both advertising and some sort of licence fee are needed to preserve any amount of home produced programming and quality news IMHO. The Danish national channels are in the same situation, as has been mentioned by people here in the past. A national station supported by both a licence fee and advertising, in a market that isn't all that much bigger than that of Ireland.

TV3 may say that (and they do) either RTE shouldn't get a licence fee or that they too should share in the bounty but their home produced programming isn't anything to write to anyone about. RTE have produced the odd show on a shoestring (and it shows) that is still of a higher calibre than TV3's only wholly home produced show (yes, it's IrelandAM in case anyone doesn't get up till 12). The one problem I currently have with RTE[1] is that the quality of the news shows is slipping slightly into the SkyNews/TV3-style "one segment about a sick cat up a tree" every show.

With regard to the "extra benefits" (RTE's words, not mine) of the licence fee - the orchestras - I'd drop them out of RTE control fairly sharply, but that's no criticism of the way in which RTE has run these organisations. I'd just prefer to see them directly funded (if they are to be subsidised at all) rather than having some of the licence fee going to subsidise the orchestras. Let the Arts Council take them over - purely from an administrative point of view it would make more sense. Obviously it would mean that RTE would have to out-source its music requirements to the Arts Council-run orchestras but it would mean more realistic accounting and more realistic accountability.

I'd rather pay RTE the amount of licence fee I'm currently paying them and let advertisers pick up some of the tab than pay a few hundred in a licence fee (because that's what it would take) and still have the government directly give them money every few years.

RTE isn't the BBC. It won't ever be (though thankfully with the licence fee income it's unlikely to turn into TV3[2]). Not on the level of programme quality, overseas sales or self-reliant income. The case for taking away the licence income from the BBC is greater than the case for taking the licence income from RTE.



[1] also I've a problem with whichever idiot keeps showing rerun after rerun of Keeping Up Appearances, but that almost goes without saying


[2]I don't have a problem with TV3 - I've even got a few friends who work in the news department. I think they could have a great future as a youth and leisure orientated (read "hip shows and sports") channel if they just put their minds to it. And at that point they could claim their rightful place as a public-interest broadcaster. So far they haven't. They're a mix of SkyOne and ITV - unfortunately in general they've taken the worst parts of Sky (with the exception of Buffy:)) and just re-broadcast ITV shows. That just makes them a bad clone of UTV (at best) at the moment.

I've far greater sympathy for independent broadcasters than State broadcasters due to the uphill struggle they always have. It's just that they (TV3) could be so successful and the general management can't see the wood for the píss-poor entertainment they are coming up with. Funding isn't the problem - two days and I could design a cheaper schedule for them that would give them a core youth market. (sorry for turning this footnote into a post of its own)

Elmo

[1] also I've a problem with whichever idiot keeps showing rerun after rerun of Keeping Up Appearances, but that almost goes without saying

Here Here (And Father Ted, there are newer comedies you know.)

[2]I don't have a problem with TV3 - I've even got a few friends who work in the news department. I think they could have a great future as a youth and leisure orientated (read "hip shows and sports") channel if they just put their minds to it. And at that point they could claim their rightful place as a public-interest broadcaster. So far they haven't. They're a mix of SkyOne and ITV - unfortunately in general they've taken the worst parts of Sky (with the exception of Buffy) and just re-broadcast ITV shows. That just makes them a bad clone of UTV (at best) at the moment.

Agreed

I personally think RTE 1 should get rid of advertising altogether and allow N2 be there commercial output which they need.

I don't Like TV3. It does nothing, but be a carbon copy of what has gone before.

Emmm TV3 have more money then TG4 how come they don't make more Irish TV????

You cann't make money making Irish TV and all of the channels have proved that.