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

Have SF clarified their position? I would have thought the move to direct exchequer funding would be the kind of radical, transformative change they would be looking to make in government...

It really doesn't make any difference whether it's a licence fee or direct taxpayer funding. How much they get is a political decision either way. That's why the licence fee has been frozen for years, no party wants to be the one to give RTE an increase in funding.

Also, bias against SF 🤣 they haven't done nearly enough in calling those murderers to account.

Forget the 3rd option. Why leave terrestrial-only viewers on the west coast from Mayo to Kerry with even less choice?!

So SF would refuse to embrace direct exchequer funding purely because it's what RTE themselves seem to want?

Anyway seems like the current government is finally going to make a decision on RTE funding and I doubt SF would go changing that again in a couple of years...

These would just be options on a poll

1. I agree
2. Change the rules in terms of who needs a licence to households, An Post never did a good job collecting the licence fee in any case, and it would be an over all reform of RTÉ
3. Imported programmed (which mainly airs on RTÉ costs €25m while 2FM cost them €5m form the license fee, I'd the lost ad revenue would be minimal)
4. Yeah seems to be what some posters want.

Why? There will be a change and the change ... oh wait your right there is no change Kevin Bakhurst is the new Dee Forbes and Suin Ni R is the new Moya D.

I referred to terrestrial-only viewers on the west coast because they can't receive overspill of terrestrial signals from Northern Ireland or from Britain.

They can get satellite, Soarview in no way serves this market in any case. RTÉ2's audience is on a massive downward spiral without sport its getting similar audiences to VMTV2

While I say RTÉ2 is on that downward spiral it still has some goodwill along with a set number of imported programmes, you'd not just be buying a channel that you could ultimately just play out The Chase on.

Either way RTÉ letting go with of RTÉ2 and 2fm would allow the focus and remove their burdens on the service.

Some but not many on the west coast or in rural areas. I am not suggested dropping RTÉ2.

RTÉ2 in no way justifies it existents as part of RTÉ with current audience levels. It has little to no PSB remit, its children's content has been vastly reduced while much of those imports are highly commercial in nature.

RTÉ2 could be sold along with some international sporting rights such as 6nations and Champions league that require only commentary and analysis, coupled with RTÉ's set of imported programmes. This would save RTÉ money in Sporting rights and in programming rights which they could spend on other things.

It seem terribly difficult for RTÉ to run four channels (you forget RTÉjr).

Was the Under-21s clashing with sport on RTÉ1?

As I say RTÉ 1, RTÉ NEWS and RTÉjr could take on much of the programmes you suggest, if it needs to broadcast clashing sports let them offer them up to Virgin Media or TG4.

Or invest in RTÉ2 properly.

But TG4 became legally separate from RTÉ years ago. It's for that reason that, overnight, TG4 replaced its simulcast of Euronews with France 24.

RTE certainly do want direct exchequer funding because that way, people don't think about being ridden sideways once a year - It won't happen, The future of media commission already said as much - because of 'Perceived or actual bias' [by RTE to the govt of the day]

FFG already pay RTE millions in a under the counter sort of way with the govt sponsored adverts - 'How to wipe your arse properly' By the HSE, 'Visit the Chester Beatty Museum'...it's free in FFS, 'National concert hall'...all paid for by govt - ads that don't seem to run on any other station and now the new trick is to double up on those with the Irish versions. The next trick will be to have those ads in Albanian. Add to that, the direct sponsorship of a radio show (today with CB) by the state agency Solas

If it weren't for the 10's of millions paid by govt in this semi-covert support, RTE would have had to clean up their act. It stinks frankly.

I don't know what SF would do. They may well go down the retribution route I mentioned or, they too may form a cosy relationship with RTE in a mutual backscratching arrangement similar to the one that exists today.

On your point -

They'd [govt] be very brave to piss people off even more than they are now so I don't really see them doing anything anytime soon

The Board need a good kick up the arse, perhaps the CnaM might as their Authority / regulator consider investigating this or telling them to get down to business.

@Gen.Zhukov Not just these type of PSAs but also lots of programming from Screen Ireland funded Drama to SFI funded Lifestyle such as Hospital Live, from EPA's Eco Eye to Bord Bia's Cookery programmes, in one of their annual reports for independent production it showed that 50% of the funding for independent productions came from a range of outside sources. Couple with the fact that last year the government pick up the tab for the NSO.

That's a ruling passed down from the Language Commissioner. I think 50% of all of those ads must now be in Irish. The problem that your seeing IMO is that the adds are far to wordy even in english and the Irish translations are just all over the place and really just an afterthough.

PSA ads in Ireland are dreadful to begin with with little to no creativity causing even less creativity in Irish.

We won't be getting another one of these anytime soon.

https://youtu.be/0EZvqTt9zoc

It's embarrassing the national broadcaster can't do a full news bulletin during the holidays.

But you know why they don't broadcast over the summer?