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

I find this only to be the case with the online player from a browser, I have found their apps to be generally all right, but I have stop watching RTÉ in general so it hard to know as I am not a regular user. And for this I would definitely award him a pay rise!

RTE / TG4 whinge / value for money post.

RTE have a really expensive broadcasting box at croke park all set up to broadcast the pundits and imo it works very well as we can all see from Sunday Game coverage. I am sure they pay a huge amount of money for this box each year and spent a huge amount designing and kitting it out (location of desk, editing room etc).

Watching the ladies finals last week I couldn't help but notice that its its left hand (TG4) was broadcasting from a different part of the stadium and it turns out that they erected a very large temporary podium at the corner of the Hogan and the Hill, its feckin massive and looks like you could host 100 people on it. Must have cost tens of thousands between hire, health and safety even insurance etc and it doesn't look like a straightforward erection due to its size, angle and being raised and all for two days of match coverage.

Here is the best picture I could get, from what I saw and looking at pictures of that end of the ground this is definitely a temporary structure and not part of the fixed building that is located at the edge of Hill 16.

A few logical questions:

1.Why didn't they use RTE's box, a specially designed box to host TV pundits, even if they paid them rent for it as they are both state broadcasters

- Devils advocate could say maybe Croke Park would object then surely all TG4 would have to do is raise raise a little noise and Croke Park would roll over as it wouldn't be a good look to force two state broadcasters to each piss money away seeing as how much money GAA are getting both direct from tax payer and funneled through TG4 and RTE.

2. Why did they not use another broadcasters box (GAA Go have a box beside RTE).

3. Why did they not just rent a normal corporate box (cork park hold back lots of boxes), stick a table and some lighting in it, nobody would have noticed.

4. Who signed off on what is clearly a massive waste of public money.

5. What was the value proposition of this stupid decision. It didnt enhance viewers enjoyment, it didnt advance ladies football.

6. Why are TG4 management not tightening their belts or at the very least at least try to show some prudence even if just for show.

TG4 gets a lot of credit and seems to have avoided the bad press but stuff like this (pure waste) makes me wonder what skeletons concerning wasted spend is simmering away under the surface at TG4.

@flyer_query

Why are TG4 management not tightening their belts or at the very least at least try to show some prudence even if just for show.

To me this relates to RTÉ also.

no effort by either to pull back on cost but at the same time do some cost neutral changes that the audience would see and appreciate. e.g. just a simple change to the News channels on screen graphics, were the picture would take up the whole screen, logo and time in the top left hand corner, 1 ticker along the bottom of the screen, instead of a gaudy design.

Though such a simple change would cost RTÉ a fortune to implement for some bizarre reason.

So government argument on "Why should I bother paying the TV license when the government will do it for me"

Sure, the €160 a year then that we will have to make up for is still coming from their taxes – so that’s the reason why. I’ve always been struck by this debate here, the idea that if the Exchequer steps in to provide the additional funding, where does that money come from? It comes from the taxpayer, it comes from the taxes that we collect

Lets put it this way, I won't pay the TV licence because I don't think RTÉ are capable at their job. They have 10 people in executive roles who are on over 250k, above the pay of the cabinet. We get to vote the cabinet out if we don't think they are doing a good job, meanwhile we have to pay to get rid of the top people at RTÉ because they didn't do a good job.

Johnny Tax payer saves time by not having to pay the TV licence a method of payment slowly being remove by the government.

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/donohoe-confident-tv-licence-compliance-will-improve-1659331.html

I’m confident that as we continue to restore trust in RTÉ – which I’m confident will happen – and as we allocate more funding to An Post to deal with compliance and collection of the television licence, that it will not only recover to where it was in the past, but it will go to a higher level.

Why was the trust lost? And your a fool if you think you can get they 15% who don't normally pay to pay.

+1 on too many RTE people in Paris.

Bare in mind that when Eurosport cover live cycling incl. Tour de France, one of their commentators - Robbie McEwan - commentates from his home in Australia! And Sean Kelly from wherever he now lives! Modern technology doesnt require them to be even at the event.

George Lee is on circa €180k, for what?

While other correspondents aren't on as much money, you have to question what they do on a day to day basis.

I understand that a news report can take time to gather, and most likely they are on their own for most of that "research gathering" but some of them are only just filing reports.

If there are so few reports why so many correspondents?

perhaps I am not looking at this correctly, but if anyone wants to make even a wild guess.

A Year of "Special Events"

When Noel Curran was DG RTÉ began coining the phrase "Special Events". Since 2016 (The year of his departure and the arrival of Dee Forbes) RTÉ has listed the cost of such special events. It's interesting that according to them there were none in 2017 (which would be largely unusual in any one year). They also coined the financial phrase EBITDA** (before Special Events) in their annual report, I'd wonder why EBITDA is even listed in a public bodies annual reports, this surely is just window dressing for investors of a private business (perhaps accountants out there would explain its requirement in an RTÉ annual report), and if it were a private business how having "EBITDABSE" might be a thing!

Now Those are the things listed as special event, "including", there are more event in each year. For example I assume in 2016 would have also included the brexit ref but then the 2017 UK general election is not included ! Anyone know what RTÉ coverage of the 2017 UK GE was like?

Also I don't see how World Cup Qualifiers could be listed as a special event.

These are waffle figures. With the exception of 2021 when their was an exception to the 4 year return of the Olympics and world cup. These are technically special events but RTÉ know well in advance that they are coming and that they will be covering them.

You'd think otherwise from the RTÉ-twitteraity.

Well then Dear George you can get paid a public service wage. Close the door on your way out.