The Director General of RTE wants an increase in the licence fee ... seriously ????

Sean ORourke is probably better than PK for morning chat and is number 4 on the list. Rte were lucky to have a strong replacement who already had strong profile.

Presenting is not easy. Even a look at uk with 60m people and the talent pool is very small.
 
MrEarl said:
There is absolutely no way that the fee should be increased at this time.
Click to expand...
I totally agree. The licence fee makes up 50% of the income of RTE and the cost of licence collection alone is totally inefficient.* It would be productive to change the fee to a public service broadcasting charge and apply it to every household. Maybe it's time to collect from those who don't pay rather than increasing the fee for those who do.

(* source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland).
 
Last edited:
Collected the fee through post offices as a subsidy to those post offices, just like dog licences etc.
I pay my TV licence on-line. It should be slightly cheaper to pay it that way.
 
This just gets better and better....


RTÉ blames €17m jump in its deficit on having to cover landmark events


So the state owned, state funded (directly or indirectly as the case may be) broadcaster is moaning, claiming that the reason that it lost money last year was because it had to cover things of national interest !

Isn't the public service broadcaster supposed to be spending money to cover such things as the 1916 commemorations ... rather than squandering money on rebroadcasting shows such as Eastenders, or buying in stuff like Homeland for who knows how much, when we can all watch these programmes on other channels.

RTE in their wisdom think it's perfectly acceptable to:
  • buy in programming that can be seen elsewhere
  • pay some of their staff excessive salaries, far more than we pay our Taoiseach
  • continue to run their business from one of the most plush addresses in Ireland, when some if not most of the work done there could be done at cheaper locations

Then they have the neck to want a license fee increase


How about this as an alternative way to address RTE's financial problems:

Everyone on a salary of over €100k gets cut back to €100k, regardless of what they have previously been paid. If they don't like it, they can take a hike.
  • RTE stops buying in and rebroadcasting commercial tv programming which is readily available elsewhere
  • RTE offloads it's non-core services (both tv and radio) and leaves the commercial tv and radio markets to compete
  • RTE continues to provide services of national interest

With the same amount being generated from the license fee and a lower payroll, less expenditure on bought in commercial programming and a smaller selection of tv and radio stations to operate, I'd expect them to make a profit - not a loss.

We really need to start giving out hell about the stuff RTE has been getting away with - it's gone on for way too long and its our money that's paying for it !
 
Last edited:
Paul Murphy and friends say hello!
 
Delboy said:
Paul Murphy and friends say hello!
Click to expand...
RTÉ staff are overpaid and I expect that the aforementioned Paul Murphy would probably agree that the gravy train chugs on for yet another government-owned corporation.
 
Last edited:
Close 2fm - there's a big net saving.

Maybe look at a broadcast charge? Apply it to property tax and have it paid same way too.

There's the collection charge saved + spongers paying + online watchers paying. Add the 5m saving from 2fm and you can reduce the fee to €120.

If only it were that simple.

And whilst they are at it add a waste / recycling service fee so that just cost of actual waste is charged.

 
On Tuesday just gone at 930 RTE had a repeat of mrs browns boys "live".
At 1020 a repeat of a george lee documentary.
Chances that interested regular RTE viewer hadnt seen them ... slim.
At 1120 they had SSGB, shown earlier this year on BBC but new to anyone on Saorview.
Pretty poor scheduling if you ask me.
 
Hello,

I don't mind them repeating some of their home produced shows for a second time, off peak as it's possible some people didn't see the programmes first time around. That said, with the likes of catch up tv and RTE+1 those numbers who want to see something but don't get to see it, are probably few and far between.

However, being asked to pay a licence fee and now a possible increase in that fee to fund RTE's continued attempts at being a commercial broadcaster, spending large sums on broadcast rights for various programmes we can watch elsewhere.... that is simply not acceptable. It's not a commercial broadcaster, it's a state owned, licence fee funded broadcaster (generating additional income from advertising), that has been allowed to spiral out of control.

Then add into the mix, the fact that they won't even come clean on what they are paying their highest earners, but yet want us to trust them with a license fee hike ... seriously ?

Let RTE cut it's cloth, then publish it's revised figures based on all changes made and we'll see where it's finances are then. If it genuinely needs money to provide the quality national interest service that I expect then I'm happy to pay a bit more, but if it wants more money without full disclosure and accepting the reality of it's situation first them I'm completely opposed to it and more likely to stop paying the license fee completely.
 
peemac said:
But every domestic property is registered, so easy way to impose charges the "I want everything free" people try to avoid.
Click to expand...

I don't believe people in social housing need to pay the property charge though. Not sure if they need to pay the tv license either to be honest.
 
Today's Indo...


Cash-strapped RTÉ paid secret bonuses to bosses despite €20m deficit

The broadcaster now has 101 staff earning more than €100,000, excluding contracted stars like Ryan Tubridy, Ray D'Arcy and Marian Finucane.
Click to expand...


It has also come to light that RTE do not pay their average female the same as their average male... well, perhaps the solution is to lower the salary of the average male out in RTE - solve two problems, the gender pay issue and the out of control payroll !


.
 
Last edited:
The average salary in RTE is €57,500.
The average basic wage (excluding pension contributions) in the ESB in 2011 was €85,000.
Considering their very attractive pensions that is an average package worth well over €100,000.
RTE are part financed by advertisers. Consumers pay the full cost of wages in the ESB, even if they are not ESB customers.
While RTE is worth looking at we should remember that they, just like Irish Water, are but one example of a much bigger problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register