Turn The Tithe

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 Though the next budget may be some way off in October, I would like to suggest at least one way the Government could do something for the long-suffering masses, and it wouldn’t cost them a penny – repeal the TV and radio licence fee, and let RTÉ fund itself however it wishes, in an open market where it already has a good headstart.

That would put €160 annually back in the pocket of every honest licence-payer in the State. It would also end the situation where anyone who wants to watch any television is obliged to pay a heavy subsidy towards a station they may never watch; and whose money may be used against them and their private views as citizens, as RTÉ pursues its own agendas.

If we were all still paying tithes to the Church of Ireland, despite not availing of its services, or obliged to subsidise a state newspaper, there would be uproar. Yet we are in much the same situation regarding the relic that is RTÉ. The tithes were finally abolished in 1869. Perhaps someone could start a campaign to liberate RTÉ and end its dependence on our pockets. – Is mise,

Nicolas O’Foghliu
Carrigaline,
Co Cork.

The television licence (Irish Times letters)

Previously: Ireland’s Biggest Problem Is RTÉ Says Max Keiser

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199 thoughts on “Turn The Tithe

  1. Jess

    Yup, can’t argue with that.Nothing sticks in my craw more than having to pay wages to Joe Duffy and fund whatever the hell nationwide is.

      1. meadowlark

        Nationwide is one of the few programmes they do that is not at all bad. In fairness and all that.

      2. Jess

        I refuse!! Death to nationwide! They have nothing other than ‘Mother and daughter packed it all in to start their boutique sock company that’s now expanding to employ their cat’ every day! the same bloody thing!!

        1. ReproBertie

          Well, that and coverage of every festival up and down the country (nationwide even) and a look at local museums and events that you would find nowhere else.

          Viva Nationwide!

      3. Clampers Outside!

        I’m with Caroline, hands off Nationwide…. it’s a damned good breath of fresh air after a long day in winter and when you’re lucky to get to sit down by 7pm… I find it very relaxing, a break from the hustle and bustle of fairly the sh*tty of the city :)

        1. Mani

          I enjoy watching it and noting Anne Cassin’s slow metamorphosis into a chipmunk, waiting for the episode when she discards her old flesh and climbs a tree, where she will surely marry Ray Burke.

    1. scottser

      a few bob does go towards funding the rte concert orchestra though. i’d be more than happy to throw a few quid in for that but tubs, o’connor et al can kiss the brown end of me nads for all i care.

  2. erm...

    He makes a good (if a little dramatic) point. The thoughts that I fund the Late Late Show gives me the willies.

  3. weeeelllllllll

    or we could even use the system the BBC use – you pay if you watch, you don’t watch but own a tv to play DVDs or an XBox and you simply go online and tell them

    yeahhhhh, never gonna happen

    1. Medium Sized C

      I agree with this.
      There are problems with RTE.
      I have serious issues with the money being paid to major personalities while small content producers barely get paid.

      But they provide a public service that the private operators don’t and will never do.
      Plus TG4 is funded from licence fees, and TG4 is awesome.

        1. Medium Sized C

          As in combine RTE 1 and RTE 2?
          Its a grand idea until you have to find room for both GAA coverage and the rolling saturday night vacuous chat show.

          I don’t watch the Saturday Miriam or Brendan whatever-the-hell but I’m big enough to realise that lots of people do and that’s why I don’t get to decide how my tax gets spent.
          I’d venture that is why there is so much imported cruft. Because its cheaper to buy american reruns than make original content for two channels, but its necessary to have two channels for the times when you need to cater to multiple demographics.

          I will fight shirtless for TG4. TG4 must stay regardless.

        2. Clampers Outside!

          Experts..? there’s only TV3 left in this market, and their idea of popular culture is LCD programming, and I don’t mean the band.

          No commercial TV station on the planet cares for quality as much as they do about getting ratings and making money. That’s the point of a public broadcaster to provide stuff that not everyone is into, so if you don’t like LLS tough sh*t, there are far more people that do watch it more than 99% of the TV programmes on ALL the other stations available. You cannot argue with that.

          RTE is far from perfect, wage caps on Marianne, Joe, Tubs et al should be imposed.

          It bolied my proverbials to hear Tubs insisting on not taking a pay cut when they were cutting everyone in RTE. The fupping tool has been losing listeners in every slot he’s been given over the last few years on radio… and his stint on the LLS has dropped viewers too.

          My solution to that… put the feckers on a pay scale directly related to their viewers / listeners. That’ll shut them up!
          So… if Tubs moves into a radio slot that had say 100 listeners, but he only pulls in 80, then the radio part of the salary should be reduced by 20%, and so on across the media he is on. If the fool thinks he’s so popular, let him put the money where his mouth is.

    2. VinLieger

      Its a public luxury not a service and as a luxury if I don’t use it I shouldn’t have to pay for it.

        1. Medium Sized C

          Irish Language television.
          Really, really good historical and musical documentaries.
          Really good Irish trad and folk music television shows.
          Music television shows that play rubbish music that staggering amounts of Irish people love.
          Epic westerns.
          Leinster and Munster matches.
          GAA coverage that doesn’t make RTE.

          Ni dhúnfair TG4.

          1. Medium Sized C

            Yer man with the mad face who does the weather half the intros and is a mean sean nós singer.

          2. Jess

            And cheap as chips too. They are 10 times the channel RTE are and do it all without paying ryan bloody tubridy half a million a year

          3. Spaghetti Hoop

            The westerns round off my day pretty nicely, thanks TG4!!!! The Spaghetti Western is a work of art.

            Some good feedback here on what content people actually value, so I hope the Director General reads this – or the Scheduler, whoever the jayziz comes up with the half-arsed baloney every year. I’m glad that radio continues to win favour – RTE 1 and Lyric are top stations.

  4. ahyeah

    Kind of odd how excited we all get about water charges, but not a whimper about this. At least most of us actually want water brought into our homes.

    1. RobinBoy

      This is true.

      I can honestly I never use RTE based scheduling for anything. What’s the point? There are better outlets out there for every single thing they show.

      Most station are kept afloat by the ad revenues they generate which RTE (TV and Radio) does. The vast majority or Licence fees I would imagine go to their bloated presenters.

      1. Medium Sized C

        This is wrong.
        It ceased to be an opinion when you said there were “better outlets out there for every single thing they show” because there are so many things in RTE programming that nobody else shows.

          1. Clampers Outside!

            The fact you have to ask shows you’re talking through your hoop and just trying, very badly, to play devils advocate or some other stupid stance rather than actually trying to make your point.

            You know what the “Like?” is.

            If you don’t then you don’t belong in the discussion because you haven’t looked at the details…. you should go back to TheJournal where that type of dumb argument is acceptable.

          2. Cian

            GAA coverage. Irish language television. Decent Irish focused local coverage. Decent Irish focused arts coverage. Irish investigative journalism.

    2. ethereal_myst

      You will probably hear a bit more than a whimper when they bring in the new public service broadcasting charge….fun times ahead

      1. ABM's Bloodied Underwear

        Signed in by Rabbitte on his last day in the minister’s position.
        F*cking coward.

        At least he didn’t exempt religious orders from paying compensation to their abuse victims, but still…..

  5. Danny

    Yeah,
    But at least it stems the tide of opinionated chav rubbish we see on SKY…. And Cheryl Cole on ITV…
    Meanwhile on TV3; Tallaghfornia, anyone???

  6. newsjustin

    The letter writer makes a very good point. Hard to disagree. But, as mentioned above, RTE is also (like it or not) a public service. It may be a public service you or I don’t want, but you might also say that about publicly funded parks or libraries.

    Strange situation alright.

    1. newsjustin

      Also, RTE have a lot of additional “stuff” that has value – orchestras, important archives, Bryan Dobson….

        1. pedeyw

          Careful now. You don’t want to go threatening a Great Old One. Curse the Mi Go instead, all they’ll do is buzz at you.

  7. edalicious

    I wouldn’t agree with getting rid of it. I would propose massive reforms so that we’re getting value for our money though. RTÉ is absolutely mired in bureaucracy and could probably do with streamlining so that more of the money goes on making watchable TV, not feckin’ current affairs programs 3 nights a week. Also, top level wages, yadda yadda yadda.

    1. jungleman

      I’ll take the current affairs programmes over fair city, the late late or anything with daithi o’se or mario rosenstock in it. How these people keep getting renewed contracts is beyond me.

  8. Lilly

    But what would poor Ryan Tubridy do? Could he retrain as a bus driver or maybe a manager in Dunnes Stores. Joe Duffy I see driving a taxi.

    1. Medium Sized C

      Continue to get paid.

      Tubridy and Duffy would become more important to RTE if they weren’t publicly funded because their monstrously popular shows would pull in the best ad revenue.

        1. Lilly

          Also, the public would continue to watch the Late Late show if Dustin the Turkey was presenting it and they were paying him in giblets.

          1. Neilo

            Wouldn’t that be cannibalism, though?

            Only way I can swallow the licence fee is that it covers Lyric FM, TG4, Fair City, Nationwide and the rights to Hansi’s theme music for The Sunday Game.

  9. Dubloony

    Could they hire some people under 40? Its oldie TV, ah, remember that thing that happened way back in….

    Despite everything going on in this country, there is very little on science, eco eye the only program even mentioning climate change, same pundits on everything, no fresh thinking its.. tired. Needs to be kicked up the wazoo.

    1. Lilly

      They’re not even catering to the 40-55 demographic – all the talking heads on Marian Finucane seem to be over 60, and Sunday Miscellany is stuck in 1950’s rural Ireland. RTE radio is miles ahead of RTE TV but it needs a massive clean sweep.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      Why? Parish priests still do play a big part in many communities. I’m no longer religious myself, but I know I’m in the minority in that… as much as it might feel like a majority due to whom I hang out with, but I’m very aware, that is not the norm.

  10. James M

    Look at it this way: You’re not paying for RTE. You’re paying for the benefit of living in a country where the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Denis O’Brien don’t have unrestricted control over the means of mass communication .

      1. bob

        We don’t get BBC for free.
        I happens that we are able to pick up BBC on free sat. If we were to get BBC for free, they would allow us to stream their bbc iplayer, which they don’t.
        Denis O’Brien has communicorp which has about 5 stations in the Dublin region.

  11. Der

    I have a problem with the €85k they choose to pay to the Iona Institute right before MarRef. I got rid of my telly after that, I couldn’t be supporting that. Netflix it is.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      The TV licence extends to PCs , laptops, tablets, mobiles etc….. anything that can receive a broadcast whther through the internet or over the airwaves, wifi or whatever.
      Throwing out your TV does nothing.

      1. Robert

        I don’t think so. The general “broadcasting charge” that was supposed to revise the television licence and cover all these alternatives never actually made it to light. I think you can still get away with saying “it’s a monitor for my DVD player”, and in fact even just get a Black & White licence …

        1. Medium Sized C

          You could never get away with “Its a monitor for my DVD player”.
          If it can receive TV signal, its a TV.

          1. benny

            Yarp. That includes TV signals over the internet, so technically any Internet-enabled computer that can play RTÉ player comes under it. There’s a minimum screen size of 160cm2 or so ,which would exclude most phones.

          2. Robert

            *sigh*

            http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/media/tv_licences.html#l1f4da

            “You do not require a television licence to watch television on your computer or mobile phone. However, the computer must not be able to receive a signal distributed by conventional television broadcasting networks, for example, cable, satellite or aerial.”

            You might like to say that internet comes over cable, but I’d argue that’s not what’s meant by “conventional” network, and I’d be right.

            If anybody wants to post legislation that contradicts this, or a test-case where this point has been clarified in their favour, rather than some personal interpretation please do …

          1. David

            It’s more than possible that the “Fine the Gaels” party will introduce the broadcast charge if they get in next time. They haven’t been able to introduce new taxes for some time, they need to get their fix.

  12. Bonzor

    The alternative to RTE, in terms of Irish broadcasting, is the muck of UTV and TV3. The country is dumbed down enough as it is without taking the last channel to show something of any educational worth off air. Clearly salaries still need to be reduced for the top earners, but RTE churns out tons of high-quality programming every week. Would be a disaster to lose it.

      1. Fergus the magic postman

        The last time I actually watched RTE, it only took one person to present this show.

          1. Fergus the magic postman

            I presume that question is aimed at Bonzor, which is a relief, because I’m at a loss to come up with the goods for you.
            Leave It To Mrs O’ Brien was good, & Play The Game saw Twink at her brilliant best, but I don’t think those are on anymore.

            Stop the lights.

          2. newsjustin

            Ear to the Ground is an excellent, always informative programme (whether you’re into farming or not).

    1. Jimmy

      @Bonzor “RTE churns out tons of high-quality programming every week”

      I must be watching a different RTÉ.

    2. Clampers Outside!

      I’m with you Bonzor !

      I’d hazzard a guess that these guys are all expecting you to mention an HBO type mini-series when you say “quality programming” and they are ignoring all of the ad free time on RTE2 kids TV; ignoring the home produced teen TV, current affairs and news programming; etc…. I hate all soaps, but they are a stalwart of any tv station, RTE has one (albeit quality os a debateable one); Winning Streak may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it keeps over 40% of those over 55 entertained every Saturday evening in a slot when most youts would be out and about.

      Name a “quality programme” is a stupid question in some / many respects depending on the programme….

      Because usually what you come up against is an arguement against the TYPE of programme rather than whether it is good or bad. Winning Streak is a perfect example, a winner of a programme for it’s target market, but most people would complain that the games are stupid, it’s chance, it’s silly, etc… all of which are points showing that whoever is making them does not understand the programme and what it does do for the people it targets – older people, who make up a bigger share of the country trhan those wanting to watch Breaking Bad or some such.

      Be objective people, or at least try.

        1. Clampers Outside!

          How many programmes from how many channels did they churn out before they got one that you liked, or one that was commercially successful outside the audience it was originally made for.

          RTE made Love/Hate… that sold
          Hell they even made “The Lyrics Board” which made millions for Andy Ruane and sold to a large number of countries, but I’m sure many on here would say TLB was sh*te TV… no pleasing everyone.

          So, back to my point, what has Denmark done for TV viewing lately?

      1. Buzz

        Winning Streak is pandering to the braindead. Any Public Broadcasting Service worth its salt should take a stance and refuse to produce such drivel. The Late Late show is not far behind. Ryan Tubridy could have an alternative career as a cabbage.

  13. Drogg

    You can never trust a media organisation that has over 2000 employees and less then 100 that make programs for TV and radio.

    1. pixel_pimp

      its hard to argue with that, tbf.

      RTE does need “constant realignment” to keep it relevant, responsive and real. So does the rest of the public/civil service in Ireland: Struggling to keep up, bogged down with bureaucracy, dancing to the tune of its political and financial masters.

      Most of all it needs culture change away from its monolithic civil service ethos towards a creative, agile media provider.

      But how do you achieve that? And by extension, how do you achieve that across all the public services?
      The current (and previous) government seem to have a plan for that – witness recently Irish Water, Eircode, the Eircom sell-off, and the looming Aer Lingus sale.

      Arguably all disasters for the nation and citizens (now re-branded as stake-holders or “consumers”) privitisation offers the government a neat trick to outsource the managing of the asset, in return for uncertain sums of quick money used to improve their chances of re-election.

      If you want to know what a private ownership media landscape looks like, look to any country in Latin America, look to the US. Wall to wall game shows, mindless soaps and a commercial-to-content ratio nearly double what we endure here.

      Is that what we want for Ireland?

  14. Squiggleyjoop

    It is s very strange tax when you think about it. €160 on top of the 23% VAT I paid when purchasing the TV as well as the VAT I pay on my UPC bill. All this as well as the fact I never watch RTE as their programming makes me sad and angry. Celebrity Bainisteoir? The Saturday Night Show? Late Late Show? Not to mention the vastly overpaid radio hosts. Katherine Lynch? And the revenue made from ads must be something else too seeing as there are so many of them.

    1. James M

      It may seem strange, but if public service broadcasting were paid for out of the Exchequer the government would have too much influence over editorial decisions, which would be very bad for democracy. So the Dáil decided that Radio Éireann (as it was then) would be funded by a licensing system administered separately from the Revenue, topped up by advertising.

      1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

        Australia’s ABC is funded centrally. It is certainly not in the pocket of the current government (thankfully).

    2. Clampers Outside!

      You just named a bunch of shows targeting different people, so what you are saying is they don’t make what you want to watch.

      Why not tell us what you do want to watch… I’d bet on two things!
      1 – Production will be through the roof and you are not taking into account the risks and costs in producing a pilot programme for a series.
      2 – You want all the programming to suit your tastes.

      1. Squiggleyjoop

        I’m not arguing against the fact it needs to be paid nor do I expect everything to suit what I would like to watch. But the low quality (in my opinion) of a lot of their output does make me sad and angry. That said I accept there are loads of people who enjoy what they do. So yeah, I’m just having a bit of a futile moan is all.

        1. Squiggleyjoop

          Also the nepotism and ‘jobs for the old boys’ culture is hard to take but hey, this is Ireland. Graham Linehan spouts a lot of nonsense on Twitter but his thoughts about RTE with regards to nepotism recently were interesting.

          1. Buzz

            Yup, generations getting their fat bottoms on seats for life – fathers, siblings etc. and genuine talent not getting within an ass’s roar of the place.

      2. JT

        Clampers, when I turn on Primetime, I want to be informed, not blinded by hair extensions , hence I switch off and tune into Newsnight.

        1. ReproBertie

          You won’t see anything about Eastern European gangs ripping off charity drop off points in Sligo on Newsnight.

    3. Clampers Outside!

      “And the revenue made from ads must be something else too seeing as there are so many of them.”

      Two points on that:

      1. TV3 has 12 minutes of ads per hour maximum. They are looking to increase this to the same as the UK commercial channels of BSkyB. TV3 also has a max. of 10mins per hour in kids programming, wjhere as RTE have zero minutes.
      2. RTE is restricted to 9 mins of ads per hour on both TV and radio.

      If you think there are a lot of ads on RTE you need to watch a commercial channel like one of BSkyB’s

      1. Neilo

        There are indeed bugger all ads on many RTE programmes but there can be a shocking number of trailers when programmes run short e.g 4 lengthy promos in a single break after ‘Selfie’ on RTE2 Monday night. I agree that RTE is much more watchable ‘live’ than BSkyB.

  15. Mr. T.

    If RTE put Finucane out to pasture it would be a start. She’s a large part of the problem with bias on RTE.

    Get rid of Donkey O’Rourke and stick him back on Oireachtas Report.

    Tell Aine Lawlor to stop making every minute of radio about herself.

    Stop the cult of personality on RTE (Mammary O’Callaghan, Claire ‘School Prefect’ Byrne, Ryan Rubbery, That Self Obsessed Needy Weather Girl).

    RTE is very self regarding and Dublin centric.

    1. Lilly

      Don’t be so fast to fire Finucane, she’s one of the best interviewers they have and, unlike say Tubridy or O’Callaghan, she has an interesting mind. Her Saturday morning programme is excellent at times. Certainly she could be accused of bias but that could easily be balanced by other contributors if she had a decent producer. And of course RTE is Dublin-centric, they’re listening to Bog FM down the country.

      1. newsjustin

        Finucane is a poor presenter and interviewer. I’ve never understood people’s regard for her in those roles.

        I’m not saying this to be controversial, but I would genuinely rate Brendan O’Connor and Tubbs as better interviewers.

        1. Spaghetti Hoop

          Does anyone remember when Tom McGurk had the Marian radio slot at the weekend, with a different panel each week and a thorough discussion on both Irish and world current affairs? Brilliant radio.

          1. Neilo

            I remember McGurk’s time in that slot and covering for Pat Kenny during the hols. Superb broadcaster.

        2. Lilly

          Ah come on, Brendan O’Connor in John Murray’s slot recently had about as much life as a jelly fish. And Tubs, just too boring and predictable. I’m not sure what Marion’s appeal is… authorative, natural, a bit of a laugh at times, asks searing questions, good on human interest stuff. I even like the gravelly voice and hacking cough :) Anything other than the diet of bland they feed us day in, day out.

    2. Medium Sized C

      “RTE is very self regarding and Dublin centric.”

      That is no more true than for any other non-Dublin-regional outlet.

  16. Joe835

    I think the Irish cultural landscape would be enhanced with a much-reduced RTE. RTE1 could simply become RTE Television, a kind of BBC Four channel, concentrating on activities that would be culturally-significant but wouldn’t necessarily be commercially-viable for TV3 et al to make, like documentaries, extensive national and international news coverage that would be impractical for a private company to operate and the occasional movie or drama/comedy commission, made to a higher standard than they currently do.

    Keep RTE Radio 1 and combine it with Lyric to become RTE Radio. Leave sport to commercial broadcasters (with certain free-to-air events like the All Ireland finals etc.) and cut out/sell off everything else. Ban RTE from showing anything they didn’t make themselves or at least help finance. Why on earth do they need 2FM, a state-owned popular music radio station? Or RTE2, a channel showing imported shows that uses licence fee money to get the rights ahead of everyone else. Why should RTE use our money to broadcast a new Bond movie this Christmas when TV3 would have done it at no cost to the viewer?

    And why are they allowed to disrupt the advertising market so much? The mere presence of RTE in the Irish media market makes advertising here more expensive than it needs to be and restricts the earning potential of any private broadcasters, who can deliver the popular content viewers want while charging no-one but advertisers.

    Television might be dying and the idea of “broadcasting” could be gone within a decade. We need content providers and I can only see RTE’s role in such a landscape as creating culturally-enriching, but not necessarily financially-viable, content.

      1. rotide

        No, It seems ridiculous and shortsighted.

        Ban RTE from showing anything except what they made themselves but at teh same time take away all the sport and popular imported shows?

        Where do you think the money for Love/hate comes from?

        1. Caroline

          The idea would be to leave as much money as possible for making just that content, as well as other programmes that do well and that are uniquely or particularly Irish (like Winning Streak, the soap opera, the Late Late, GAA and other Irish sports or whatever, TG4 etc.). If that’s not possible without also competing for expensive films, series and sports rights, running an additional music station, then fair enough. (Don’t merge Lyric though, that’s ridiculous, unless the orchestra is to go as well.)

          Not sure how it’s self-centred. It’s irrelevant in my case, not even my beloved Nationwide would convince me to own a TV.

          1. rotide

            Firstly, not every show has to necessarily ‘do well’. RTE has a mandate to air stuff that is not wildly popular but fills a niche.

            Secondly, all the populist stuff drives advertising revenue which is then used to fund the former programming.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      Total nonsense Joe.

      As a public service broadcaster it is there to service ALL the people, not just those over the age where they find current affairs and news interesting…. also what about world cups and other sporting events. Does everything stop for those? One channel is a nonsense.

  17. King Thistle

    It’s not perfect, but it does so a lot of things right, and it does things nobody else could or would do.. Eg the investigations into leas cross, Aras attracta, the creches. The radio is usually good – morning Ireland, this week, Sean O rourke , the website is not bad, the archives are very important, the GAA coverage is great much better and cheaper than sky, rugby is ok, Olympics, George Hamilton, World Cup. children’s programmes are quite good, could do with investment though… northern Ireland coverage is good at least they have someone up there telling us what’s happening. There’s a lot of rubbish on it too, but when you take it all together look at the TV, radio, Web, sports, Orchestras, children’s programmes, investigations etc it’s not bad.

      1. ReproBertie

        Prime Time, Crimecall, investigations into creches, old folks homes, the Week in Politics, Oireachtas report – this is mostly government propaganda? Grow up.

    1. Mr. T.

      And O’Rourke is openly hostile to anyone left of centre which is extremely unprofessional and inappropriate for the job he is supposed to do.

  18. David

    I’ll gladly pay towards the running of a TV or radio station provided there are no adverts on it.

    Till then, find the popular phrase in these letters: ff kc ufo

    1. ReproBertie

      If you want to pay for RTÉ to be ad free then the licence fee will increase at least ten fold. We have a small population with a public service broadcaster trying to provide for everyone. €160 is, in my opinion, a small price to pay for daily news, weather, GAA\Airtricity league\Six Nations\Pro12 coverage (as well as the Champions league of course), political coverage, investigations into current affairs, a platform for the likes of Love/Hate or An Bronntanas (compare them to the quality of drama on TV3 for an idea of what TV budgeted in Ireland can produce) and children’s programming like “What’s your Game” and “Clue Crew” which captivate my 4 year old (the children’s TV on RTÉJr is ad free as well which is great).

      Not everything on RTÉ is to my taste but I’m sure there is an audience for the Late late just as there is for the Imelda May show. RTÉ has a responsibility to cater for both audiences and, with limited resources, they do a decent job.

        1. Paolo

          Well, if there was no fee then there would be far more adverts and they would be far more frequent.

        2. ReproBertie

          The fee alone does not cover the cost so ads are required. Without the ads the fee goes up. Without the fees the ad numbers increase.

          1. David

            Yeah, fine: adverts pay for the service or licence fees pay for the service. One or the other. But no public subsidies to advertisers. This is the nub.

  19. Custo

    They’ll abolish this as soon as they figure out a way to introduce the ‘Broadcast Charge’ that will be applicable to anyone with a mobile phone.

    A true ‘public service’ broascaster doesn’t have advertising revenue.

      1. newsjustin

        Why, just as a matter of interest?

        Potential conflict of interest? Dislike of adverts? Philosophical belief that public service broadcaster must not be funded by non-public funds?

      2. dereviled

        The small population would limit funding.
        Are there other countries providing public broadcasting for part of the day?

  20. munkifisht

    Things worthwhile produced/commissioned by RTE
    Primetime
    Hands
    Reeling in the Years
    Paths to Freedom
    Late Late toy show
    Republic of Telly
    Much of the Sport coverage
    Love/Hate
    Podge and Rodge
    The Den
    Bull island
    Other Voices
    The Family
    Apres Match
    Bachelors Walk
    Good Grief Moncrieff
    Don’t Feed the Gondolas
    The End

    And then the stuff co produced with BBC or others over the years.

    Lot of shite on RTE, but a lot of good too, and always a good thing to remember in our capitalist centric post tiger society, we’re a small corner of the world and, outside of Father Ted and Moone Boy and stuff about the North, RTE is the only hope we have of producing home grown TV that relates to our own society and isn’t British or US import (and yes, there is that, but you have to fill the gaps with that kind of thing. It’s just not cost effective to do otherwise). Also add TG4 and RTE radio as well as the percentage of the licence (which admittedly isn’t much) that is provided for TV3 to produce home grown material, the RTE orchestra, RTE online and movies that RTE have produced.

    I am also no fan of RTE with it’s terrible right wing bias. So I say restructure but if we want to retain anything of ourselves on the small screen we need to have a funding system like the one that’s in existence at the moment.

      1. Lilly

        Ah ha Clampers! I’ve just realised you work in RTE. Who else would have the time to comment here as often as you do.

        1. Clampers Outside!

          I don’t, but it is a pet love of mine to defend some of the ridiculous and idiotic comments that are often made about RTE and the TV licence.
          I find the majority of comments against RTE can be knocked back easy enough and are usually made by people who have given no thought to a wholly commercially run alternative.
          The comparison of RTE to BBC (as if they were on the same budget levels) is always good for a laugh and helps root out the complete muppets in this debate.

          I don’t work for RTE, went for a job as assistant* to the programme controller a good number of years back (… now add a few more years), would have loved that job :)

          ( * assistant? …something like that… it was a job that would prep the person for the prog controllers position anyway. The career path that never happened :) )

    1. ReproBertie

      Don’t forget that BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and every American TV network churn out their fair share of rubbish and repeats. RTÉ do not have exclusivity in that area. There’s also a sizeable portion of the population that do not have Netflix and do not download TV so not everybody has seen the entire series of Hip-new-show by the time RTÉ broadcast it.

      1. ReproBertie

        Rats did very well out of it. I believe he’s Warden of the North now.

        “No more slimming pills.
        It’s time for miracles!
        It’s time for miracles!”

        1. Spaghetti Hoop

          Tomo also.
          I’d watch the series all over again.
          Some great RTE comedies made during the 00s.

  21. Paolo

    Yes, we should have TV like the US.

    RTE is a credit to this country and the neo liberals who want it gone can feck off.

    1. Parochial Central

      RTE is a debt to this country. It’s just a money machine for the self-employed contractors like the ever-fattening Miriam O’Callaghan and the serially appalling Ryan Tubridy. As for the d1ckwad Ray D’Arcy….

      1. Clampers Outside!

        So, your issue is with over paying the programme presenters in RTE. No one is going to disagree with you on that.

        Pick a fight where there’s an opponent will ya… :)

    1. ReproBertie

      The Sunday Game, brought to you by the Labour Party.

      Grow up. It’s stupid comments like yours that allow people to ignore your opinion.

      1. Neilo

        It used to be the Official IRA/Workers Party that sponsored RTE, you know. Sic transit Gloria Hunniford.

    2. Kieran NYC

      And of course Labour were somehow funding their propaganda machine through 14 years of FF government?

      Results day must be a terribly traumatic anniversary for you.

  22. Fergus the magic postman

    Brian Ormond was once no more than a failed singing contestant on multiple talent shows.

    Now thanks to your licence fee, Brian has a job for life in RTE who will continue to try to make a show for him that works for the rest of his days.

      1. Fergus the magic postman

        It didn’t influence him getting hired, (I’m not quite sure what the hell, or who more likely, did) but it’s going towards his wage, & it will do for a long long time to come.

  23. Bingo

    Slash the big earners wages by 50% and see what happens.
    SFA, no-one else will pay them even those (deducted) wages.
    Not in Ireland and definitely not in the UK.

    As for content, I watch a lot of RTEs sport coverage si at least I get something for my €160.
    Plenty of people I know pay their license & NEVER watch RTE.

    1. rotide

      You made two assertions. Both are wrong.

      There has been many examples of RTE types going to the UK and getting work.

      The people who you know who NEVER watch RTE? They’re lying. Or you are.

      1. Fergus the magic postman

        I never watch RTE. I don’t have Saorview, & don’t intend to have it. Lots of people don’t have Saorview.

        1. rotide

          It’s funny how the ‘i never watch RTE’ crowd are always the same ones commenting on the whatever the latest prime time scandal is.

          Not saying you particularly, but in general.

          1. Fergus the magic postman

            That’s very similar to Pat Rabbit’s assertion that people without televisions are still able to find out what’s going on in the world by using the internet to check the RTE website. He really said that. Imagine.

            Just for clarity, I don’t watch RTE and I certainly don’t need RTE to know about important current affairs.

          2. Zarathustra

            I’m not sure Rotide, I only watch TV a few times a week, but if I do [I only have Saorview] I watch TG4, unless there’s rugby/ documentary on RTÉ 2, so I can imagine some people not watching RTÉ, or TV at all.

          3. Fergus the magic postman

            If RTE bring some current affairs to the spotlight, then those current affairs are in the spotlight and covered by other outlets.

  24. Clampers Outside!

    Something random for the TV licence dodgers…

    I used to pay for two licences, as one was a direct debit that continued for five years after having left a shared house. I got it back though.

    How to knock 50% of your TV Licence:
    When you have a licence, and it runs out…. ignore it for 10 months or a little more, go down the Post Office and say “I’ve been out of the country, I’m not paying that, I just returned” and get a new one from that date. Do the same again the following year. I did this for a few years and got three years free… I think they copped it after a while, and refused to allow me not pay it when they saw I’d done it a few times. Plus the woman behind the Post Office desk was local, and she knew I wasn’t away :)

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