The Montrose site in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, from the 1960s (top) to today (middle); under-utiised land (above) on the campus now for sale.
Hmm.
RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes has confirmed that 200 or more jobs will be lost as the company undergoes restructuring.
Via RTÉ
Dee Forbes announced to staff “some significant changes to RTÉ’s organisational structure”, changes that will “secure RTÉ’s relevance and survival as it becomes a smaller, more nimble organisation over the next 18 months”.
Wide-ranging changes to RTÉ’s executive management structure will see new content divisions replace existing radio, television and digital divisions.
As part of these changes, a voluntary exit programme phased over two years will be introduced in the near future. Full details are still to be finalised.
RTÉ also today announced that almost 9 acres of under-utilised land on the Donnybrook campus has been put on the market, with a guide price of €75m, and that Savills will manage the sale.
Ms Forbes added:
“All of the changes and investment being planned are directly related to the necessary evolution of RTÉ to enable it to collaborate much more successfully, to compete realistically in a challenging market, and to better serve our audiences.”
FIGHT!
RTÉ to cut about 200 jobs as part of restructuring (RTÉ)
Pics: RTÉ
put the whole fupping thing up for sale. if no one wants it close it down
It’s been a long time coming. RTÉ has been acting as though two-thirds of the nation’s viewing and listening audience are still beholden to its monopoly for a ridiculous amount of time after that ceased to be the reality.
I’m not sure you really know what you’re talking about with this.
Ms Forbes also had some curious comments to make about the license fee – reckons €160 is way too cheap and that it’d be good value at double that.
I for one think it should trebled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lzS8yW8INA
I would rather take up residence in Mountjoy .
That clip sprang straight to mind ! Old Boy !
Oooh noooo, let the Lutine Bell be rung. Some cosy sinecures may be lost (not the cosy sinecures which SHOULD be lost, mind you). A Nation mourns.
Whatever way they try to sell this idea the truth is it will probably make the RTE channels worse for the viewers. Quality has declined over the years but this will make it a lot worse I think.
That land they’re selling is insanely valuable though.
Junkface, the quality couldn’t be any worse
Obviously somebody does not watch much of tv3 or 3e.
Will they be able to sell it at the market value? It’s only valuable if its sold for premium residential or commercial.
I’m sure there’ll be a big clammer for it to be used for social housing which will basically half the value.
In this day and age there is no need for license fees, if RTE cannot survive on its own two feet then tough.
So you’d rather another TV3?
+1
That’s the alternative. Absolute dreck.
Funny how this is one public service which the Irish left has no problem privatizing.
LOL. Some chap on a comments section of a webpage = Irish left.
You could say the same about the health service, or any public service. What about bus Eireann? If they don’t make a profit from a bus route only serving three old people then to hell with those people? RTE is a last bastion of public service tv in this world of American style Kim Kardashian rubbish. They cover so many things that are ‘non profitable’ for commercial stations. New Zealand got rid of licence fee in the 90’s and now their tv is utter garbage with no remit for programming that reflects all aspects of society. We don’t know how lucky we are to have this service.
this
Agreed, Paul
RTE is no longer relevant. Given that is semi state owned, should there not be some discourse about the land sale. Should be turned into a green area for the public, god knows there getting rarer. What should really happen is that it becomes a low rent space for a collective of small production houses churning out quality irishcentric content, not the diddledy dee shoight mind. a bit like the digital hub.
That land will be bought by very wealthy developers and they will build exclusive, premier, VIP, extravagant, ridiculously expensive homes for the rich. You can kiss that park idea goodbye
Why is RTE no longer relevant?
ever watch the Late Late?
The odd time, just as most of the people in this country watch it the odd time.
Those figures add up,
Because it continues to trade on ‘certainties’ from the 1970’s and 1980’s. People have moved on.
What utter PPP. Where have they moved to? Rte is one of the most successful psb in the world.
You’re going to need to explain that comment. I have a feeling it’s something to do with late late show guests but you’re going to have to go into a bit more detail regarding the stations overall relevancy and public service remit.
They sometimes show things that he doesn’t like. It should only show things he likes and make things as good as the bbc with a tiny fraction of its budget. Also something about wages of Joe, Marian, etc for good measure.
Digital Hub??? Are you for real? That thing lost tens of millions!!
Perhaps that’s not a good example. But would be nice to have a productive and working little collectivey thingy working from the facility. Bouncing and buzzin and networking together…
Yeah it’s called a tv station which is what we already have.
Cut everything except the true public service aspects.
Forbes loves the corporate speak. She was to listen to on Sean O’Rourke.
You don’t get to be MD of the Discovery Network in Europe without being fluent in such speak. It doesn’t mask stupidity: far from it.
She has a point about keeping the top-line forward-facing, though. If you can’t get the prime viewer/listener vectors in tune with at least some of the striations in the commercial demograph, all the cultural throughput in the world won’t balance consumer expectations.
They could shave off does digital stations. Stop trying to copy the BBC. And the amount of radio they make is mad.
I for one could never take seriously RTÉ’s calls for extra revenue when they were sitting on some of the most valuable land in the country. This makes their calls for an increase more credible.
The point is that the license fee is incredibly inefficiently collected as it stands with various laborious ways of paying allowed and a 15% evasion rate despite a small army of enforcement agents employed.
It is simply a tax on households. As such it should be lumped onto the Local Property Tax which is cheap to collect and has very high compliance.
They need to get with the times. The rte player is barely usable if trying to stream anything remotely popular (ie sporting events) and seems to be populated mostly with Home and Away & every episode of the news, ever.
They need to make old documentaries and any critically acclaimed series etc fully available at all times. Instant streaming of programmes just ended as per BBC iPlayer, roll back live streaming as per Eurosport.
couldn’t agree more about the player, its absolute pish
absolutely correct on making all the archived material available. that material belongs to the nation and should be available to view, for minimum cost as any library.
We will get the service we pay for. But judging by some of the comments, the journal seems to be the media of choice around here.
How are 200 apparatchiks from Radio SIPTU going to find jobs? There are only so many positions back in the UCD students union.
The grounds should be seized by the state and used for social housing.
Aren’t the grounds owned by the State?
Fond memories of working there in the days when there were military guards on the entrances…
Apparently not, especially when it involves property development. I give you the example of he half Built Anglo Irish Bank headquarters building which was put into NAMA. The State’s Central Bank had to then buy it from NAMA, set up by ff but backed to the hilt by fg//
people of means living next door would never allow it dav!
The post yesterday on BS for commissioning Mr’s browns boys to be followed by The Ray D’Arcy show would be enough to have sane individuals running away in droves. 75 million………We’re BACK BABY!!!!!
Niamh from Fair City will be okay though yeah?
And I hope they keep buying Daniel & Majella’s B&B Odyssey. It’s breathtaking.
That was a great idea on their part.
I thought I’d hate it but, my god, I don’t. I really don’t.
I know. I just gave in to it and by golly, it’s brill.
apparently she’s going to be sold off, too.
we could cowdfund that and you could keep her in your shed
In my cowd shed?
:)
everyone’s being unkind today. earlier, mildred made fun of my little gentleman.
Awwwww, I think your warts are cute.
Exactly. Who needs a ribbed condom when you’ve got a deformed clam hammer?
Your way with words is wondrous.
that wan has a face like a bulldog lickin p1ss off a nettle.
i liked her better when she was a cocaine addict.