Meanwhile, In Montrose

at

This afternoon.

RTÉ has reported a net deficit of €7.2m in 2019, according to the annual report for that pre-Covid year released today.

Via RTÉ (to be said in the voice of Fergal Bowers):

The broadcaster said there was a decline in commercial revenue in 2019 of €4.2m due to Brexit uncertainty and changes in media consumption habits.

Operating costs, including the costs of special events, were reduced by €2m while there was an increase in total revenue of €342.1m.

Licence fee income increased by a net €7.2m to €196.3m due to the €8.9m increase in public funding in Budget 2019 .

Meanwhile…

the Chair of the RTÉ board Moya Doherty said.

“The current funding model is broken, and RTÉ will face a material uncertainty about its capacity to provide the same level of services in the medium term if it is not resolved quickly and definitively,”

Save Tubs.

RTÉ reports deficit of €7.2m for 2019 (RTÊ)

RollingNews

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37 thoughts on “Meanwhile, In Montrose

  1. Point

    I don’t watch or listen to RTÉ.

    Nobody in RTÉ should be earning over 70k a year, obviously.

    Get rid of rte 2, all the stupid digital channels on the “radio”.

    It’s obvious what has to be cut. But it won’t be.

  2. Andy Pipkin

    If this was any other business they would have called in the liquidator, joke of a Corporation !
    Their output is dreadful, dated and repeats. I try too avoid watching but was asked by a friend to watch,’Clear History’ for my opinion, Christ On A Bike, what a bucket of poo!!!

    If RTÉ was a dog, a vet would do the decent thing!!

  3. Col

    On Radio 1 on a weekday, you could have one programme from 07.00 – 10.00 and one from 10.00 – 13.00.
    Instead they have:
    Morning Ireland for 2 hours
    Tubridy for 1 hour
    Claire Byrne for 2 hours
    Ronan Collins for 1 hour

    1. S

      Tubridy for more than 10 minutes, regardless of the medium, is too much. RTÉ should become a TV service for old folks homes only.

  4. Bitnboxy

    Lord Muck Ganley and Grift (Youth Defence) Media already agitating for a wind up of RTE. I wonder why…?

  5. Dhaughton99

    I’d love to know how much money is spent by the govt for ads. SafeFood, RSA, HSE. The Covid ads must be a goldmine for RTÉ.

    1. spud

      For a while back in first lockdown, the Covid ads along with Vodafone or Virgin media seemed to be the only ads still running.

  6. Gabby

    I’d like less repetitious chat on RTE Radio 1. I’d like to hear more pieces of classical and jazz before 10 am. Tubbers should stop blabbing and listen more to those he interviews. Dear Marian Finucane was a model presenter: her guests did the talking and she just nudged the slow ones a little.

  7. ( ̄_, ̄ ) AKA Frilly Keane

    Started to dig into it there now

    Deliberately deceptive – all glam pics and spin spots, even more than usual
    I’m beginning to think it was deliberately delayed to try and stage some Covid hospital pass cover

    Deloittes are their External Auditors …. so

    anyway, look
    there’s something that’s caught my eye, but its something that I need help with, or at least I would like to explore further

    Anyone out there, QFA Pensions, Pensions Actuary or Underwriters
    even Superannuation Payroll / Accounts people
    ye can catch me on the twitter there, just click the aka frilly etc

    appreciate it, ta, V

  8. millie bobby brownie

    I know it’s been said before but they should cut out a lot of the absolute dross they put out and stick to what they do best. History, documentaries, current events, and kids TV. Cut the frankly ridiculous amounts of money paid to ‘celebrities’ and execs, invest into decent programming that is well produced and slim it down a bit. There is absolutely no need for so much bloating in our state broadcaster.

    1. Cian

      yes and no.

      “Cut the frankly ridiculous amounts of money paid to ‘celebrities’ and execs, invest into decent programming that is well produced and slim it down a bit.” yes

      but I don’t think it is that simple. If they want to run 3 TV channels 24/7 then they need 183,960 hours of content each year. it is difficult to know what will be a success and what won’t. Equally my view on “quality” is differently than yours (or a 15/25/85 year-olds’). Equally, if they always “play safe” they will never innovate. You need to take risks to produce (some) quality.

      In fairness to RTE – they do produce some good stuff – considering we are a small nation.

      1. Shawnee Poole

        3 TV channels running 24/7 for 1 year need 26,280 hours of content
        . Still a lot of hours to be filled.
        Think of the insomniacs.

          1. benblack

            How did you arrive at a six-fold exaggerated mathematical error, Cian?

            Seriously?

            Ah, it wasn’t you, it was the algorithm you applied – the bot’s fault, everyone.

  9. GiggidyGoo

    Licence fee income increased by a net €7.2m to €196.3m due to the €8.9m increase in public funding in Budget 2019.
    .?

  10. Paulus

    For my (licence) money, one of RTE’s strongest suits is documentaries – both the entertaining and the informative. Even in the last few days we had some great examples of this:
    “Let the Rest of the World Go By” and Wednesday night’s doc about the vasectomy champion, Dr. Rynne (TG4).
    While some documentaries are still produced in-house, a great many now seem to be independent productions. I’d love to see an even greater move in this direction. It would almost certainly be more cost-effective – and would spread the production budget out among all these small independent producers.
    It would also ensure that indigenous issues and stories got the exposure the deserved.

    Treat the “celebrities” on a sink-or-swim basis, i.e. if you’re so invaluable then you’ll have no problem finding work in the broader media field; and channel their fees into independent production.

  11. Mike

    RTE are still getting the benefit of the massive increases that were slipped in during the Celtic Tiger Years,

  12. Abdul

    Say anything about the toy show, and you will be reminded that it is watched by 1.7m four year olds.

  13. Micko

    Huge amount of people employed by RTÉ, directly and indirectly. Not to mention all the businesses that make a living providing services to it externally.

    The arts and culture have already taken a battering over the last 10 months.

    Let’s not hurt them anymore than they all ready have been.

    1. benblack

      Yeah, and RTÉ is employed by the government as this COVID debacle has proved.

      Arts and culture – yes.

      Government propaganda platform – no.

  14. Charlie

    The amount of total crap on Tv in the UK is appalling and RTÉ is no worse(and often better). There, I said it.
    Ok the business model is crap and I’m not gonna try defend that. I think the standard of RTÉ productions is quite good, particularly their documentary stuff. In fairness.

    1. benblack

      Mostly produced by external production companies, it must be said.

      Production companies that are owned or partly-owned by RTÉ employees or ex-employees, who themselves, may be an individual, independent company – for tax liability and contractual benefits only.

      The revenue that should accrue to RTÉ, and the public broadcasting purse, is diverted to enrich the chosen few who have learned how to milk the system.

      They of course cannot be questioned on matters private, yet, RTÉ agrees to and renews these contracts regularly – declining the revenues that may be generated by these productions and then has the gall to cry poor mouth.

      1. Charlie

        “Product companies that are owned or partly owned …or ex employees…” Really? I’m aware of a large number of productions and not a soul ever worked or is owned or partly owned by RTÉ. All their work has either been commissioned or acquired by RTÉ. Perhaps you could provide a few examples please in the documentary genre. Thanks in advance.

        1. benblack

          Not owned by RTÉ, but employees and ex-employees that have exploited a tax loophole and set up their own production companies to reduce their tax liability and harness the gold that producing their own shows, and others, that only RTÉ can afford.

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