RTE Cronyism

by Helen Stokes - ex Green Sat Aug 21, 2010 12:52

Stop Paying the license fee-support indymedia instead.

by puggy Sat Aug 21, 2010 12:54

Sorry to criticise, but if you want to be taken seriously you have to produce some semblance of literacy.
" For two long"? What the hell does that mean?

by Patricia Bainbridge Sat Aug 21, 2010 14:45

With a name like puggy it's hard to see the credibility factor!! Instead of fighting against spelling mistakes we should not detract from the main issue which is the corruption in RTE. Are you an employee of RTE Puggy??

by old codger - pensioner Sat Aug 21, 2010 15:22

RTE is controlled by Fianna FAIL who are the masters of croneyism so the disease has spread. Every state body is in the same position.Rewards for services rendered is the first commandment for the pals of Fianna Fail.
Is it any wonder that this country is screwed up. It is time for the people to wise up and rise up.

by evolverman Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:35

nah, government don't control rte - history is full of examples of their opposition - haughey mid-sixties or Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Act in 88 - attempts to control and their resistance - in fact, rte has been a site of resistance in the liberal reformist tradition i.e. non-revolutionary, but 'progressive'.

question is - does this liberalism serve ideology in ways other than cronyism?

but in terms of cronyism itself, one group that is particularly strong in rte is the irish language lobby - cathal goan currently retiring director general was instrumental in setting up TG4 - so, i'd say having a bit of the aul gaeilge wouldn't do you any harm when applying for a job!

the thing about high salaries for presenters and priveleges such as charlie bird or george lee on more or less on a retainer during his venture into parlimentary politics - i'd call that a byproduct of the star system - it was always felt that the only way to sustain rating was by generating these authoritative presenters, and thus the high pay - standard practice internationally really

the question then is - what alternatives are there to this? i mean, is it really so important that a tv or radio show be held together by an identifiable and authoritative individual?

On the other hand, could the centralization of the media around rte be disassembled into community based tv and radio, featuring local people presenting on local and national issues, creating entertainment? and if so, then who would pay for it? rte's advertising revenue stems largely from the audience figures it reaches. were the media to be disassembled into community media, advertisers would hardly pay as much - but then again, there wouldn't be those huge salaries to maintain.

i doubt the promotion of local media - after the elimination and regulation of most of the pirates through legislation - is on the governments agenda right now, athough God help us if they privatize RTE

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:20

It is, after all, the NATIONAL broadcaster. Breaking it down into localised fragments hardly seems its remit. We need centralisation for the bigger picture(and more international coverage rather than less) for the times we are in.
The star payola system is a problem, but has to been seen, as you indicate in the systemic problem its microcosm mirrors. We need to get a social awareness that the cake is limited and that a ceiling on personal individual incomes is as important as a minimum wage. But it needs recognising from the overpaid medical consultant to the underpaid cleaners he depends on to keep his workplace hygenic. From the underpaid miners and other dangerous job practitioners in vital industries and services to the overpaid entertainers and pro sports stars minting millions for strolling down the sunny fairway..
An inverted sliding scale taxation system,is ,I think the most straightforward way to approach it without frightening the centre ground(the only way it can be accomplished democratically). Unfortunately, right across the media, the PD rampant tiger, milk-it-while-you-can-for-what-you-can, mentality has been well and truly embedded over the last twenty odd years. Means you wont get this debate in the Indo or IT letters pages(except in fragmented forms like concentrating on those bastard overpaid public servants.
They seldom stress that the same differentials prevail between the lower and higher paid in both public and private sectors. And never suggest that the policy of paying Faberge coconuts might result in just shrewder and greedier monkeys than the peanuts they offer the rest of us.
And better the Gaeilge be an advantage rather than a handicap, so long as its monitored.
As a public sector actor RTE, like the BBC has many corporate enemies, and as is the wont of the corporate gentlefolk, their methodology includes both rabid attack and stealth encorporation.