If RTE want us to pay more for licence, we need to be getting more value for money
THE new Director General of RTE Dee Forbes has put forward her case to see an increase in the TV License Fee.
This would result in the current fee of €160 being raised by €15 to €175.
Ms Forbes stated that the hike was in line with inflation and would mean an additional €15 million in revenue for the state broadcaster.
So where is our current TV licence going? Let’s take stock of the salaries of some of its stars. Ray Darcy is rumoured to be on €500,000.
There would be a shrewd half a million euro saving for RTE straight away!
Ryan Tubridy is paid €495,000. Tubridy is a real Marmite type of presenter; you either love him or you hate him but regardless he is still on a pretty decent salary.
If RTE are planning an increase, they need to step up their game.
It’s always with a sigh that I turn on RTE One on Saturday evenings during the summer.
There she is; Miriam, who besides Claire Byrne seems to be the only woman in Ireland capable of presenting a show in the eyes of RTE.
For €280,445 Miriam’s long blonde hair and variable wardrobe are a constant in our living rooms.
It is something that has always bothered me about the broadcaster; we are a nation bursting with talent and yet the same sorry faces are rolled out for everything.
Why not pay the ‘ big’ stars lesser salaries and give other fresh talent a chance?
George Lee left to pursue a political career and was allowed a career break to do so, even though journalists are meant to be neutral.
When this didn’t turn out the way he planned he was welcomed back to his €179,120 salary.
Last year the station revealed the salaries of its top ten earners in 2014 with new more current figures expected to be released next year.
Other top earners included Joe Duffy on €416,893, Marian Finucane on €295,000 and Sean O’Rourke on €290.096.
If RTE intend that we pay more, we need to be getting more for our money.
The last series we were offered was the BBC made Redwater.
Although I’m a huge EastEnders fan, it’s six hours of my life I want back. Talk about confusing, it offered up murder, incest and downright madness.
During the summer it is a station of repeats and while brand new series cannot always be expected, a film or two post 1996 once in a while would be nice.
But sure never mind, August will see Six One cut to half an hour and we will once again be treated to Reeling in the Years.
The series which reminds us of times when we looked forward to the future, and the vain hope that RTE might offer us some value for money.