RTE NOT 13 GETTING FEE PASS
Emails’ fury at station spending
SAOIRSE Ronan’s latest film has finally received an Irish release date.
The Outrun was shown at film festivals earlier this year and received critical acclaim.
It is based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot and focuses on Rona, played by Saoirse, returning to the Orkney Islands as she attempts to recover from alcoholism.
The film will finally be released in Irish cinemas on Friday September 27 2024. Stills show Saoirse sporting some unfamiliar blue hair and sharing a scene with Paapa Essiedu.
RTE continues to be bombarded with complaints from furious members of the public over a series of spending controversies at the broadcaster.
Dozens of emails were received by the station with many, including pensioners and public servants, saying they could not continue to pay their licence fee.
In one message, an elderly couple asked why they should keep forking out the €160 annual charge when “half of Ireland” had not paid it last year.
An email said: “We are both pensioners and it takes a few weeks to get the money together.
“After the behaviour of RTE last year, I would appreciate an answer to our question.”
A nurse who cared for the intellectually disabled wrote about how she worked 12-and-ahalf hour shifts only to see her “modest earnings” used to help fund RTE.
Her message said: “Since moving to Ireland in [the 1990s] I have always paid my licence fee every January.
“This year I have not paid as I am disgusted at the current scandalous use of OUR licence fees. Gross overpayments of staff, often secretly. And grossly enormous exit packages for outgoing staff, also not transparently.”
Another person wrote: “I am writing to complain about your incessant running of the TV Licence advert on radio and TV – I’m getting a headache listening to it at every advert break.”
Some of the correspondence was sent to An Post, who collect the licence fee, as well as Minister Catherine Martin, before being sent to RTE for response.
A spokesman for the broadcaster said: “[We are] aware of ongoing feedback from the public regarding a number of issues.
“Many of the issues raised have been addressed. We continue to work hard to deliver the reform necessary to transform the organisation into one we can once again be proud of. We are grateful to those who have paid their TV Licence and to our hard-working staff who continue to deliver important investigations, news and analysis, live sport, drama, documentaries, entertainment and more to audiences, day-in and day-out.”
Concert details Tickets
Hotel