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RTÉ IS SET to spend €1.7 million on a makeover of its news studio this year.
The public broadcaster is seeking tenders for an upgrade of its news studio, which its expects to cost €1.7 million excluding VAT.
The overhaul will include graphics, lighting and an automated camera system that will “give a new look to RTÉ News”, according to tender documents.
It will also provide a second presentation area in the studio by installing a smaller news desk. LED lighting will be used to create a “daylight colour temperature”, while a new video wall will allow for increased use of “augmented reality and graphics templates”.
It is the first major makeover of the RTÉ news studio since February 2009, when a €1.3-million upgrade was unveiled. Some “subtle but significant” improvements were also made in 2014, when the theme tune and graphics were changed at a cost of €25,000.
Last year, RTÉ announced up to 300 job cuts after recording a €19.7-million deficit in its accounts for 2016. The state broadcaster has seen a 24% drop in revenue since 2007.
Plans for an overhaul of the news studio follow significant personnel changes last January, when Bryan Dobson and Sharon Ní Bheoláin were replaced on Six One by Keelin Shanley and Caitríona Perry.
Prospective contractors have until July 9 to submit a tender for the upgrade works, according to the documents.
“The space on the [news studio] floor will be expanded to provide two presentation areas using the same camera chain with the addition of a new robotic camera and a camera rail,” it states.
“A new, smaller desk will be designed and installed on the left-hand side of the studio floor. This will free up space for a second presentation area on the right-hand side of the studio.
“New graphics will be designed for the new video-wall to give a new look to RTÉ News. Tungsten lighting will be replaced with LED lighting to give daylight colour temperature.
“The project will provide the capability for the increased use of automation, augmented reality and graphics templates,” the tender document adds.
The estimated value of the works is €1.7 million plus VAT, which includes €600,000 for display screens, lighting, and TV equipment; and €300,000 for robotics and installation.
The new LED lighting is expected to cost up to €150,000; while the studio automation system and associated system integration has been costed at around €120,000.
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Few 65 inch screens in Power City and LED bulbs obviously don’t cut it for RTE.. Got to go the procurement route and pay way over the odds and use up few hundred man hours reviewing tenders to ensure everything is spelt correctly..
@Hank Schrader: *spellt
If only they would do a makeover on their reporting/spin the feed the sheep.
1.7 million for a few studio lights and a desk!!!where do I sign for this tender
@dick dastardly: let’s go back to the simple newsroom from the days of Don Cockburn n Charles Mitchell n save that money .
A time when people respected the presenters
@Quentin Moriarty: they were both wonderful news presenters
No wonder the head of RTE wanted to increase the licence fee.
Unbelievable. The only thing they should change is the loudness of the introduction music. Complete waste of money viewers don’t need a 2 million view when watching the news. Another reason to cut the license fee sooner rather than later.
@6ljJQRRU: I watch RTE news most nights and what drives me mental is that little RTE logo on the bottom of the screen where a blue bar keeps moving slowly across and then it gets to the end. And repeats. And repeats. Honestly I find it hard to concentrate on the news item. Why have a moving logo? It just distracts attention. Reminds me of the loading icon on the Windows computers.
@Sean: why do you watch the rte news!?
@Sean: damn Sean, don’t watch often enough to have noticed, now you told me it’ll start bugging me too.
Should start with sixone presenters
@Inanimate Carbon Rod: That’s just nasty.
Thought they were practically bankrupt….. That’s why they sold off a portion of Montrose
@Sean Leonard: 107.5 million for just under nine acres of land, property that was bought with taxpayer funds. Of course the real news story is why RTE won’t release how much money is generated by phone in competitions. That information is considered ‘commercially sensitive’ and Denis Naughten is too busy handing out insider information to his rugby buddies to press this matter in the public interest. It make the €19.7-million deficit look suspect. A ruse to increase the licence fee.
Ah they’re just copying Tv3 . .
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: at nearly 2mil I doubt it.
I thought they were struggling financially?
Good ole gullible taxpayer to the rescue, yet again.
Why do they need a physical set when a virtual one will do the job for next to nothing ?
Here’s a lady walking around a set with stairs which is a green room in reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uu8aLBvkeM
Eurosport 2018 olympics coverage – a bit of plasterboard and green paint
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceddbBnl95s
The software will cost a few bob but they will spend that on the new jingle intro anyway – The emperor has no clothes.
@Chewey Bacca: very true. Its very much the norm in broadcast stations elsewhere. Of course the makeover doesn’t cost as much when needed. When all is said and done whatever route they take the money will be spent outside of the country.
Still be fake news and propaganda liberal lies no matter what
@Chris Hop: ___ Fake off..
@Chris Hop: Bang on!
“robotic camera” – just replace them all with robots at this stage
Who watches telly news these days? We get the news online when we want it. This is simply pi$$ing away more taxpayer’s hard earned income. Sooner this anachronism is disbanded, and those RTE wasters turfed out, the better.
@Dance Cuts: that is very true. i haven’t watched RTE news in years… Radio by day and internet at night .
‘Makeover’ is a noun, Darragh. You need to separate ‘make’ and ‘over’ to use it as a verb. Honestly, this is very basic stuff
@Joe Phillips: Fair play, Joe. You are a lifesaver. What would we do without you?
@Art Smith: p
Woops… I was gonna say ‘probably carry on in blissful ignorance’ but I’ve lost the upper hand with that prematurely posted ‘p’.
@Joe Phillips: lol they changed it
@Mark kelly: of course they did. A word of thanks from Darragh would’ve been nice
@Joe Phillips: Virtue is its own reward.
@Mark kelly: __ They just gave it a “makeover”.
@Brendan O’Brien: Fair point, Brendan! I guess I’ve learnt something here today too.
@Ted Murray: Or as they would have said, in the absence of our lifesaver Joe, they’ve madeover it
@WCS: love it
@Joe Phillips: You think journalists write headlines? Honestly, Joe. This is very basic stuff…
I really don’t care
Perhaps they might overhaul the Dreadful Six one, it’s an utter train wreck with only keelan Shanley holding it together, her co presenter is akin to an annoying younger cousin who speaks when she’s told too. It’s a truly awful pairing
Can’t they just dig out the old Bosco set?
Thought they were skint
Good to see they have the money for this while Dee is whining that they need more money.
Very much the gold standard in news reporting though that sounds a lot for a makeover, IKEA have grand gear.
Their coverage is irrelevant, presentation mediocre. And do they really need expensive foreign correspondents in this era of less financially burdened and more incisive news networks freely available ?
They’re getting this money from Varadkar, the previous SCU budget.
So it’s costing €1.7m for dresses for Keelin Shanley and Caitríona Perry
One newscaster is enough for a (supposedly) cash strapped organisation.
More waste of money , desk, chair cam-recorder and video links is all you need €500 tops
Bring back Dobbo to the Six One. That’s all you need- the man is a LEDGE!!
@The Supreme Being: He,s a whah???.
Two new women presenters and they want a studio makeover ( runs and hides)
@ed w: put that there, .. no there .. no there … wait, the wall colour’s wrong .. where’s the colour chart .. now that thing doesn’t match .. let’s go furniture shopping … now put there .. no there .. not sure about the room colour now, where’s the colour chart? How come you never have an interest in doing up the house .. I have to think of everything. Runs for deeper cover.
Hopefully it will improve the news.
..
[Insert disgruntled comment]
@Brendan O’Brien: [RTE,Apoplexy..the one subject that unites all Journal commentators]
RTE can “revamp” their studio all they like . If they don’t change their parochial bias in their news reporting, and report on global affairs , then they’ll remain they joke that they always are.
And there we were told that they had no money,an upgrade of the muck they are putting out,with repeats,of talk shows every weekend,the same old tripe,news readers with out squeaky voices for a start,when the news comes on now at six ,Iturn over to the six o clock show on tv 3,at least there you can have a laugh
For a start it doesn’t need to be an hour long .
Get rid of the gongs
I have no time for RTÉ but 1.7M over 10 years is €252 per news bulletin. And this includes new robotic camera system. Looks like good value to me witch is a change for RTE.
RTE, are you Looking for a Newsroom Computer System (NRCS) drop me an email a.kennedy@octopus-news.com
Robotic tv cameras for robotic news coverage. Sounds appropriate, since most of the news is repeated from other news sources.
Finally getting robotic cameras?? I was using them in America in 1995. Good to see we are only 23 years behind the yanks. Not sure how well three jobs going down to one person will be accepted in Montrose.
Whatever they do NO GLASS DESK.
They seem to have a lot of money to play around with..so for get about increasing the TV licence ,Since the new head took over she seems to be on a spending spree,,what happened to all the money they got from selling off some of the land,,
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