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GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL HAS WRAPPED for another year in the UK, with Coldplay receiving rave reviews for their headline performance on Saturday night.
The British band wowed audiences in person and at home as the BBC provided live coverage of all the main acts over the weekend.
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While we don’t have this year’s viewing figures yet, a record 21.6 million people tuned into the BBC Glastonbury TV coverage last year.
With such an appetite for live festival coverage, should RTÉ provide similar coverage of Electric Picnic?
RTÉ used to broadcast the main acts from Electric Picnic but stopped after 2017, focusing on online and radio coverage instead.
So today we’re asking: Should RTÉ show live performances from Electric Picnic?
Poll Results:
Yes (8245)
No (2393)
No interest/no opinion (1124)
Unsure (294)
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They did it before and it was a disaster. They only covered two days of the festival and it was mostly the presenters chatting to each other. Typical RTE incompetence.
@Jimmy Wallace: Their coverage at the Olympics always was excellent and especially at Rio where the female presenters really came into their own….something a lot of us take for granted
@Ken Fallon: yes but they weren’t compelled to have that narcissist Eoghan presenting, they chose to. Then again, knowing rte it could have been so much worse I met that Roz what’sit individual once upon a time. she was with some girl from the rte show Fake street – a pair of complete eegits
They should partner up with YouTube or Instagram and show it live. Unfortunately RTE missed the boat when it came to digitally advancing its platform. If it were to stream over RTE player, the 7 viewers would inevitably struggle with buffering and the endless adverts
@LCD4533: In fairness to RTE, that was once true of the RTE Player but not anymore. I regularly watch live sport on it and never have buffering issues and there are no ads for live events. My only gripe is that it’s about 20 to 25vseconds behind the TV coverage. The Virgin Media player is much worse. The sound is regularly completely out of sync with the picture.
@Brian Keelty: fitting ,it’s partly because of rte that the whole public healthcare infrastructure is headed for complete ruination
Of course, in most countries that laugh at the state of us in Ireland, they’d wonder how the lads at the top pulling the strings in the HSE have even gotten away with this for so long.
I’d say yes but let’s face it the overall quality of the acts has dropped off a cliff in recent years. At this stage All Together Now might be a better bet out of the bigger festivals. I like some dance and electronic but it’s become tediously standard at this stage. It’s a long time since it was the chippy fresh newcomer. Watching DJs on TV is an absolute bore. Heavy music is as ever almost completely ignored in Irish festivals and conversation despite every gig I go to being completely sold out. You have to really dig at most of the big festivals to move beyond the retro and beige.
What about showing us important games like the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland instead of exploiting these games to make money? Equipment bought with public money is used to cover GAAGO.
While EP isn’t my thing at all, you’d think RTE would want to celebrate the largest festival in the country. BBC do great coverage of Glastonbury but it could be argued that they have the resources to cover it properly, and more importantly, the know-how.
@ecrowley ecrowley: Yes, the BBC has resources and infrastructure that barely any broadcaster on the planet can match, never mind Ireland. Hugely expensive to do these things too and with the current wave of RTE the kickback against what many perceive as a jolly would be huge. Many don’t realise that there is a huge amount of hard work going on behind the presenters who look like they are having a good time. But that’s all that many would focus on.
@ecrowley ecrowley: Alternatively they could get properly trolling for the clicks. Bring Tubridy back to present the Electric Picnic! The rage from Journal commenters alone would power the national grid for the next year!
@James T.Kirk: Music coverage across terrestrial channels is pretty good. I wouldn’t know numbers on Fleadh or other festivals but it’s a moot point as the stuff I listen to isn’t covered at all.
@Magnificent Mongoose: I’m not sure who has ultimate responsibility but thinking about the New Years Eve live bash on RTE each year…we have a wad of amazing bands and musicians across many genres and what do we get…a washed up boyband. That’s how much they think of the public.
A small country like ours normally has one state TV channel, maybe two to include TG4, plus one radio station, that’s it. That’s the meaning of national broadcasting for society’s interests. Show the Dáil Éireann sessions, etc, not to show movies, and commercial interests being subsidised by the tax payer
If anything E.P should have its own YouTube broadcasting if it wishes to provide free access.. or create a paid access for events on YouTube to further enhance income so the next event can be even better. Why should RTE benefit..
@Roman Walczak Sadlowski: why should EP profit further in this way? Completely disagree with you. Meanwhile in Britain, supposed leftie Michael eavis is looking like quite the Tory with what he charges for a Glastonbury ticket now.
@Michael o connor: who in your view is more rotten to the core Id love the journal to do a poll
A) Frances Fitzgerald
B) Dee Forbes
C) Noirin o Sullivan
D) Al equal
E) I’m a me feiner I defend corrupt rte, corrupt hse etc
Its complicated. The BBC are a huge operation and can afford to employ someone for 12 months to cover just the ‘Rights’ alone for such a festival. It would only take one band to say no to skew the whole thing. Remember when England said “No” to the Free to air rugby internationals and it fecked-up the schedules?
They should sit down and figure out how to run without bailouts and TV licence fees for mediocre entertainment at best. It’s the channel I give the least time to minus the news and weather the rest is good for sending you asleep,garbage.
What RTE should do, is develop a viable business model. So, now in addition to TV licence, the government (taxpayer) are ranting more funding to this moloch.
RTE is corrupt and completely out of touch. It should not exist in its current form and doesn’t provide public service broadcasting – it’s a rubbish entity with an incredible political bias – you just have to look at Miriam o Callaghan’s career in terms of her connections but many give her a preposterous free pass cos of that condescending but presentable style she has. Absolutely never going to tune in again the damage is done
@John Nolan: pointing out that rte pushes non stop propaganda right down to who’s obnoxious are fheis gets promoted all the whole sole of the rubbish they broadcast isn’t moaning. Stop objecting to people highlighting wrongdoing and calling it moaning. I’m confident that you moan, the question is whether it’s about me fein for you ? For others it’s about Sinn Fein (not the political party) although how appropriate since they smear them non – stop
While I’m on the subject, has rte been caught out even on six one televising the Muslim cal to prayer being done in Croke park? I’ll happily moan about that no organised religion that promotes such fear and terror, including the RCC should get this free ride
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