Archive for January 19th, 2009

Love letters

January 19th, 2009

There are some things that are more important than apathy.

Today is a day for writing love letters to RTE.

Here is mine:

Dear Sirs,
I have never written a letter of complaint before, but on this occasion I feel compelled to.
I understand that RTE is going through a difficult time financially, but there are times when fiscal rectitude has to come second to the primary aim of an organisation.  Your primary aim is to entertain the listening and viewing public, not to return a balance sheet.
I am referring to the decision to ‘dumb down’ the radio programmes broadcast by Nikki Hayes and Rick O’Shea.  These two have done a magnificent job in building up an audience for their shows.  They entertain and stimulate.  In your wisdom, you have demolished that hard work and have reduced their programmes to the banal standard as set by lesser institutions. 
Frankly, if I want to listen to non stop music I will stand in a lift or visit my supermarket.  I did not listen to those programmes for the music content, rather the banter and wit.  It brightened up my day and frequently made me laugh.  That is gone now.  I don’t listen any more as I have no reason to.
Your decision to ‘cut out the banter’ was the most appalling example of short-sightedness.  You have missed the entire point of the programmes.  You have ignored your listening public in favour of balancing the books.  In the short time you may save on a researcher or two, but in the long term you are going to lose your audiences as there is nothing to attract them to your station.
I have been a listener to RTE since the ’60s, back in the heyday of broadcasting when RTE could hold its head high at the standards it produced.  No longer.  There is an apparent determination to produce bland, mindless wall to wall music which frankly can be found on any cheap local station.
This is a decision that is easily reversed, and I would urge you, for the sake of the public, and for the sake of RTE to do so.
Yours in disgust,

So there you go.

It wasn’t hard.

In fact it was easy, as I wrote as I felt.

So now its your turn.

Get off your arses and WRITE.

complaints@rte.ie would LOVE to hear from you.

Too apathetic to be apathetic

January 19th, 2009

I had a great sleep last night.

I awoke this morning full of the joys of life and rearin’ to go.

Today is supposed to be the worst day of the year when all the credit card bills pour in after Christmas, and all the resolutions have failed, but fuck that says I – I’m in good form, and it’s staying that way.

There are a couple of people who have been nagging me for information, and I have been putting them off.  So I banged off the required stuff to my probation officer and to the tax people, and decided to do some real work.

I put my fingers on the keys, to do some typing, and the fuse blew.

I’m not talking about the power fuse.  I bypassed all those years ago.  I’m talking about the mind fuse.

I have things to do.  I have things that I want to do [and there is a difference].  But I cannot summon up the mental energy to do them.

I’d say it was the half bottle of whiskey last night, but Pullit had the other half, and he’s fine, so it’s not that.

I’d say it was the tobacco I enjoyed yesterday, but it’s not that.

I don’t know what it is.  I am finding it very irritating.

I’d go on about it at length,

but I couldn’t be bothered…..