HOBBSIAN RETURN Just when you thought he had gone away, Eddie Hobbs returns to advise us on 30 ways to spend our SSIA money. The thought of the Corkman's financial preachings is almost enough reason to make you regret taking an SSIA in the first place.

NO FOOTBALL PLEASE, WE'RE IRISH The national broadcaster has once again shown its willingness to spend big on getting live Champions League football and English Premiership football. No domestic football though, that would just be crazy. Despite healthy viewing figures whenever Eircom League matches are televised, the national broadcaster has continued to pay little more than lip service to the domestic game. Those interested in Irish football have to rely on TV3 to provide a weekly highlights package.

FACT OR FICTION Intelligent television is tough to find in any corner of the globe in this day and age. Sadly, RTE is as guilty as others of blurring the lines between lifestyle programming and factual programming. Among the station's key 'factual' programmes is Junior Doctors, a flyon-the-wall documentary about young doctors, and a special hour-long tribute to sports commentator Micheal O Muircheartaigh. There are some factual programmes looking at issues such as the third world, but hard-hitting programming is thin on the ground.

BUYING IN Having hit the jackpot with shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and ER, RTE is hoping to repeat the success with Falcon Beach and Whistler, the latest highly rated shows from across the Atlantic. When RTE has tried home-produced drama, it has been successful. Sadly, there is still too much reliance on America.

THE SMUT MUST GO ON Podge & Rodge returns. The show has been hugely popular, despite humour that would embarrass a toilet. Such is the level of humiliation to which the hosts subject their guests that the programme has often failed to attract guests the audience have actually heard of. Another season on, this problem will surely only get worse.

MONEY-SAVERS Cheap lifestyle programmes are all the rage with broadcasters these days. Throw a camera crew into a renovated house or garden and you have yourself a television programme.

RTE is following the fortunes of antique dealers, troubled families, house renovators and wedding planners. It's all hugely popular, of course, which probably says more about the general public than it does about RTE. Light on the wallet, light on the brain.

RETURN OF THE RATTLE The station made a controversial decision to axe Rattlebag, the hugely popular radio arts show. However, radio bosses then announced a month-long 'Best Of ' series to bring listeners their favourite moments from the show they had just cancelled.

(NOT) TURNING OVER A NEW PAGE David McWilliams took the book charts by storm with The Pope's Children, a hard-hitting account of Ireland's economic boom. The book, however, was released almost one year ago, and considering how widely read it was at the time, whether a follow-up television series can add anything new to the debate remains to be seen.

THE SEOIGE QUESTION It's daytime soft lifestyle overkill on RTE. Not only will The Afternoon Show return for a third series, that programme will be immediately followed by Grainne Seoige's new show. Seoige wants to drop her news background and it is believed the programme will concentrate on lifestyle and lighter features. This begs the question as to whether the schedule is big enough for the former Sky News presenter and The Afternoon Show team.

ARTS? WHAT ARTS?

Arts coverage on RTE television remains fairly unadventurous. Aside from Tom Dunne's This Note's For You and John Kelly's The View, modern music and film are ignored.

While 2FM provides an outlet for young Irish musicians, RTE television does nothing to further their cause. The broadcaster's entire arts coverage appears to revolve around documentaries on Donal Lunny, Michael Colgan and Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill. Hardly cutting edge.

TRUE AND NOT SO TRUE True Lives has brought us some fantastic pieces of television over recent years. So good have been programmes such as Chavez: Inside The Coup, and Assassination: The Death of Archbishop Michael Courtney that they have received international awards. However, whether this season's line-up can match past programmes remains to be seen.

A look at John Ryan, the much publicised man behind New York Dogmagazine, and a celebration of a disco that was apparently legendary in 1970s Dublin don't sound like they will set the world alight.

SHUFFLING BIG NAMES Despite much-publicised 'widespread' changes to the radio schedule, the vast majority of shows remain as they were. From Pat Kenny to Ryan Tubridy to Joe Duffy, very few big names have been moved. Those that have, have been shuffled around rather than changed dramatically, the main transfer of note being Dave Fanning from 2FM to Radio 1.

GOING OFF THE RAILS Following a flirtation with variations on RTE's flagship fashion show Off The Rails (namely, Beat The Stylist) the programme presented by Caroline Morahan and Pamela Flood returns to its original format. Changes made this year to the popular lifestyle programme seemed to cause confusion with viewers, leaving producers returning to the tried, tested and old format.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT?

Another regression faces The Afternoon Show this autumn. Now minus Anna Nolan, producers have re-recruited ex-presenter Sheana Keane. Despite talking to high-profile names in relation to presenting jobs, RTE opted to call back Keane, also presenter of The Health Squad, in an attempt to rescue the much-berated programme.

ME, ME, ME Earlier, this year, the Sunday Tribune exposed RTE's practice of self-promotion, using its own employees as guests on its own programmes. Eddie Hobbs crops up constantly, as do David McWilliams and the You're A Star judges. As all three of these return with programmes of their own, we can expect another glut of appearances as talking heads on RTE's chat shows.

HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE Last season, RTE based an entire travel programme around viewers texting in.

Competition phone lines and text voting pulls in huge revenue. On the radio, Five Seven Live begs for text messages, and the return of You're A Star will add some more dosh to RTE's coffers as viewers vote week in week out for their favourite acts via a pricey text.

DESERT ISLAND DUNPHY For those who were expecting a hard-hitting, ranting radio programme from recently poached Eamon Dunphy, they'll be in for a shock when he goes on air. Dunphy has been given a soft and recycled format of Desert Island Discs, inviting a guest to chat about their essential albums. Haven't we heard this all before?

AD THAT ONE TO THE LIST If the endless ad breaks between RTE programmes weren't bad enough, the station also relies heavily on programme sponsorship.

Along with five minutes of advertising every half-hour, the viewer has to deal with individual programmes hawking a product.

Amongst many others, Lost sells Lucozade and Tubridy Tonight promotes Smart Telecom. Aren't ad breaks enough? Or an expensive television licence?

QUESTIONS ANSWERED?

Questions and Answers will return, along with the continued partisanship of its audience.

Few genuine members of the public actually seem to take part, with the majority of the seats filled (that's if they even fill) with bitplayer partisan councillors and various lobbyists and journalists. More rows of political soapboxes than actual public participation.