Lyric fm's Breakfast show presenter - Marty Whelan.

Golden Throat · 31-05-2014 6:54pm

So Marty wasn't in Bloom today. I suppose he was there yesterday. But I got one of Neven's fairycakes at the marquee and I bought a big voucher for Macneans. The first of the Xmas presents done there. But "Bloom" was fab! Thanks Marty! I believe Mary Kennedy was there as well but she must have been mobbed with all the other Lyric celebs.

Aidric · 31-05-2014 6:55pm

pinkypinky wrote: »

Yvonne's been quiet for a while.

Golden Throat wrote: »

So Marty wasn't in Bloom today. I suppose he was there yesterday. But I got one of Neven's fairycakes at the marquee and I bought a big voucher for Macneans. The first of the Xmas presents done there. But "Bloom" was fab! Thanks Marty! I believe Mary Kennedy was there as well but she must have been mobbed with all the other Lyric celebs.

Hmmmmm

Golden Throat · 03-06-2014 12:15pm

It turned out this morning that Marty was in Bloom on Friday but after the Show not during it. He had a great time and met a lot of the old faithfuls. Lots of them were on to him this morning on the programme. I wish he would do "phone-ins" because I'd talk to him myself on radio if I got my nerves under control. Great show today.

Calina · 03-06-2014 1:30pm

Golden Throat wrote: »

It turned out this morning that Marty was in Bloom on Friday but after the Show not during it. He had a great time and met a lot of the old faithfuls. Lots of them were on to him this morning on the programme. I wish he would do "phone-ins" because I'd talk to him myself on radio if I got my nerves under control. Great show today.

Building on that, moving him to the Liveline slot might be a very good idea.

Golden Throat · 04-06-2014 7:39pm

Calina wrote: »

Building on that, moving him to the Liveline slot might be a very good idea.

I think Marty is better for Light Entertainment than for serious stuff like Liveline. But a phone-in on music could be good on that show. Classics from the Bus Stop and things like that. I catch him for around an hour most mornings and he really perks me up. I don't think Joe Duffy would do that to me on the way in.

mbur · 04-06-2014 9:53pm

Golden Throat wrote: »

I think Marty is better for Light Entertainment than for serious stuff like Liveline. But a phone-in on music could be good on that show. Classics from the Bus Stop and things like that. I catch him for around an hour most mornings and he really perks me up. I don't think Joe Duffy would do that to me on the way in.

Oh you should check out liveline. Joe is quite the wit these days. He has quite perfected the art of mocking people while sounding sympathetic at the same time. Marty would be hard pressed to keep up the standard but I'm sure he could pull it off if he tried. I'd say he is a bit bored where he is at present.

SaveOurLyric · 04-06-2014 10:29pm

While I am sure such a rounded pro as Mart would make a fine job of Liveline, I don't think it would be the platform for him to display his skills as a humourist or as an expert on the full spectrum of musical genres - the melange that is prooving such a ratings topper with both audience and critics.

HeidiHeidi · 04-06-2014 11:06pm

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

While I am sure such a rounded pro as Mart would make a fine job of Liveline, I don't think it would be the platform for him to display his skills as a humourist or as an expert on the full spectrum of musical genres - the melange that is prooving such a ratings topper with both audience and critics.

Golden Throat wrote: »

It turned out this morning that Marty was in Bloom on Friday but after the Show not during it. He had a great time and met a lot of the old faithfuls. Lots of them were on to him this morning on the programme. I wish he would do "phone-ins" because I'd talk to him myself on radio if I got my nerves under control. Great show today.

Golden Throat wrote: »

So Marty wasn't in Bloom today. I suppose he was there yesterday. But I got one of Neven's fairycakes at the marquee and I bought a big voucher for Macneans. The first of the Xmas presents done there. But "Bloom" was fab! Thanks Marty! I believe Mary Kennedy was there as well but she must have been mobbed with all the other Lyric celebs.

Anyone else feel like they're drowning in saccharine lately? I'm feeling positively diabetic by this point.

(and those are only from this page, couldn't be bothered going any further back)

I have now officially given up listening to Lyric before 10am.

Could I request that a signal (secret, if necessary) be given using this thread to notify me, and any others who may find it useful, that Marty is on holidays and it's safe to tune in pre-10am? Thanks.

Golden Throat · 05-06-2014 8:47am

I'm still shaking with laughter at this one from Marty in the past half hour ---

A man and woman are on their honeymoon and the phone rings. The woman answers and says "We're 200 miles inland. How would I know." And she hangs up.

"Who is that dear?" says the hubby.

"Some confused woman who wanted the Weather Girl."

"What? How do you know?"

"She asked if the coast was clear?"

pinkypinky · 05-06-2014 10:37am

Well, given there's 3 potential trolls on this thread conversing with each other, it might be finally time to give up on the thread too.

I've only found out by accident when Marty is off but for the record, it's often bank holiday Mondays, the Eurovision, whenever he does his travel dept gig and some time around Easter and Christmas.

Onthe3rdDay · 05-06-2014 4:29pm

pinkypinky wrote: »

Well, given there's 3 potential trolls on this thread conversing with each other, it might be finally time to give up on the thread too.

I've only found out by accident when Marty is off but for the record, it's often bank holiday Mondays, the Eurovision, whenever he does his travel dept gig and some time around Easter and Christmas.

Well According to Various Religious theories, God is three people and also one. It's a miracle this thread is still going...

Golden Throat · 07-06-2014 9:45pm

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

Well According to Various Religious theories, God is three people and also one. It's a miracle this thread is still going...

I stood beside Marty in Tower Records in Dublin this week where he was buying a box set of the Puccini operas. I didn't think he'd need to buy this because he must have all the recordings in RTE at his finger tips for the borrowing.

He had great chat for the staff and some of the customers who were chatty. I was too shy to talk to him and I'm sorry now because I could have got his autograph too. He was saying to the man that he's studying for Verona because he's leading a cultural group on an opera trip. He is as tall in real life as he is on RTE. You don't often get that. Gay is taller than he seems and people say Ryan Tubridy is smaller in real life.

SaveOurLyric · 07-06-2014 9:50pm

The Verona trip is with Travel Department and includes Carmen. I dont think there is any Puccini in it (is there ?), but Mart already knows more or less everything thats worth knowing about Puccini operas, so I would say he was just picking up some new recordings for comparison - he has multiple recordings of all the operas already I gather.
Thats so Marty with the aimiable chatting to the staff!

Onthe3rdDay · 08-06-2014 5:48am

Golden Throat wrote: »

I stood beside Marty in Tower Records in Dublin this week where he was buying a box set of the Puccini operas.

Many would say that box sets put out by record companies are the buckets of chicken of the musical world. I don't necessarily agree... Just saying.

SaveOurLyric · 08-06-2014 9:45am

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

Many would say that box sets put out by record companies are the buckets of chicken of the musical world. I don't necessarily agree... Just saying.

They would be wrong.
Knowledgeable people would categorically disagree rather than just not necessarily agreeing.
Why say at all ?

Calina · 08-06-2014 9:55am

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

Thats so Marty with the aimiable chatting to the staff!

Really? I chat to staff as well when I am talking to them and I don't see it as "so Marty". I see it as treating them like human beings.

jmcc · 10-06-2014 11:48am

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

Many would say that box sets put out by record companies are the buckets of chicken of the musical world. I don't necessarily agree... Just saying.

It does fit the stereotype though - that Marty can't tell Pagliacci from Paganini. He's probably on safer ground with the theme tunes and Sixties songs that he plays.

Regards...jmcc

SaveOurLyric · 10-06-2014 9:29pm

jmcc wrote: »

It does fit the stereotype though

Or unfair prejudice against a man who is musical to the core. And I am sure he can identify a Pagliacci concerto from a Paganini one even after hearing only a couple of bars.

jmcc · 16-06-2014 9:25am

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

Or unfair prejudice against a man who is musical to the core. And I am sure he can identify a Pagliacci concerto from a Paganini one even after hearing only a couple of bars.

One can see that in you he has found the ideal audience. Perhaps he can entertain you by humming a Pagliacci concerto or two.

I was scanning through channels and accidentally happened on the babbling bozo on Lyric. Definitely should have removed Lyric from the presets.

Regards...jmcc

Expunge · 20-06-2014 9:08am

Ireland's unfunniest 'funny man' is off today.
The shower of gimps who text him each morning with their supposed to be funny observations will have to go and bore their own families for a change.

Lorcan Murray is providing a pleasant listen with a playlist that's a bit more coherent than yesterday's procession of Julio Iglesias followed by Nick Drake, followed by Tchaikovsky, followed by Ben E King.

HeidiHeidi · 20-06-2014 9:37am

What an absolute pleasure it is listening to Lyric this morning.

That is all.

jmcc · 20-06-2014 9:51am

This is great. No babbling bozo. Just music without clueless interruptions. And beautiful weather too.

Regards...jmcc

Baron Scarpia · 10-07-2014 5:41pm

To give credit where it is due, this week has been better. Can't put my finger on why.

mbur · 10-07-2014 6:23pm

Baron Scarpia wrote: »

To give credit where it is due, this week has been better. Can't put my finger on why.

I can

Itssoeasy · 11-07-2014 7:21am

Turned on lyric and Jesus Marty is sounding different.

jmcc · 14-07-2014 9:23am

Sounds different this morning too. More music and less chat? Could that be it? Nope.

Regards...jmcc

Expunge · 14-07-2014 9:24am

Well done Lorcan Murray! A nice mix of music and pleasantness, not stupidity this morning.
No stupid texts from the nutters who are usually quoted on that show and Hugo has thankfully f**cked off for a while - long may that continue.

It's amazing how different and sane the tone of the programme is when the chap with the new hair is gone.

Same production, same management in lyric when he's not there - he must be calling all the shots in there when he's around.

Using public money - it's criminal.

jmcc · 14-07-2014 10:02am

That was quite pleasant. No babbling bozo. Just music and non-intrusive chat. Almost worth listening to Lyric again.

Regards...jmcc

pinkypinky · 14-07-2014 12:09pm

Lorcan is in all week!

jmcc · 14-07-2014 12:15pm

pinkypinky wrote: »

Lorcan is in all week!

Excellent news. It might be safe to listen to LyricFM in the morning again or at least for this week.

Regards...jmcc

born2bwild · 14-08-2014 2:10am

You know, I used to object to people insulting Marty on this thread -and I still will but having spent the last few weeks listening to Bach, Monteverdi, Mendelssohn, Jordi Savall and Chopin I do not understand why he is allowed to have this morning show on Lyric FM.
His taste in music is dreadful, dreadful.
He does not seem to want to make any effort to expand his taste either.
But he really needs to be put on another radio station. (I like him but by God, I can't listen to the music he plays.
To say nothing of that terrible 'Hugo' story segment or this 'Nevin Maguire' insult.

Raspberry Fileds · 14-08-2014 2:20am

born2bwild wrote: »

Having spent the last few weeks listening to Bach, Monteverdi, Mendelssohn, Jordi Savall and Chopin ... he really needs to be put on another radio station.

Which one do you propose?

born2bwild · 14-08-2014 2:30am

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

Which one do you propose?

I don't know - I like him - but some station that I'm not listening to.

Anything, really. I think he could get a job on one of the colleges of journalism as a guest lecturer in PR/media techniques.

But he should not be allowed near the mic in a classical radio station.

It is a disgrace and an embarrassment.

jmcc · 14-08-2014 2:43am

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

Which one do you propose?

Well Tubridy may be on the way to Radio 1 so they could give him Tubridy's slot.

Regards...jmcc

Raspberry Fileds · 14-08-2014 2:50am

born2bwild wrote: »

I don't know - I like him - but some station that I'm not listening to.

Anything, really. I think he could get a job on one of the colleges of journalism as a guest lecturer in PR/media techniques.

But he should not be allowed near the mic in a classical radio station.

It is a disgrace and an embarrassment.

What exactly is your objection to those composers? Is it that he plays particular pieces to death?

jmcc wrote: »

Well Tubridy may be on the way to Radio 1 so they could give him Tubridy's slot.

Regards...jmcc

Is that a joke? I hope it is!

jmcc · 14-08-2014 2:52am

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

Is that a joke? I hope it is!

No. Marty Whelan is and always will be a populist kind of DJ of the 2FM type. His Lyric FM show is probably taking audience share away from 2FM.

Regards...jmcc

Onthe3rdDay · 14-08-2014 3:08am

jmcc wrote: »

No. Marty Whelan is and always will be a populist kind of DJ of the 2FM type. His Lyric FM show is probably taking audience share away from 2FM.

Regards...jmcc

It's actually not, it's every other station that's taking away from audience share in 2fm. Marty's audience share doesn't seem to be moving too far up or down on survey to survey figures.

To be fair here 2fm is a far bigger problem than Lyric FM... A good few things work on Lyric. Does anything at all work on 2FM?

Where Tubridy goes on Radio 1 could be a problem as the individual that gives up their slot could be moved to Lyric.

Raspberry Fileds · 14-08-2014 3:46am

jmcc wrote: »

No. Marty Whelan is and always will be a populist kind of DJ of the 2FM type. His Lyric FM show is probably taking audience share away from 2FM.

Regards...jmcc

So, how would it work? The Breakfast Republic team (average age: 35) leading-in to 58 y/o Marty -Whelan, who would lead in to Nicky Byrne (age 35)?

Onthe3rdDay · 14-08-2014 4:08am

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

So, how would it work? The Breakfast Republic team (average age: 35) leading-in to 58 y/o Marty -Whelan, who would lead in to Nicky Byrne (age 35)?

Plus if you think Marty is finding it tough sticking to the playlist on Lyric, Remember on 2fm everything pre 1990 is now basically banned. I doubt if they'll move him to 2fm. However if they did, it's very likely that the figures would go up. However, not the figures that they crave, which is the 15-24 market which I think they've lost forever.

The best thing as I've said before is give up on 2fm, turn it into a BBC radio 2 type station. Have a sensible Breakfast Host, You could keep Ryan, Put Marty on as well as Ronan Collins and their Ratings would go up substantially. Let RTE Radio 1 concentrate on Talk, and Lyric on Classical. Young people are moving away from music radio in large numbers because of unlimited choice elsewhere of the music they want to hear. Plus Commercial Radio serves this section of society a lot better than the stuff that's on 2fm at this time. I actually think that Radio has a bright future in the next decade or two, but it's going to be more Talk and information based.

jmcc · 14-08-2014 8:26am

The one factor that you both have discounted is RTE management. This is what gave the late Gerry Ryan's tea boy his show. This is the same management that dumped Marty Whelan and others in Lyric FM. It seems to have an infallible ability to screw up and convince itself that it is still doing well.

Regards...jmcc

bbability · 16-08-2014 8:56am

His listenership climbed in the latest JNLR. There's more people listening to Lyric than ever before. Marty's doing a wonderful job.

SaveOurLyric · 16-08-2014 10:12am

bbability wrote: »

His listenership climbed in the latest JNLR. There's more people listening to Lyric than ever before. Marty's doing a wonderful job.

Mmmmm.

Not sure that the conclusion follows directly from the observation bb.

There is no end of junk music stations with bigger audiences than Marty, who churn out endless pop music (and by pop music I mean lowest grade disposable pop music that appeals to those of little or no musical taste or sophistication) with kids talking nonsense in between (and frequently over) 'songs'. I wouldnt consider them doing a wonderful job.

Calina · 16-08-2014 10:20am

bbability wrote: »

His listenership climbed in the latest JNLR. There's more people listening to Lyric than ever before. Marty's doing a wonderful job.

Lyric FM's audience share has stayed stable at 4%. More people listening to Lyric than ever before is not, in that context, an accurate statement. The audience share has not increased.

Marty Whelan, per the RTE press release on 31 July, has 38,000 listeners, an increase of 4000 on a year ago. He has fewer listeners than both Niall Carroll and Liz Nolan.

Wonderful is not how I'd describe this; it's borderline just about a safe pair of hands.

Calina · 16-08-2014 10:21am

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

Mmmmm.

Not sure that the conclusion follows directly from the observation bb.

There is no end of junk music stations with bigger audiences than Marty, who churn out endless pop music (and by pop music I mean lowest grade disposable pop music that appeals to those of little or no musical taste or sophistication) with kids talking nonsense in between (and frequently over) 'songs'. I wouldnt consider them doing a wonderful job.

Marty does this too which is why I flat out refuse to listen to his program.

SaveOurLyric · 16-08-2014 10:27am

Calina wrote: »

More people listening to Lyric than ever before is not, in that context, an accurate statement. The audience share has not increased.

Marty Whelan, per the RTE press release on 31 July, has 38,000 listeners, an increase of 4000 on a year ago.

How are the above two statements consistent: listeners have increase by 4000, but more people are not listening to Lyric ?

Is it because listeners to other Lyric programs are declining and M's is the only one going in the right direction ?

Calina · 16-08-2014 10:55am

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

How are the above two statements consistent: listeners have increase by 4000, but more people are not listening to Lyric ?

Is it because listeners to other Lyric programs are declining and M's is the only one going in the right direction ?

Lyric is much, much more than Marty Whelan who is not even their highest listenership.

No, both other presenters whom I named have increased audience numbers. Both of them each have more listeners than Whelan. George Hamilton's listenership went up 8000 in the same period.

However, the audience share is static and for the station that's actually not that great. The blurb that Aodan Ó Dubhghaill, Head of RTÉ lyric fm, came out with in terms of listen and silent was borderline embarrassing as well.

A leading artist who features regularly on RTÉ lyric fm, Austrian pianist, poet and author Alfred Brendel once said “ The word ‘listen’ contain the same letters as the work ‘silent’. I am delighted that there are now 289,000 ‘silent’ people tuning in to ‘listen’ to RTÉ lyric fm on a weekly basis. Without these listeners the music we play, the thought we put in to programming, the voices that link the music and the care we take in crafting our arts and speech output on FM, online or through other forms of communication, would fall on deaf ears! Thank you all for choosing the station where life sounds better.”

It's worth noticing that the RTE press release did not give a book on book increase figure for Whelan which they did for some other presenters. This leads me to infer that if he had a book on book increase, it was not very impressive.

YOu can read the RTE press release here: http://www.rte.ie/about/en/press-office/press-releases/2014/0731/634469-rte-remains-the-number-1-choice-for-radio-listeners/

I suspect Lyric might be better spun off as an independent station tbh. I don't know that RTE is really all that interested in it given the Radio 1 figures and frankly, Radio 1 is the station that would most likely lose listeners to Lyric.

Onthe3rdDay · 16-08-2014 1:04pm

Calina wrote: »

It's worth noticing that the RTE press release did not give a book on book increase figure for Whelan which they did for some other presenters. This leads me to infer that if he had a book on book increase, it was not very impressive.

His figures (and almost all Lyric figures) are within the Margin of Error. This is RTE playing games again. They put out a press Release. Why don't they just release the figures and let the public decide who's going up and down.

The fact is that Lyric is one of the few stations I know that has a much higher set of figures as the day progresses which is a big no no in Radio. You put your strongest show out at Breakfast to build audience for the rest of the day.

This isn't Marty's Fault, A different station perhaps even the same time would be fine for him and for lyric listeners. He could play what he wanted and Old Lyric listeners could listen to Classical Music. However there does appear to be a feeling at this stage that the station management are out of touch with whats going on in the real world.

pinkypinky · 30-10-2014 12:21pm

No Marty this morning. I flicked on by accident. Is it a midterm break thing?

eminoz · 30-10-2014 4:34pm

flicked on as well. Who knows why - but such happiness, such serenity, such peace with the world.

SaveOurLyric · 10-12-2014 9:28pm

Well hello there !

Anyone following Marts build up to the old Crimbo ?

Lyric fm's Breakfast show presenter - Marty Whelan.

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