OAP Weekend lineup on 2fm

testarossa40 wrote: »

I've had my fill of these moronic ageist threads peddling nasty, vicious, & vindictive vitriol against decent professionals. I couldn't care less about their ages - only that they entertain me and enrich my day in some little way. ALL the names listed above are excellent in their own way and completely undeserving of all this persistent online ageist bullying that imo characterises this forum. Yet there are these saddos that that want us to believe that a radio presenter's ability to achieve this must primarily be determined from their Birth Certs - they seriously need to finish growing up themselves and maybe start learning to make a contribution to society beyond keyboard trolling and character assassinations. They might then appreciate that the society they live in and depend upon is richly diverse and to respect all those who make it so - the so-called "OAP" presenters included.

Age doesn't matter. Style and outlook certainly does however. The named presenters do not present shows that appeal to a younger audience IMO (as proven by listenership) which 2FM seem to be aiming for now.

So while I agree with you that just writing a presenter off based on age is moronic, I also agree with the OP in that I think it's time some of these presenters move on. Larry could take a nice show on RTE Gold or retire, Colm would probably find a suitable home on a regional or local station, same with Will Leahy. Dave Fanning could do well as a cover or weekend host on R1, and I think weekends would suit Rick O'Shea as he's probably the closest to what I'd consider to be 2FM's target now...

bbability wrote: »

The whole schedule is out of kilter. All these jocks and not a song pre 1990 in sight. This PD needs to **** or get off the pot. Either turn it into a youth targeted station or don't
There's no middle ground now. He's made his choice in his own words has "destroyed" it.

I would have agreed with you 12 months ago about him, but now I'm starting to believe he's playing the long game with 2FM. I'd be really interested to see the contracts the DJs who've been moved to the weekend are on, because I'm starting to believe that, given the choice, Healy would be rid of most of them, but is constrained by legacy contracts.

I could be totally wrong of course, maybe he actually believes this weekend schedule is good, but I think it's more likely that this is their last stop off before the job fair.

heybaby wrote: »

Playing the long game indeed, it took him 2 years to make the wholesale fundamental schedule changes which he should have made post June 2013 when he started. He's played a clever game, pushing out changes to look like he's giving the old guard a fair crack but in the meantime extending his tenure over 2fm on the back of protracted changes.

In reality 2fm is big enough to have paid off any existing contracts in 2013 , make the changes needed, employ a whole new raft of on air talent on suitable salaries. If Healy had done that, we'd be 2 years further down the line, Gogan, Fanning and Hayes would all be a distant memory. Perhaps at this stage, 2 years on, 2fm might have a unified message / brand / identity all across the week regardless of who's on air.
Instead we now have not one but two 2fms , a quasi-youth station during the week, while at the weekend we have 2fm gold. It's nonsense. How long more should Healy have before rte bosses change tack again.

reg114 wrote: »

But if presenters arent doing a good job and failing to bring in listeners why keep them on the air for another year or two till their contracts run out? Surely that does more damage in the long run?

I have no inside knowledge of how things operate at RTE. However, EVERYTHING I've ever heard about the corporate culture there is that it's very much a jobs for life situation. If Healy had come in, dishing out P45s as he walked through the office for the first time, to some of RTEs legacy names (Tubridy, Gogan, Rick O'Shea, Fanning) I honestly don't think that would have ended well for him.

It would have been the braver move, yes, ut definitely not the smart move.

By letting it go for 2 years, he avoided having to pay out termination fees, avoided potential negative press for axing household names in favour of, likely, untested talent and all while the station basically kept ticking over. No dramatic losses (IIRC it was pretty much at the bottom when he took over anyway), so no real loss in ad revenue.

Now, he's basically changed up the entire weekday schedule. Let's ignore weekends for a second, because it's weekday's that matter most. Breakfast Republic has made gains, Nicky Byrne holding strong, new mid morning and drivetime shows - honestly, I think from a business point of view he's played this pretty well.

The real test basically starts now though. If there isn't some sign of improvement over the next 4-5 books, then serious questions are going to have to be asked.

But for now, Healy has gone up in estimations from when it looked like he was pigheadedly sticking with the old guard. I'm more optimistic about 2FM than I've been in years. It won't be a station I'd personally listen to, but I think for the first time in long time, it has the potential to attract an audience and build a coherent identity (weekends excepted).