Newstalk Megathread

mike65 · 12-04-2009 11:13am

Nope thats Jerry O' Sullivan

Badabing · 12-04-2009 11:18am

mike65 wrote: »

Nope thats Jerry O' Sullivan

There is no beginning to that mans talent or for that matter Oisin Langan.

tbh · 12-04-2009 11:19am

mike65 wrote: »

Nope thats Jerry "One eye constantly on the newswire" O' Sullivan

fyp

mike65 · 12-04-2009 11:27am

He does my head in but thats another thread maybe.

coopersgreen · 12-04-2009 12:08pm

What a joke of a station Newstalk has become. Whatever the merits, or lack of, of Ger Gilroy (who I think is a decent presenter), replacing him with that bumbling, unprofessional Ivan Yates is just pathetic.

deadhead13 · 12-04-2009 12:24pm

The reaction on here the times he has replaced Hook has been mostly positive. I have no strong views on him either way. He is OK. But something had to done with the Breakfast Show. It is dreadful.

I don't blame the presenters. It was quite a good show until some media type decided dumbing down, cutting alot of the news content and number of contributors, bringing Ger and Claire "personalities" to the fore - was the way to go. Big mistake.

regi · 12-04-2009 12:40pm

Another vote for the breakfast show going down the tubes. I definately find myself tuning into morning ireland more and more.

Its getting more and more low-brow each week, tabloid even. The only time I find it bearable is when Conor Brophy and Ger cover - at least its news. Too much sport coverage lately too. </grump>

robo · 12-04-2009 12:51pm

I agree, I think Conor and Ger do a good job when they are alone. I don't like Ivan...he is like a bit of cardboard. The Indo has more on it, less on Ivan and more on Ger & Claire finding out about it all!

mike65 · 12-04-2009 1:04pm

Hang on, the indo article suggets that its going to be the Ivan and Claire show, thats not the way foward.

robo · 12-04-2009 1:07pm

mike65 wrote: »

Hang on, the indo article suggets that its going to be the Ivan and Claire show, thats not the way foward.

I guess the contract that Claire has with them is more difficult to change than Ger's...doesn't make any sense alright!

deadhead13 · 12-04-2009 3:00pm

mike65 wrote: »

Hang on, the indo article suggets that its going to be the Ivan and Claire show, thats not the way foward.

Oh no. Ffs, Claire's dullness and her insistence in giving her opinion at every opportunity was the main problem. This isn't going to work.

They couldn't possilbly leave Ger Gilroy go, while keeping Gerry O'Sullivan fluffing away the Weekend Sports Show. Or could they?

ateam · 12-04-2009 7:59pm

They have no female presenters during the day, so Claire's position is safe for now.

GhostInTheRuins · 12-04-2009 8:03pm

Newstalk has become such a joke, there's absolutely no reason to listen to it during the day. Claire and Ger followed by Tom Dunne and then Eamonn Keane, utter sh*te the lot of them.

Firetrap · 12-04-2009 11:16pm

Gawd they have it all wrong wrong. It's Clare Byrne they need to axe, not Ger Gilroy. Or if they don't axe her, get her to stop giving her opinion on everything. I'd love to know who's decided that Ivan Yates is a radio presenter. He's fine if he's a pundit giving his opinion on things but he's a desperate presenter, full of eh eh ehs

themont85 · 13-04-2009 12:54am

This is another prime example of newstalk and their clamour for the star signing. Ivan Yeats is okay but hardly better than Ger Gilroy. The problem in NT is the person in charge of telling the presenters what direction the show is to take, clearly NT are going ott with their dumbing down of the station. Pity, because with McWilliams and Kiberd on daily it was a really good station which provided a great alternative to Radio 1. I actually really miss the way it was 4/5 years back. Gilroy should not be taken of the station, he is one of their few original presenters who remains there and is in effect one of the few pieces of talent they developed.

Maybe Girloy back to OTB to co-present with McDevitt...dunno how well it would work really. The weekend sports slot is shocking at the moment to be fair, poor old Jerry O'Sullivan they really have feck all sport in the summer and he basically sits there rehashing scores for 4 hours.

Firetrap · 13-04-2009 1:13am

Eoin McDevitt does a good job on Off The Ball so I don't see any point in putting Ger Gilroy back in there. If they're so hell-bent on getting in Ivan Yates on the breakfast show, they should put Ger into the Lunchtime slot instead of Eamonn Keane. Or have him host a new late night program instead of repeating the Lunchtime program.

As an aside, who presented the Wide Angle this morning? He was absolutely awful.

Koloman · 13-04-2009 4:30am

They might team George Hook up with Clare and have Yates replace Hook on the drive time show according to the Irish Times. I think this would work better.

Whatever combination they use it looks like Ger Gilroy is for the chop come what may!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0413/1224244556538.html

GSF · 13-04-2009 8:35am

Gilroy is a bit lightweight, but I thought that was an asset in the new Newstalk where Tom Dunne is the star.

coopersgreen · 13-04-2009 9:40am

Firetrap wrote: »

Eoin McDevitt does a good job on Off The Ball so I don't see any point in putting Ger Gilroy back in there. If they're so hell-bent on getting in Ivan Yates on the breakfast show, they should put Ger into the Lunchtime slot instead of Eamonn Keane. Or have him host a new late night program instead of repeating the Lunchtime program.

As an aside, who presented the Wide Angle this morning? He was absolutely awful.

I think it was Harry McGee - http://www.harrymcgee.com/

He was poor, lots of ehs.

Newstalk reminds me of a sitcom in its final stages - lots of guest presenters to gloss over the fact they've nothing original to do any more.

SprostonGreen · 13-04-2009 11:20am

Its seems I'm in a minority, I like the Breakfast show as is, Ger and Claire are great.

What I would like to hear less of is Hook and Yates slabbering over that Scottish news-reader , we get the point, she is good looking!

Dub13 · 13-04-2009 11:37am

SprostonGreen wrote: »

What I would like to hear less of is Hook and Yates slabbering over that Scottish news-reader , we get the point, she is good looking!

She must be smoking hot,the sports lads are starting to 'flirt' with her on air as well.

Cork · 13-04-2009 11:50am

SprostonGreen wrote: »

Its seems I'm in a minority, I like the Breakfast show as is, Ger and Claire are great.

I SECOND THAT - Ger and Claire are pretty good.

When you consider the poor state of public service radio in Ireland - Joe "Winge Winge" Duffy, Jim Jim etc - Newstalk are doing ok.

When you consider that RTE radio is our public service radio - they are dire.

Compare them to the BBC.

Newstalk are an excellant alternative.

Firetrap · 13-04-2009 11:53am

GSF wrote: »

Gilroy is a bit lightweight, but I thought that was an asset in the new Newstalk where Tom Dunne is the star.

That's rough on Gilroy. I wouldn't be a big fan of his or anything but he is a competent broadcaster. These are becoming thinner on the ground every day on Newstalk. They seem to be going for personality driven content, rather than looking at why they're not doing well.

For the breakfast show, they should be trying to improve the content of the program rather than filling it with frivolous things like what was the best one-hit-wonder ever or should Bono stop wearing eye-liner. Besides, do listeners really care what the presenters (especially Claire) think about the items they're covering? While Morning Ireland is a bit ponderous at times, it does give the impression that it's being presented by people who know what they're talking about and have an element of gravitas about them.

I assume they're after the Morning Ireland audience. Unless they get content that rivals that of the RTÉ show, they're not going to move. If people want frivolous entertainment in the morning, there are more than enough breakfast shows out there.

Sometimes I listen to Tom Dunne's show. It does what it says on the tin really...it's froth. Personally I don't find him as tiresome as Orla Barry who used to be in that slot but maybe he should ease up on the laughing and talking about his family so much.

Eamonn Keane's lunchtime show needs an axe taken to it. It vastly improves when he's not on air. Again, it's turned into a personality driven lunchtime show and Eamonn's personality doesn't go well with the soup and sandwiches. He's too biased for a radio presenter and tries to whip up every story into an exclusive.

It's ridiculous that they repeat his show of all things after 10pm. 8-10 hours is a long time in politics and by the time they broadcast his program again, some of the news items can be very out of date.

Aidric · 13-04-2009 1:19pm

deadhead13 wrote: »

Oh no. Ffs, Claire's dullness and her insistence in giving her opinion at every opportunity was the main problem. This isn't going to work.

They couldn't possilbly leave Ger Gilroy go, while keeping Gerry O'Sullivan fluffing away the Weekend Sports Show. Or could they?

Spot on. I've always considered Byrne to be a bumbling annoyance on the radio, Gilroy is very competent and it would be a big mistake for Newstalk to let him go.
As for O Sullivan I honestly don't know what he's saying most of the time. He should have stayed among his own in Radio Kerry.

mike65 · 13-04-2009 1:37pm

Tom McSomething is standing in for I Keano today and doing a solid job - it appears anyone bar Brendan O'Brien can improve that slot.

brettmirl · 13-04-2009 1:46pm

How is Brendan O'Brien still on that slot. Is he working for free or something?

mike65 · 13-04-2009 1:49pm

O'Brien is on at 8-10 am Saturday and is pure bloody murder.

brettmirl · 13-04-2009 2:00pm

mike65 wrote: »

O'Brien is on at 8-10 am Saturday and is pure bloody murder.

I know...i usually drive home from Dublin at that time on a Saturday and have to endure his bumbling. Well, it's either that or the Farming Show on Radio 1.

deadhead13 · 14-04-2009 7:06am

Ger sounding a bit subdued this morning, no "banter". D'ont blame him. Feck 'em. I know it is a cut-throat business and nearly all of the current NewsTalk presenters have step into other peoples shoes - but can't help feeling sorry for the bloke.

Whats the chances of a "Network" moment before the end of the week?

giftgrub · 14-04-2009 9:07am

Firetrap wrote: »

.
Sometimes I listen to Tom Dunne's show. It does what it says on the tin really...it's froth. Personally I don't find him as tiresome as Orla Barry who used to be in that slot but maybe he should ease up on the laughing and talking about his family so much.

I'm sorry did you not realise that he was actually the first person to ever have a family?;)

I know what you're saying there, I dont think TD can get through 10 minutes of airtime without mentioning the fact that he doesnt go out anymore because he has kids, or how much he spends on AA batteries for kids toys.

I seem to remember Ray D'Arcy was like that for a bit too, it gets boring after a while, and I'm talking as a parent here...

Someone needs to go into Newstalk and do something, I dont pretend to know what, but the place needs something.

Nicht Besonders · 14-04-2009 1:52pm

I heard Yates in for George Hook the other day, doing a really lazy cinema piece, his lack of knowledge and interest in what was being covered made the "news" of his imminent appointment to the breakfast show all the more surprising to me, though maybe he wouldn't be covering things he knows nothing about on that.

giftgrub · 14-04-2009 3:10pm

In relation to Ivan Yates, could he be totally impartial?

As an ex Blueshirt minister would he go soft on the opposition?

mike65 · 14-04-2009 3:32pm

Ex-Blueshirt? Spare us!

You'll be worring about his faith next.

Quint · 14-04-2009 4:36pm

The only reason Clare is stayins is cos she has a vagina. If they were both men or both women, with the exact same interview skills they have now, Clare would be gone in a shot.

LordSutch · 14-04-2009 5:16pm

GSF wrote: »

Gilroy is a bit lightweight, but I thought that was an asset in the new Newstalk where Tom Dunne is the star.

'Tom Dunne is the star'

If he'd only stop that inane false laughter, and stop talking about his coat & his kids :mad:

humberklog · 14-04-2009 6:03pm

I think Yates has pimped himself out far too broadly over the last year or so. Even last week he was in the RTE studio as a panel guest (could have been News at One but unsure). Well as such a guest he's hired in to give his opinion, nail his colours up there and scotch every opposing idea to his. This he did and did well. Roll on 3 hours and up he pops fronting Newstalk's hook show. Now chairing a show and having an opinion is a very different bag than being wheeled out in order to only hold an opinion. But this is where I think Square Jaw has fallen between two stools. He has pimped himself out to too broad an image for my liking.

I happened to be in a nursing home for some rather sad cases last week. Beds were clean, privacy was afforded to residents as much as possible, good food, entertainment and outings, a dedicated staff. I passed through a ward where Tom Dunne's show was playing. I was tempted to report the nursing home for abusing there clients. Then I thought to myself...No. This is where this innanity belongs. Nurse Ratchet could have melted R.P. MacMurphy's grey cells with this utter tosh.

Firetrap · 14-04-2009 7:31pm

Could be worse - they could've had Gerry Ryan on instead. Or would that be considered to be elder abuse? :P

jack24 · 14-04-2009 11:02pm

Much as I now dislike the morning show these days and its complete dumbing down since the days of McWilliams and Dunphy I have to say I find the decision to get rid of Ger Gilroy as quite surprising. Even more so the replacement by Ivan eh eh eh Yates (I read an article in the Sunday Times about his propensity to say eh eh before absolutely everything and I have to say it drives you mental once you're aware of it). To leave Claire there and just replace Ger Gilroy who was a most able presenter of Off the Ball is perplexing. The editorial decision to move downmarket, cram in as many ads as possible, introduce inane text polls, shorten every interview to about 1-2 minutes and reduce the number of contributors (expense being the key factor behind this I suspect) has rendered the Morning show unlistenable, regardless of who is behind the mike. Until they revamp the entire format they are just moving around the deckchairs I suspect. I heard Claire today (for the 5 mins I gave the show before I turned the Ipod on) trying to badger some political correspondent into agreeing with her simplistic view of the issue being discussed which he, to her eternal credit, batted back on about 3 occasions.

As for the rest of Newstalk, its becoming a parody of its former self, where it could be relied on of all the stations to have some staff knocking around on a bank holiday etc. Its practically a no go zone now after 9 at night and at the weekend. I think at the heart of it they appear to view the cheaper to produce, lowest common denominator tabloid style formats as being the way forward. I somehow think that O'Brien will give it a few more years and reassess.

Jack

giftgrub · 15-04-2009 7:15pm

<mod edit> - hi gg - this post refers to an MCD event, so it's been deleted.</mod edit>

Dub13 · 15-04-2009 7:19pm

giftgrub wrote: »

Why did they get Dunne in 5 hours after his show ended? Could they have not drafted in a music journalist?

Is Tom Dunne not meant to be some kind of music guru..?

Firetrap · 15-04-2009 7:33pm

Tom's show on Today FM was good. I think music shows are his forté rather than what he's presenting now.

Flan45 · 16-04-2009 2:40pm

Jack 24 I agree with everything you are saying. I have a major gripe with the content of the show. I'm not sure who they're aiming at but it's not the people who were listening to the show in the days of McWilliams & Dunphy.

DMC · 16-04-2009 2:49pm

mick_irl wrote: »

I know...i usually drive home from Dublin at that time on a Saturday and have to endure his [Brendan O'Brien] bumbling. Well, it's either that or the Farming Show on Radio 1.

I dunno. The price of suckler calves and the reps scheme are more interesting than Brendan O'Brien's voice.

thebigcheese22 · 16-04-2009 3:33pm

Has anyone been listening to Fionn Regan standing in for Sean Moncrieff? I think he's excellent, and I don't know why he's on more often. I still think Moncrieff is brilliant but I just dunno why Regan didn't get Tom Dunne's spot?!

GhostInTheRuins · 16-04-2009 3:42pm

thebigcheese22 wrote: »

Has anyone been listening to Fionn Regan standing in for Sean Moncrieff? I think he's excellent, and I don't know why he's on more often. I still think Moncrieff is brilliant but I just dunno why Regan didn't get Tom Dunne's spot?!

It's Fionn Davenport isn't it? He's not bad, he can be a bit of an arse now and then but I'd rather listen to him than Dunne any day.

deadhead13 · 16-04-2009 3:42pm

thebigcheese22 wrote: »

Fionn Davenport I think. His saturday night show Culture Shock is quite good.

dh0661 · 16-04-2009 8:59pm

GhostInTheRuins wrote: »

It's Fionn Davenport I'd rather listen to him than Dunne any day.

I agree 100%

thebigcheese22 · 16-04-2009 11:01pm

GhostInTheRuins wrote: »

It's Fionn Davenport isn't it? He's not bad, he can be a bit of an arse now and then but I'd rather listen to him than Dunne any day.

Sorry Fionn Davenport, Fionn Regan is that singer songwriter! *facepalm*

Never really listen to Newstalk at the weekend but I'll have to give Culture Shock a bash

Dave! · 17-04-2009 9:57pm

Hey does anyone know if you can pay Newstalk to advertise for you during the news headlines?

I ask because in the last couple of days they've given free plugs to two businesses during the headlines

The first was arguably newsworthy, it was www.mycandidate.ie/eu (dunno which). The guy who started it was interviewed on one of the shows, which is fair enough and happens all the time. I found it strange that it was then talked about during the news, but I guess the fact that it's for citizens to learn about their candidates makes it okay.

However today they also devoted time to Ryanair's poll on their website relating to their proposed "fat tax", and ran audio of their head of communication talking about it and urging people to get onto the site and vote. This is in no way newsworthy

and every show that discussed it (Eamon Keane for example) repeatedly said that it was a good marketing move by Ryanair, Michael O'Leary is a genius, etc.

I don't see why they would feature it in the news headlines unless Ryanair paid for it

Any thoughts?

mike65 · 17-04-2009 10:48pm

I'd have to hear it to make a judgement but frankly such are the finances of Newstalk I'd not be surprised.

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