How can they fix 2fm?

superdudeman007

I know there are already threads about 2fm shows and Marty being axed etc but how do you think 2fm can be fixed so more of the target market (which I thaught was students, teenagers etc) to tune in.

* Marty in the Morning has without doubt been the most irritating morning radio show in a long time, but I don't think replacing them with Colm and Jim Jime is a great move either. I doubt Gavin and Paudgie will get a great reception from 2fm's non-Dublin listeners, nor will the rewritten chart songs written as jingles and "Kids in the Car". They need a breakfast show like the old "Full Irish" with Ryan Tubridy, Caitriona McFadden etc. Also I think "Knob Nation" (RTE's clone of Gift Grub using exactly the same material about a week after Today FM) needs to be dropped. There are enough morning "comedy" shows as it is.

* 2fm needs to banish all of the older DJs completely, not just to weekend slots. How are people aged 15-34 meant to enjoy programmes by DJs that have been on air since before they were born and haven't (/never will) adapt to today's prsentation style? The weekend is the worst possible time to have a 12 hour marathon of dinosaur DJs. Why don't they move the music programmes from Radio 1 along with the older DJs from 2fm to a new RTE station, run in the style of BBC Radio 2, and put some fresh, new Djs on a dedicated youth station (ie a revised 2fm)?

* 2fm needs its own logo and identity and I think slogans on radio stations are long gone elsewhere. "Living the Life, Loving the Music" sounds ancient even though it's only been used for a few months now and how many stations are still using that crappy Mid-Atlantic gravel in a blender guy for voiceovers? Also, the RTE logo with 2fm written in RTE's corporate font says nothing about the station and fails to catch my attention. Maybe the branding as "RTÉ 2fm" should revert back to just "2fm"

* News bulletins should be more detailed, especially at night when they can't be much longer than 60 seconds. The current intro is very annoying, especially the way it takes the guy 10 seconds to say "2.. F.. M!". I think that most youth/popular music stations are now playing a bed under news bulletins (eg. BBC R1 - Newsbeat, Spin1038 - The Story, FM104 Live, 98fm News, etc) and 2fm should do the same.

* Ruth Scott hasn't been on 2fm that long but her style of presenting and her playlist suggest otherwise. She needs to change or be taken off air.

* At present, they shouldn't be nboasting being "The Nations Favourite". I can't get Today FM in my area, which makes 2fm the only musc station that everyone in the country gets. They must have great difficulty staying at #1...


^ ^ Unless these change, I personally can't see the schedule reshuffle doing very much for 2fm...

mike65

Its the wrong question, they should abandon the notion of chasing 'the kids' and get serious and middle aged. Like BBC Radio 2 did back in the 90s when they started repositioning it from Post-War "middle aged" to modern "young middle-aged". I don't think 2FM has a future at this rate, don't RTE look at demographics? The youth market is shrinking as the 30-50 market is booming.

Mike.

superdudeman007

Thats because young people are ditching radio and buying iPods. Outside Dublin, what do they expect us to listen to???

Our options:
* Morning Ireland
* Marty in the Morning/Strawberries
* Lyric FM :mad: :mad: :mad:
* Ian Dempsey
* Raidio na Gaeltachta (No. Just No.)
* Local Radio. For me, it's East Coast FM. And we though 2fm was out of touch.

If they bring in that bilingual popular music station (which I thought RnaG/TG4/etc had been thinking about for years) with a few decent DJs they'll do really well.

But I suppose this is the broadcaster that thinks a ballad by a trad-gedy will beat some decaying monsters at Eurosong, or that people will be happy to watch the news from a dull brown news shack.. erm... set, or that Marty in the Morning was a good idea, or that 2fm was really the entire nation's favourite, or that planned to have 5 TV channels (including the creatively named "Zap TV") on air by 2002 (still waiting...), or that makes at least 10 low budget rip-offs a week of shows that were already shown on the UK terrestrials 10 years ago....


I propose that their next slogan (following "Croi na Féile", "Briseann an Dúchas", etc) is "Inform, Educate, Entertain and put OAPS in charge of youth programming".

Liam Byrne

they shouldn't be boasting being "The Nations Favourite".

You're forgetting that this is the station that trotted out the "Ireland's Number One" tagline for years when it didn't have any competition whatsoever!

I agree with the posts above, though; commercial radio is (in general) covering the 15-35 age group, with new regional stations coming on stream across the country in '07 and '08 to fill in the gaps that currently exist.

RTE should stick to their "public service" remit and provide something different; something along the lines of BBC Radio 2 has been mentioned, and it's a good idea, since they could use their existing range of talent.

superdudeman007

Yeah but a youth station would be nice and BBC Radio 1 was the original inspiration for 2fm.

Even if it's not run by RTÉ, I really think we should have some kind of national youth station. Something like the Dublin/Regional ones that already exist would probably do well (I've heard that Beat 102/103 and Spin were hoping to expand, and FM104 has "Red FM" in Cork. They'd be great at running a national station if you look at their success in their regions).

DublinWriter

2fm needs the type of merciless purge that BBC Radio 1 undertook in the nineties - basically sacking all the 'Smashy and Nicey' type fossils and replacing them with the young and hungry turks.

The problem with RTE Radio is that their branding is basically up their arse. They have Gerry Ryan (current affairs) competing with Pat Kenny (current afairs) in the same prime-time slot. Radio 1's schedule fragmented to the point of shattering.

RTE should start with moving Gerry Ryan to Radio 1 to fill the big switch-off MOR music slot that Derek Mooney now uncomfortably resides in between 3 and 5. Slide Joe Duffy back an hour over and sandwich an shorter lunch time news slot during his show. Extend Tubridy by an hour.

In short, the auld "arse from elbow" issue should be sorted out regarding what each radio station wants to be.

legspin

DublinWriter wrote:

2fm needs the type of merciless purge that BBC Radio 1 undertook in the nineties - basically sacking all the 'Smashy and Nicey' type fossils and replacing them with the young and hungry turks.

The problem with RTE Radio is that their branding is basically up their arse. They have Gerry Ryan (current affairs) competing with Pat Kenny (current afairs) in the same prime-time slot. Radio 1's schedule fragmented to the point of shattering.

RTE should start with moving Gerry Ryan to Radio 1 to fill the big switch-off MOR music slot that Derek Mooney now uncomfortably resides in between 3 and 5. Slide Joe Duffy back an hour over and sandwich an shorter lunch time news slot during his show. Extend Tubridy by an hour.

In short, the auld "arse from elbow" issue should be sorted out regarding what each radio station wants to be.

No the first thing that needs to happen, as a public service to the entire country, is someone needs to shoot G. Ryan. How this talentless no-mark has the influence in RTE that he has is beyond me.

Oh hang on......isn't he related to the Andrews family like Tubridy is as well. Well well well.....:mad:

superdudeman007

DublinWriter wrote:

2fm needs the type of merciless purge that BBC Radio 1 undertook in the nineties

I think there are times that Ruth Scott thinks she's a culchie version Jo Whiley from the Beeb and it's fairly obvious that the ill-fated "Live Update" was an attempt at something similar to "R1 Newsbeat".

If they want to fit in with other stations' news, they shouldn't call it anything. Just get a distinctive jingle followed by a backing track, over which the headlines are read, just like on NewsTalk. That way, you don't even have to mention news. 2fm would get away with using the short version of the music from the daytime news updates on TV followed by some sort of club remix of the news bed.

patrickc

they cant fix it full stop

bbability

Can't wait for March 5th. Roll on the Return of 2fm. It won't happen overnight but its coming back to the 15-34's. So what there's plenty on independants doing the 15-34 thing but that's not to say RTE can't do it. There's a national independant news/talk station does that mean RTE 1 should be banashied?

Bard

patrickc2006 wrote:

they cant fix it full stop

What a completely useless response. We'll see what happens at the beginning of March when they freshen up the sound and make it more "yoof" oriented. Shifting the older DJ's to weekend slots or removing them completely is the obvious move that seems to have eluded 2FM bosses for a while. I can't see G. Ryan staying in his slot for all that much longer... why they never at least tried the experiement moving him to a night time talk show (a-lá Chris Barrie/Adrian Kennedy/whoever) is a little beyond me.

Liam Byrne

there's plenty on independants doing the 15-34 thing but that's not to say RTE can't do it

Isn't that the point ? Doesn't RTE's "public service" remit mean that they should be aiming at people who don't have a choice/service aimed at them at present ?

superdudeman007

Yeah but RTE doesn't even give 2fm a share in the license fee - that's why its so commercial. So if you think about it it's not even a public service

Daytime Playlist
(Live from <event> in the roadcaster)
News, Sport, Plug
Song, Text Number, Plug
Song, ads, requests, plug

etc etc

stipey

and death notices at 11am - they need more death notices

superdudeman007

And the sea area forecast for good measure.

superdudeman007

stipey wrote:

and death notices at 11am - they need more death notices

Hopefully those of Marty, Gerry, Avril, Dave etc

Liam Byrne

God forbid that you ever grow old, superdudeman........someone might actually post something similar about you, and how would you feel ?

patrickc

@ bard, might be a useless response but is my opinion.. that national youth station is knackered

superdudeman007

Liam Byrne wrote:

God forbid that you ever grow old, superdudeman........someone might actually post something similar about you, and how would you feel ?

I'll get with the times and hope for the best

superdudeman007

patrickc2006 wrote:

@ bard, might be a useless response but is my opinion.. that national youth station is knackered

true...

mickd

Solution is simple sack/remove John Clarke, head of 2fm. He also presents Ireland Biggest Jukebox and more than anything that show encapuslates all that is wrong with 2fm which we the public own.

superdudeman007

Yeah but this being RTE, his replacement will be worse. Think about it - Tubridy (who was actually doing fine but they needed a replacement for Marian on R1) was dropped for Rick & Ruth, who were dropped for Marty, who is being replaced by the Strawberries. Just when we thaght it was safe to say things could only get better.....

I bet the next head of 2fm will be Pat Kenny or Derek Mooney. Typical RTE.


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