Newstalk Megathread

Stephen

^^ Ah good old Claire McKeown. She makes me want to hurt people.

Chiron

Ekels wrote: »

Eamon Keane: Superb! A really intelligent and well-versed presenter. Far more subtle than Claire Byrne in his questioning as he puts his points to his guests in an understated manner, yet the questions are always challenging. He is reminiscent of a barrister. I really feel he should be one for television.QUOTE]

I can only assume you are being sarcastic.

GhostInTheRuins

Chiron wrote: »

I can only assume you are being sarcastic.

I don't think he is, infact - Ekels == Eamon Keane :eek::eek:

LordSutch

Ekels wrote: »

My synopsis of Newstalk:

Claire & Ger: Claire is unbelievably lacking in good debating skills and continuously shouts her guests down (especially if they're government ministers) and fails to make intelligent or cohesive points. On the other hand, Gilroy is far more witty and tuned in. I feel Byrne is the weak link in the show and should be dropped.

I agree 100% .......................

Ekels wrote: »

Brenda Power: Joe Duffy-lite. Snore*

Cant stand either of them ..................

Ekels wrote: »

Orla Barry:[/B] Firstly, she has a lovely voice. Secondly, she's a very charming presenter and a warm interviewer. She makes light radio enjoyable.

Oops, sorry, but I have to disagree with you 100% about Orla & her grating voice which really does my head-in, specially when she struggles for breath at the end of every sentence, I'd say She's amature & lightweight with her guests only getting about 20% speaking time (because she never shuts-up)!

Ekels wrote: »

Eamon Keane: Superb! A really intelligent and well-versed presenter. Far more subtle than Claire Byrne in his questioning as he puts his points to his guests in an understated manner, yet the questions are always challenging. He is reminiscent of a barrister. I really feel he should be one for television.

Agreed its also ironic that Claire took the retrograde step, from TV > back to Radio.

Ekels wrote: »

Moncrieff: The wonderful and witty chap he is. The show is just good fun but Sean always implements more serious historic issues into his shows, to great effect. Henry's vox-pops are marvellous.

Yeah, I agree with you again.

Ekels wrote: »

Hook: Evening radio is a little dull, I feel. I tend not to listen to Hooky that much, but I find him a good alternative to the dreary Wilson and snide Cooper.

Well said about Cooper.

Ekels wrote: »

Off The Ball: Magnificent! I can't get enough of this show. The hosts are knowledgable and likeable in equal measures. There's rarely any filler, which is a pleasant surprise. Murph is an absolute legend, and Earley puts together a fantastic hour, with genuinely interesting contributions from a wide variety of journalists from all over the globe. McDevitt is the perfect foil.

Yes again

Ekels wrote: »

I enjoy the vast majority of programming on Newstalk. It's a great alternative to the humdrum and conservatism of RTE's tired old faces. The only let down is the weekend filler. Jerry O'Sullivan's sport show is fine, but the rest is below par. Particularly this new host on Weekend Blend, she really grates on me.

Jerry O'Sullivan with (what sounds like) his mouth permantly full of saliva is another one who grates on me,
and just like Orla B, he never shuts-up either > I personally think that Newstalk is the poor mans 'Radio Five' which I now listen to every morning, & to be honest the contrast is quite stark if you switch over & compare

raven136

agree about the 5live thing but newstalk is excellent in certain areas,the breakfast show is a lot lighter than morning ireland,but stop the goddam pimping of that text line.
Off the ball is its saving grace,where in ireland do you get the range of interviews and knowledge.
The station needs more money or effort put into it and to cater for a different type of show.Where is the simon mayo or andy o mahony type programme?
Also they need to jazz up that show after off the ball,its boring and follows a similar path every day,a vincent browne type presenter is needed i think

LordSutch

raven136 wrote: »

Also they need to jazz up that show after off the ball,its boring and follows a similar path every day,a vincent browne type presenter is needed i think

Oh no - Haven't you seen his 'dire' appearances on TV3s night time politics show - quite appalling :rolleyes:

raven136

vinnie b never works on tv he is awful,but his hectoring style works great on radio and he offers something different than most on newstalk.
Fionn davenport should also be given a better show.

Along with off the ball,talking history is a fantastic show.

Imhof Tank

ArthurF wrote: »

Newstalk is the poor mans 'Radio Five' which I now listen to every morning, & to be honest the contrast is quite stark if you switch over & compare

Assuming you're living in Ireland, and are interested in Irish issues, then its not really an option to switch over to 5Live lock stock and barrel.

True, 5 Live is excellant for sport, especially events like the British Open, Wimbledon, Saturday afternoon football etc - but Victoria Derbyshire (?) on at drivetime discussing UK domestic news couldnt be that relevant to the average Irish listener

LordSutch

I do live in Ireland & I do listen to Irish Radio an awful lot of the time for News, current affairs, etc, etc, but since Radio Five is available on FM & I have an FM/DAB Pre-Set Radio, its all to easy to just press a button & get some much needed relief from 'Newstalk' first thing in the morning should I feel the need.

Radio Five is also 'Live' before 6:30am, unlike the Irish equivalent 'Newstalk' who provide repeats through the night until 6:30am ............

Radio Five has its finger on the pulse of World affairs 24 hours a day (Newstalk doesnt) & it can also be far too parochial for my personal liking.

Dub13

Does anybody else think Richard Aldous should be given a show of his own...?I think he is great when he stands in for Hook.

Amz

He'd be better than Brendan O'Brien.

Imhof Tank

ArthurF wrote: »

Radio Five has its finger on the pulse of World affairs 24 hours a day (Newstalk doesnt).

Granted, but theres a lot of UK domestic stuff in there as well, especially on slow breaking world news days. And, apart from the Lisbon Treaty vote which they did feature in fairness, nothing relating to Ireland

LordSutch

And if Radio Five becomes too 'UK centric' I just press the Newstalk button

Yes, I also agree that Richard Aldous should have his own show, although I presume he has a very hectic & pressing life outside of the Warrington House studios. Isn't he a lecturerer at some Dublin University?

Amz

Yeah, he lectures in UCD. I've seen him once or twice on Vincent Browne's show on TV3, he doesn't have a face for radio

Ekels

ArthurF wrote: »

I agree 100% .......................

Cant stand either of them ..................



Oops, sorry, but I have to disagree with you 100% about Orla & her grating voice which really does my head-in, specially when she struggles for breath at the end of every sentence, I'd say She's amature & lightweight with her guests only getting about 20% speaking time (because she never shuts-up)!



Agreed its also ironic that Claire took the retrograde step, from TV > back to Radio.

Yeah, I agree with you again.




Well said about Cooper.



Yes again



Jerry O'Sullivan with (what sounds like) his mouth permantly full of saliva is another one who grates on me,
and just like Orla B, he never shuts-up either > I personally think that Newstalk is the poor mans 'Radio Five' which I now listen to every morning, & to be honest the contrast is quite stark if you switch over & compare

Wow, I didn't do too bad there then!

Yeah, I see what you mean about Jerry , the keyboard in front of him must have to withstand so many splashes. But that said, I still like him. And I promise, it's got nothing to do with the fact that he's a Kerry man as well!

I really like Barry. She's bright and bubbly, but not in a bimbo type way.

Ekels

They have David Norris filling in for Hook at the moment. I find him painful. Yes, Aldous was far superior. I remember one night on Questions & Answers Aldous was a guest. There were two opposition politicians (I can't remember whom) and it was post-election time. Between the squabbling, Aldous provided a bit of sense and really articulately expressed points.

dh0661

Ekels wrote: »

They have David Norris filling in for Hook at the moment. I find him painful.

+ 1-2-3-4-5

lostexpectation

norris is such a windbag

irish_bob

while david norris is intollerably egotistical most of the time
i have to salute him for taking that republican hack michael graham to task friday evening
it has been nothing but a love fest between him and hooky this past yr or so , graham while meant to be comic relief is allowed spew right wing propoganda to his hearts content and all hook says in reply is
your not getting any sam philips ( whatever drink that is ) next time i see you

ronbyrne2005

irish_bob wrote: »

while david norris is intollerably egotistical most of the time
i have to salute him for taking that republican hack michael graham to task friday evening
it has been nothing but a love fest between him and hooky this past yr or so , graham while meant to be comic relief is allowed spew right wing propoganda to his hearts content and all hook says in reply is
your not getting any sam philips ( whatever drink that is ) next time i see you

samuel adams beer named after samuel adams
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams_%28beer%29

Amz

Ekels wrote: »

They have David Norris filling in for Hook at the moment. I find him painful. Yes, Aldous was far superior. I remember one night on Questions & Answers Aldous was a guest. There were two opposition politicians (I can't remember whom) and it was post-election time. Between the squabbling, Aldous provided a bit of sense and really articulately expressed points.

To be fair, Aldous doesn't have a particular political agenda, he doesn't have a party line to tow, so it's easier for him to present eloquent well expressed points as he's not trying to score political points or gain votes.

Unfortunately political "discussions" often reduce even the most eloquent/well spoken person to petty squabbling and childish behaviour, with each person trying to get the party's line across to potential voters.

As for Orla Barry not being a bimbo, Ekels, are you kidding me?! She is one of the most vapid women on radio. She's quite infuriatingly naive at times and her lack of knowledge or understanding on certain topics that might be considered not very girlie is irritating. I've heard her try to talk about sports on occasion and was embarrassed for her.

mike65

wimmins + sport = embarrassed listener (Rachel English when she was doing the RTE teatime slot was simply awful when dealing with sport).

Mike.

flogen

Imhof Tank wrote: »

Quite surprising to read such authoritative opinions from someone who admits to having listened to the show only a "few times".

There's nothing "authoritative" about my opinion - it's just an opinion I hold and it's based on listening to the show a few times. I'm not sure how many times you'd like me to listen to it before my opinion could be considered valid however if it's something I don't like I'm not inclined to put myself through it for very long unless I have to.

There are many good discussions on topics/ issues every night on OTB - between presenter and guest. Are you saying that the guests are competitive, passive aggressive etc.

I'm talking about the discussions between the presenters (I figure sometimes there's only one on but whenever I've heard it there are two and they try and one-up each other constantly).

Amz

mike65 wrote: »

wimmins + sport = embarrassed listener (Rachel English when she was doing the RTE teatime slot was simply awful when dealing with sport).

Mike.

I have to disagree with the generalisation Mike, Sinéad Cassan who is now with TV3, was once a regular sports reader and contributer on Newstalk and the other girl they have who does Eircom League soccer etc. (her name escapes me right now) they're both pretty decent. I know Cassan has a background in athletics so maybe that helps, but it is possible to get women who can talk about sport with more than an opinion they obtained from the gossip pages or some other journo. Joanne Cantwell is rubbish though, it's obvious she's just on the telly because of her family connection and her looks. She's been quite misinformed at times.

I guess this is a topic for another day though.

Amz

flogen wrote: »

I'm talking about the discsions between the presenters (I figure sometimes there's only one on but whenever I've heard it there are two and they try and one-up each other constantly).

I'm not sure how much of an interest you have in sport flogen, but the style of the OTB presenters is part of the appeal of the show. The rapport between them is good, it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's the way sport should be discussed in my opinion. Almost like a group of mates talking about it in the pub. I'm not sure what exactly you expect from a sports show, but in my opinion Newstalk's sports coverage is second to none in this country. I think if they started taking themselves too seriously and stopped the banter and the attempts at humour and oneupmanship then the show would lose a lot of listeners. Nobody wants to hear sports shows done in the style of the BBC world service. Sport isn't to be taken too seriously.

"At the end of the day" is possibly the only weak link when it comes to sport on the station. Merely because they repeat interviews that people would have heard on the earlier show and as a result the "sports fans" who ring in are often rushed to make points etc.

Badabing

Off the ball is very good but don't say that their weekend output is second to none, it's bloody terrible no live commentary at all during the summer and no live reporting from Gaa matches and the editing is awful he must go thru 20 sports in 2 minutes and mention that this sport is thanks to such a company etc.., live sport is the life blood of any station that's why Rte do a great job and Today fm with the soccer.

Amz

As opposed to RTE saying big hellos to every man and his dog and giving us an insight into their family tree while they do it?

RTE never read out scores or give updates from local sporting events like Newstalk do. I've often been able to get score updates from AIL games that RTE wouldn't even bother mentioning.

They also cover and give recognition to women's sports, something RTE only do if there's nothing else to report on.

flogen

Amz wrote: »

I'm not sure how much of an interest you have in sport flogen, but the style of the OTB presenters is part of the appeal of the show. The rapport between them is good, it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's the way sport should be discussed in my opinion. Almost like a group of mates talking about it in the pub. I'm not sure what exactly you expect from a sports show, but in my opinion Newstalk's sports coverage is second to none in this country. I think if they started taking themselves too seriously and stopped the banter and the attempts at humour and oneupmanship then the show would lose a lot of listeners. Nobody wants to hear sports shows done in the style of the BBC world service. Sport isn't to be taken too seriously.

Yeah, I figured the 'down the pub-like' banter is part of the appeal of OTB, it's not so appealing to me. Then again as someone who likes sport (and the odd down-the-pub expert analysis between friends) but doesn't love it, I'm not really in their target audience.

To be honest it's not the informality of OTB that gets to me it's probably the likes of the oneupmanship, which I feel gets in the way of a decent discussion no matter what the topic is.

There's nothing wrong with presenters throwing jibes at each other over their opinion or team preference etc. but when they're trying to out-knowledge each other it gets tedious for me.

But maybe that particular aspect isn't a big part of the show, it may just be that I tuned in at the wrong time(s).

I quite like the balance The Last Word On Sport has, I'd listen to that even when they're talking about a sport or sports issue I've little interest in.

Badabing

Rte do give all the scores and goings on at local events like yesterday at the Irish golf pga, Athletics, womens golf etc.. and live commentary from Cork v Dublin and Limerick v Offaly, four hours of just talk and countless ads is very hard to take espcially when you have live sport and regular updates down the dial. Even Today fm have live reports from gaa matches on sunday.

Amz

Not everyone likes listening to live GAA coverage. Even the intercounty stuff only the die hard GAA fans will watch and keep track of every county's scores/progress.

I wouldn't listen to Gaelic games on the radio unless my own county were playing, or perhaps an All Ireland final game. I play gaelic football and rugby and I'm also involved in tennis and athletics. Obviously our standards and expectations of sports coverage differs, but GAA isn't the be all and end all in sport. I'd rather listen to 3 hours of various sports discussion/results/updates than listen to 2 hurling games involving counties I have no interest in or connection to.

Yes the ads have become a little excessive, but that's not the presenters fault, the revenues Newstalk have to work with differ hugely from those of RTE.