Brendan Balfe

Lenny Lovett

This man must be the most underutilised radio talent in Ireland?

Aidric

He is an excellent broadcaster as all the presenters of Late Date have been. Perfect playlists and tones to send you on your way.

ballsymchugh

erm, val joyce wasn't much of a presenter. although that's just from a technical point of view. hearing him tutting and sighing while trying to figure out what to do with the newer gadgets was hilarious!

Phoenix3

Just finished reading Brendans autobiography.It is a must for any radio-head.Bought it on Grafton Street in a sale shop for €4-00.Best €4 ever spent.Shop is opposite where Woolies was on Grafton Street.

Phoenix3

Lennielovet

As you are obviously a radiohead you are welcome to borrow the book I mentioned above if you are in Dublin.

Rubik.

I've liked "The Irish Voice" the few times I've heard it. According to Wikipedia, so may well be out of date, he is Music Policy Coordinator for RTE Radio 1.

Aidric

ballsymchugh wrote: »

erm, val joyce wasn't much of a presenter. although that's just from a technical point of view. hearing him tutting and sighing while trying to figure out what to do with the newer gadgets was hilarious!

Yes, because we all listen to the radio for the technical appreciation of the presenters.

phelixoflaherty

Brilliant Voice. Consumate professional

cml387

His alternative version of "The Deck Of Cards" is a hoot.

Lenny Lovett

Rubik. wrote: »

he is Music Policy Coordinator for RTE Radio 1.

I think that's fairly accurate. He produces and presents some brilliant documentary type shows. I've always felt he deserved more prominence on Radio 1 but he's the creative type and God knows there's few enough left these days.

cml387

I seem to remember he had a somewhat idiosyncratic style in presenting request shows.
Something like...

"Mrs Kay O'Riordan from Thurles would like to hear Walk Tall by Val Doonican.Well I'm not going to play that, instead here's The Mike Samme Singers with Somewhere my love"

Lenny Lovett

RTE should dig out some of his archive stuff. He's made some pure gold programmes.

rebeve

Brendan is one of the best .

Lapin

Phoenix3 wrote: »

Just finished reading Brendans autobiography.It is a must for any radio-head......

I fully agree.
He recalls the days when Radio Éireann used to broadcast from the GPO with great affection. And while this was long before my time, it was a joy to read. I like the way he described bumping into Jimi Hendrix in a corridor in the BBC.

Fulton Crown

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

This man must be the most underutilised radio talent in Ireland?

Thank fcuk for that ..laconic....laid back...radio by numbers .

The man is just seein out time pal...

essdee

Lenny Lovett wrote: »

RTE should dig out some of his archive stuff. He's made some pure gold programmes.

I think he produced "The Years Go Pop" which was a great series presented by Joe Jackson about the history of pop music from the late 50's to the late 80s.

mrsdewinter

I love hearing him on the radio - he always has a nice mix of classic tunes and audio clips from the vaults. Oh, and he has perfect diction and speaks in fully formed sentences. Imagine: someone who talks all proper like on the radio...

washiskin

Must say I really love "The Irish Voice". A couple of weeks ago he had archive clips of Titanic Survivors telling their story and the hair stood on the back of my neck listening to it. There are also great "I never knew that" moments scattered throughout the show. Some of the comedy clips are really funny.

Lenny Lovett

Another excellent show today from Mr Balfe. Great old radio clips from the seventies with Larry and himself camping it up.

You know, if they reckon Ms Finucane's weekly contribution is worth half a million a year, Brendan Balfe should be on twice that for his professionalism, slick production and content of his programmes.

JonathanAnon

Fair depressing though Lenny... jaysus, I was fairly upbeat after the earlier shows and talk of the Kildare / Down game.... but ffs... Miami Showband, Bloody Sunday, Warrenpoint Sort of thing that would be better off later in the night..

But it certainly is a great production. And ease off on Marian, you know she was probably listening to that for her job, as part of the "time off to think about stuff" clause in her contract.

grumpy old woman

mrsdewinter wrote: »

I love hearing him on the radio - he always has a nice mix of classic tunes and audio clips from the vaults. Oh, and he has perfect diction and speaks in fully formed sentences. Imagine: someone who talks all proper like on the radio...

apres lui le deluge!

Itssoeasy

Heard today on derek mooney's show that Brendan Balfe is retiring from RTE.

Rubik.

Yeah, and he is not happy about it either.

"For economic reasons, my intention was to continue with RTE on a freelance basis, but RTE has told me there is no place for me in the schedules, so my retirement entirely involuntary. Yes I shocked and upset, but I'm not retiring - I'm simply moving my place of employment. My plan for the is to continue to work in radio, wherever that may be."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2010/0917/1224279047708.html

Hopefully he will be picked up by another station. Pretty shoddy treatment by RTE to someone who has been with them 46 years and who is still very good at what he does, as illustrated by "The Irish Voice".

Lapin

Rubik. wrote: »

Yeah, and he is not happy about it either.

"For economic reasons, my intention was to continue with RTE on a freelance basis, but RTE has told me there is no place for me in the schedules, so my retirement entirely involuntary. Yes I shocked and upset, but I'm not retiring - I'm simply moving my place of employment. My plan for the is to continue to work in radio, wherever that may be."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2010/0917/1224279047708.html

Hopefully he will be picked up by another station. Pretty shoddy treatment by RTE to someone who has been with them 46 years and who is still very good at what he does, as illustrated by "The Irish Voice".

Very Shoddy indeed.
I get the impression that Balfe is bailing out because some bean counter in a stuffy little accounts office in RTE land is trying to justify their own salary.

Pay people like Marian, Joe and Pat a half a million year because they attract adverts.

But they screw Brendan Balfe. A man who's contribution to radio at home and abroad will never be surpassed by anyone.

Fuk RTE Mr Balfe. You deserve better.

I hope we haven't heard the last of you.

mike65

Blimey he is getting some eulogy from someone who's name I missed. Contract ended due to being a staffer and 65 on Sunday.

edit - John McColgan

Btr

Balfe is an amazing radio talent and anyone who aspires to getting into radio should listen to him. It sums up rte tbh, Balfe gets dumped and Lucy Kennedy is on radio and tv - amazing.

FlutterinBantam

Lapin wrote: »

Very Shoddy indeed.
I get the impression that Balfe is bailing out because some bean counter in a stuffy little accounts office in RTE land is trying to justify their own salary.

Pay people like Marian, Joe and Pat a half a million year because they attract adverts.

But they screw Brendan Balfe. A man who's contribution to radio at home and abroad will never be surpassed by anyone.

Fuk RTE Mr Balfe. You deserve better.

I hope we haven't heard the last of you.

Hold on here people... hold on!

Guy is 65 and that's retirement age.He should have a good pension.

He is good and an excellent broadcaster.

When I retire long into the future and collect my pension, there is no onus on the company to employ me further.

If I am productive and marketable, people will employ me , so less of the bleedin' heart stuff and more reality please.


C'mon people.

TimmyTarmac

Micheal O'M goes on till he's over 80 and B. Balfe must go at 65.
Can someone explian why?
Also, I understand that Gabriel Egan (soccer commentator on RTE Radio) has retired but is still comentating on Ireland international games from what I can hear.
Gay Byrne is coming back to Lyric.

Is it because Egan and Byrne come back for occasional gigs that they can continue to work?
Anyone have a theory?

FlutterinBantam

Sure, RTE need them.

Lapin

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

.........so less of the bleedin' heart stuff and more reality please.


C'mon people.

Ouch :eek:

Rubik.

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

Sure, RTE need them.

According to himself he has a "tiny" pension, how much of this is down to his choices I don't know. But as as you said yourself he is a "good and excellent broadcaster", not a quality that RTE exactly has an abundance of. For that reason alone he should of been kept on.

There is a whole of raft of presenters working for RTE beyond the age of 65 - Gay Byrne, John Bowman, Bill O'Herlihy, larry Gogan, Jimmy Magee, Jack O'Brien, Micheal O Muircheartaigh, Donncha O'Dulaing and Gerald Barry.

I don't know the JNLR figures for "The Irish Voice", but i'd imagine they were good enough to justify him still being on air.