Lyric fm's Breakfast show presenter - Marty Whelan.

Rubik.

Marty's new show will run from 7am to 10am.

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/ryans-doing-a-great-job-but-i-want-to-be-a-real-alternative-to-him-2314209.html

You have to admire the man. He just keeps bouncing back.

Lenny Lovett

Rubik. wrote: »

Marty's new show will run from 7am to 10am.

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/ryans-doing-a-great-job-but-i-want-to-be-a-real-alternative-to-him-2314209.html

You have to admire the man. He just keeps bouncing back.

Now, that's got to be the most sensible thing RTE have done in ages. Marty is a natural all rounder and with his 'Wogan' style he should do very well on Breakfast. They should plug it hard prior to launch.

FGR

Definitely glad to see Marty back where he should be. I still wonder why he wasn't kept in this slot for 2fm.

MidlandsM

Martys a great talent.
I've never ever listen to Lyric, but you know what, I might now to check him out.

Bard

Marty's an absolute gent too, lovely chap. Nice one... Delighted for him

dambarude

Good news. If John Murray's show turns out to be a flop I'll have something to listen to!

todolist

Marty is a true professional.I really like the guy.He's a national treasure.

TimmyTarmac

If it's anything like his Lunchtime show that he's been presenting on Lyric for the last year, it's another big fat ****ing nail in the already rotting coffin of RTE's commitment to public service broadcasting.

Poly

Lyric is great for a break from propaganda, I love it, apart from the "musicals" I fukin hate them more than tubridy

garbanzo

Christ . . . . I'm old enough to remember "Whelan Home". Now it's Whelan to Work. Marty's alright. Deserves better. Good luck to ya.

todolist

TimmyTarmac wrote: »

If it's anything like his Lunchtime show that he's been presenting on Lyric for the last year, it's another big fat ****ing nail in the already rotting coffin of RTE's commitment to public service broadcasting.

RTE never had a commitment to public service.All they're committed to is collecting tax payer money(TV Licence) to dole out to medicore talent like Tubrity,Finunchan and Duffy.Not to mention to huge staff they have doing virtually nothing.The BBC is the same over in London.Total waste of tax payers money.

bbability

ForegoneReality wrote: »

Definitely glad to see Marty back where he should be. I still wonder why he wasn't kept in this slot for 2fm.

I think because he lost a shed load of the audience... 227,000 down to 170,000 in his tenure.

Lenny Lovett

bbability wrote: »

I think because he lost a shed load of the audience... 227,000 down to 170,000 in his tenure.

You should check the facts on those numbers and exactly who was presenting at the time. You will find that, actually, Marty brought the numbers back up during his last six months on Breakfast on 2FM. John Clarke admitted that but the decision had already been made that he was only in there on an interim basis.

bbability

Oh my facts are right lenny. And as I predicted Marty is well suited to Lryic's target audience. Best of luck to him.

Lenny Lovett

bbability wrote: »

Oh my facts are right lenny. And as I predicted Marty is well suited to Lryic's target audience. Best of luck to him.

I think if you check back the JNLR books from 2007 and 2008, you'll see that when Marty took over the listenership initially dropped and then began to rise again and rose steadily (albeit slowly but rising nonetheless) over three books. Then Colm and Jim Jim took over and rose in their first book by 6,000 and declined in each book after.

TimmyTarmac

If Whelan is such a great radio talent, why is he drinking in the last chance saloon of national radio, Lyric FM?
I say this as a daily listener to Lyric and an admirer of most of the output.
What Lyric largely has been is a broadcaster of specialist music, mostly classical, with decent, informed, mostly low profile presenters. Not a vehicle for household name stars with no feeling for the musical output.
Has Marty come to save Lyric or is he on Lyric because no-one else in RTE or outside wants him?
Maybe, bbability, you could tell me what Lyric's target audience is and how Marty is wel suited to them, as you predicted?

doomed

Mixed feelings on Marty. He's a nice man and I don't begrudge him getting work but please not on Lyric. The incessant vacuous patter and MOR playlist has made the lunchtime slot a no go area. If RTE want to turn Lyric into a Radio 1B then they should have the courtesy to tell us.

One the plus side, since I listen to Morning Ireland anyway the new schedule is better. Music at lunchtime again - yippee.

At the same time isn't it saying something that RTE will give 15 hours a week of Lyric to Marty Whelan and the outstanding "O'Brien on Song" is gone forever.

Coriolanus

I've stopped listening to Lyric in the morning. :mad:

Barname

What has happened?

Why?

natter, natter, natter

Play the music, zip the gob

I dont want to hear the strained voice in the am

bad move by lyric, put Marty back on Winning Freak

pinkypinky

I mean no disrespect to Marty but this is a terrible move for Lyric. They took a format that wasn't broken and have turned it into just another inane morning show. Competitions! I don't want a bloody competition and I certainly don't want to hear "that's amore" at 8.10am. There's no other choice now, I'll have to use my alarm instead of radio waking me up. I can't listen to morning ireland first thing - I'd never get it up: it's all so depressing! I'm going to complain direct to whoever is Lyric's head of programing.

Coriolanus

Unfortunately the only thing they'll listen to is the ratings, and in this case, I'm sure any drop over the next year will be written off as him settling then, and then thereafter as "well, it's only a niche station anyway, we shouldn't be expecting large figures in the morning" just to keep Marty in his little nixer.

TimmyTarmac

Spot on, Nevore. I don't understand why Lyric can't be treated the same as Rna G and take it out of the JNLR. Then they could make programming necessary to fill what was the original remit - Music (mostly classical, world, jazz etc) and arts without looking over their shoulders and just get on with this kind of public service broadcasting.
If RTE don't want to do it in this way, then the minister could direct that a trust be set up to administer the station independently with whatever amount of the licence fee needed being ringfenced for this purpose.
And no more messing with the Marty Whelans and Gay Byrnes of this world.

CUCINA

Unlike most of the posters so far on this topic, I am not a Smarty Whelan fan...far too much smarmy yakkety-yak chit-chat.
I really enjoyed Liz Nolan's tenure of this slot on Lyric but now I have one less option when choosing a station in the morning.
MW Ireland's answer to Terry Wogan? Don't think so!

Rebelheart

Rubik. wrote: »

Marty's new show will run from 7am to 10am.

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/ryans-doing-a-great-job-but-i-want-to-be-a-real-alternative-to-him-2314209.html

You have to admire the man. He just keeps bouncing back.

Don't like it at all. I turned over to Lyric yesterday morning and he had way, way, waaaaaay too much life in him for 8.15am. I want something calm, relaxing and in tune with the beauty of the crisp morning that was in it. Something to wake me up gradually.

I'm very much a morning person, but he was just far too much too soon. Perhaps give him an afternoon slot, as a reward for his resilience alone. Personally, I'd prefer quieter, calmer and more cultured (sorry; I genuinely don't mean that in a bad way) presenters. Marty would be great in, say, Derek Mooney's slot, or Joe Duffy's or one of those sorts.

I go to Lyric for calm, for escapism, for the little different things like having the main news bulletin at 30 minutes past each hour, for the cúpla focal, for the new music and the new musical knowledge. I don't want so-called "personalities", be they Marty Whelan, George Hamilton or Gay Byrne. That's a different world, to be polite about it.

I wish the powers-that-be in RTÉ could accept that very many Lyric FM listeners feel similarly and stop dumping erstwhile "stars" upon Lyric FM.

Le meas.

Aglomerado

Marty's a nice man, chatty and upbeat, but he's just not suited to Lyric!

I heard him this morning, talking about a young pianists' competition that's on this Saturday in the Freemasons' Hall in Dublin...so far so good.

Then he has to throw in "...just before Winning Streak. Sorry, couldn't resist the plug!" - I tuned out at this stage. :mad:

jcsmum

Yeah, I'm not keen on Marty either. I listen to Lyric on the way to schoolrun/work, I find it nice and calming.
Marty talks way too much and comments on every single tune/song/text message ... I miss Liz.

Coleyoscar

Delighted to see so many others share my view that Marty Whelan, although entirely inoffensive, is entirely unsuitable for the Lyric morning show. I'm sorely tempted to abandon Lyric altogether. (And why does he have to repeat everything he says? Everything he says. He repeats it. Repeats it. Everything...)

doomed

Even though Marty on Lyric is like a spray can in an art gallery you can't blame him for taking the gig. Lyric in the Morning, Tesco in the afternoon. "Every little helps".

The real problem is RTE management who see Lyric as an outlet for retirees and other people who need something to do but would not get on to RTE 1. What made Lyric really good in the past was the fact that the presenters knew their music and realised that the stars of the show were the composers, musicians and singers and not themselves.

Under the current RTE regime things will get worse I fear. How about Jedward to bring in the younger listeners? OMG

Callan57

Marty is harmless but God he drives me mad first thing in the morning ... he's way too 'chatty' & dizzy for that hour of the day.
RTE management are treating Lyric the way the political parties treat the Seanand ... a place for pre-retirement presenters & anyone they feel sorry for and want an excuse to give a few bob to.
It has dumped down a long way from its early days when you not just got good music but knowledgeable presenters & the chance that you might actually learn something.

Tom2010

I completely agree Classical Music needs a restained presenter who does not get in the of the music, Marty Whelan is just aweful, its like a bad Aprils Fools joke on Lyric listeners to have him presenting a program instead of the very bright & classy Liz Nolan. I sometimes listen to BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM through the sattelite and you simply cant imagine them havig a chap like Marty Whelan presenting, why do RTE make a mess of everything, can we launch a campaign to get him out, I wrote a long letter to the head of Lyric Aodán Ó Dubhghaill, my first ever to a radio station of paper., maybe lots of people should follow suit

TimmyTarmac

Good luck with it, Tom. I've also written to him, the Director of Radio and the D.G. - all replied in a polite way. They more or less told me that the likes of Marty, Gay etc. are very popular and enhance the Lyric schedule. A load of Bullplop - they may be (have been) popular on TV but add not one whit to Lyric.
Honest to God, when these RTE management types close ranks, they make the Vatican look like an open, touchy - feely social club.

ntlbell

Tom2010 wrote: »

I completely agree Classical Music needs a restained presenter who does not get in the of the music, Marty Whelan is just aweful, its like a bad Aprils Fools joke on Lyric listeners to have him presenting a program instead of the very bright & classy Liz Nolan. I sometimes listen to BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM through the sattelite and you simply cant imagine them havig a chap like Marty Whelan presenting, why do RTE make a mess of everything, can we launch a campaign to get him out, I wrote a long letter to the head of Lyric Aodán Ó Dubhghaill, my first ever to a radio station of paper., maybe lots of people should follow suit

what's happened with Liz anyhaps? is she gone from RTE or moved to another slot or?

Tzetze

ntlbell wrote: »

what's happened with Liz anyhaps? is she gone from RTE or moved to another slot or?

She's (thankfully) returned to the lunchtime slot that she used to hold before MW came on board. There's simply no comparison between Liz's informed, knowledgable commentary and the inane prattle that dribbles, ad nauseam, from Marty Whelan.

What about the other poor decision making that's been made with regard to programming? It was bad enough that Jazz Alley got demoted to a single weekly show a few years back, but now the 1.5 hour slots given to it and Reels to Ragas and Grace Notes have been reduced to just 1 hour.

What used to be the cream of Irish Radio seems to be on a very slippery slope at the moment.

Dirigent

Tzetze wrote: »

She's (thankfully) returned to the lunchtime slot that she used to hold before MW came on board. There's simply no comparison between Liz's informed, knowledgable commentary and the inane prattle that dribbles, ad nauseam, from Marty Whelan.

I wasn't in control over the radio for a while this morning and had to listen to MW's blather for about half an hour. Is there anything more annoying than a "music" presenter humming the tune he's just played? Liz Nolan's programme used to be an island of calm one could land on for a rest from reality, but Whelan has changed that completely.

paddins

I must agree - I cannot listen to lyric fm in the morning anymore. I used to listen every morning on my way into work. Unfortunately Marty Whelan adds to the stress of my Daily commute. Its painfull listening. Brring back Liz and Trish please!

Cole

The condescending tone of some of the comments here about Marty, sounds like some of you think he's not sophisticated enough for the rarefied confines of Lyric:rolleyes:....just adds to the elitist perception of classical music really.

I'm at my wits end with breakfast radio, so I've listened in to Marty a few times. I've always liked him and the music is just enough of the right mix between classical and 'easy listening', for me. I need something to ease the stress of the moronic driving in the mornings and Marty's show is more soothing than Pantera in the cd player. Good on you Marty.

Condatis

Marty Whelan on radio sounds like a constipated bumble bee and is out of place on Lyric as Kevin Myers would be writing for the Sun.

Dirigent

Cole wrote: »

The condescending tone of some of the comments here about Marty, sounds like some of you think he's not sophisticated enough for the rarefied confines of Lyric:rolleyes:....just adds to the elitist perception of classical music really.

I'm at my wits end with breakfast radio, so I've listened in to Marty a few times. I've always liked him and the music is just enough of the right mix between classical and 'easy listening', for me. I need something to ease the stress of the moronic driving in the mornings and Marty's show is more soothing than Pantera in the cd player. Good on you Marty.

The problem (well, problems) I have with MW include the way he restricts his playlist a small subset of the available repitoire. I like a bit of Bing, Ella and Duke as much as the next man, but for ten years I was able to listen to a much wider pallette. As for his habit of humming something vaguely like the tune he's just played, I fail to understand how his producers allow him to do this, let alone the station management. It's crass and highly unprofessional.

Does that make me an elitist?

MidlandsM

So Humming is Crass? lol

Condatis

MidlandsM wrote: »

So Humming is Crass? lol

Not in the "bee loud glade" it isn't.

TimmyTarmac

Couple of things.... I'm not trying to be condescending in my criticism of Mr Whelan or his show. If Classical music has an eliteist perception, Cole, that's your perception. I love Classical music in most of it's forms from the last thousand years. I'm an ordinary chap on a modest salary that happened to come across it early in life and there are lots of folks like me who listen to it and go to modestly priced concerts and recitals whenever possible. Sir Anthony O Reilly might like some of it too, but thats all someone like him and I would have in common.
Mr. Whelan is now a couple of years presenting on Lyric and he still has major difficulty pronouncing and accurately crediting the classical pieces that he plays ( movement, symphony, sonata etc). If he's dealing with an artist with a difficult to pronounce name, more often than not he'll decend into some kind of 'hilarious' send up of Jonny Foreigner's name to cover the fact that he hasn't a scooby doo. If he's going to play it, it's his job to get a handle on this basic stuff. He is insulting me and others like me by not doing it.
I would contend that it's Marty Whelan who is being condescending.

Cole

TimmyTarmac wrote: »

Couple of things.... I'm not trying to be condescending in my criticism of Mr Whelan or his show. If Classical music has an eliteist perception, Cole, that's your perception.

I didn't think your contribution was condescending Timmy. I don't necessarily think that classical music is elitist but I think it's fair to say that it sometimes suffers from that image, often unfairly I'm sure. I just think that the tone of some of the comments here were not helping that stereotype.

As for Marty, he has the likes of me tuning in....who would not be regular Lyric listeners or classical music fans per se....so he may broaden my already wide musical tastes.

Coriolanus

Cole wrote: »

As for Marty, he has the likes of me tuning in....who would not be regular Lyric listeners or classical music fans per se....so he may broaden my already wide musical tastes.

each to their own of course but it'll be interesting to see how the show performs viewership wise.

Sandwlch

Cole wrote: »

The condescending tone of some of the comments here about Marty, sounds like some of you think he's not sophisticated enough for the rarefied confines of Lyric:rolleyes:....just adds to the elitist perception of classical music really.

I'm at my wits end with breakfast radio, so I've listened in to Marty a few times. I've always liked him and the music is just enough of the right mix between classical and 'easy listening', for me. I need something to ease the stress of the moronic driving in the mornings and Marty's show is more soothing than Pantera in the cd player. Good on you Marty.

I think criticism can be valid without being accused of being condescending. Marty is not sophisticated enough to present classical music in a manner expected by a specialist classical music station. It is not a sin to state so if it is correct. Classical music is elitist and there is nothing wrong with that either. But it is not exclusive or 'exclusionist', which would be a fault.

To expect presenters to be capable of dealing with a sophisticated art from, rather than rank amateurs, is not an unreasonable demand from our national broadcaster.

My guess is that the people managing Lyric now are as amateur and unsphisticated as the likes of Marty and Gaybo, and are making a hash of it without understanding the mistakes. Public service rationalisation or inefficiency maybe has pushed poor candidates into the posts. The initial startup and previous management of the station did an excellent job. They deserve praise. The current shambles, Marty included, deserve the criticism.

squonk

Cole wrote: »

The condescending tone of some of the comments here about Marty, sounds like some of you think he's not sophisticated enough for the rarefied confines of Lyric:rolleyes:....just adds to the elitist perception of classical music really.

I'm at my wits end with breakfast radio, so I've listened in to Marty a few times. I've always liked him and the music is just enough of the right mix between classical and 'easy listening', for me. I need something to ease the stress of the moronic driving in the mornings and Marty's show is more soothing than Pantera in the cd player. Good on you Marty.

Yup, 'an island of clam', 'wake up gently' and comments like this make Lyric sound like one of THE most boring radio stations you could get. That'[s certainly the impression I've gotten when I've tuned in. Christ it sounds like one stipe away from the morgue. Good on Marty if he can blow the socks of that sort of a station!

Big Tone

Marty doesn't suit Lyric and it's remit, RTE probably just wanted to find a "home" for the said Marty, so they've made him fit the schedule by brute force it would seem, he's not made to measure. And dont get me going about that stunt RTE pulled with the start of Marty's first show on Lyris being relayed on RTE Radio 1 on morning Ireland, a cheap publicity stunt if ever there was one, being passed off as a "technical error"!

What RTE should've done is put Marty on RTE Gold, their digital station, as well as Larry Gogan etc and make something of that station whilest promoting their DAB exercise too, that way RTE Gold wouldn't be the boring, presenterless station it is now and thus allow Lyric to revert to what it was for 10 years, and 2FM wouldn't have to turn into a "Gold" station when RTE already have one on DAB/digital.

ghiertal

Anyone is says that marty is an addition to lyric is either (a) an idiot or (b)an inverted snob concerning classical music, "Isn't it great Marty is on, he never plays anything i dont know".
Gawd i absolutely HATE him.I used to listen to carl for years and then liz but wtf is mw doing there.I often switch him on just for a few minutes in order to confirm that his show revolves around about six of the same bits of fluff. He is not even in Limerick(neither is John Kelly) and got really defensive about a letter sent in complaining that he is diluting the stations remit.

1."God i love Ennio.Send in your requests of your favourite Ennio pieces and i play one.I saw him in concert in Italy a number of years back. Magnificent."
2."Send in your limericks, "There was a young tenor called Russell"
3."Herbert von Karry-on"
4."There my good mate Dmitri. You know i just love Shostakovich(always plays a waltz from the jazz suite).
5."There is someting about Puccini, he just tugs at the heart-strings.Ive never heard of that one "La Fanciulla del West"
6."Now let me play some of the myriad of garbage that i actually like after i perfunctorily played verdi"

He doesnt even like classical music, in actual fact i think he hates it.

GSF

ghiertal wrote: »

He doesnt even like classical music, in actual fact i think he hates it.

His apponintment reminds me of RTE making Gerry Ryan the presenter of Operation Transformation. Its almost like RTE are seeing who they can find who is the most inappropriate and then going ahead with the appointment as a kind of two fingers to the audience.

Sandwlch

GSF wrote: »

Its almost like RTE are seeing who they can find who is the most inappropriate and then going ahead with the appointment as a kind of two fingers to the audience.

I think its sadder than that. I think the management is actually that bad - they dont even realise how poorly judged and miguided their appointments and programming decisions are.

Dirigent

ghiertal wrote: »

He doesnt even like classical music, in actual fact i think he hates it.

Being Dublin based and a senior RTE figure, he would have access to free tickets to the NCH for any orchestral event. I pay for mine, I've never seen him there.

doomed

It really has nothing to do with elitism or one type of music being suoerior to another. Whatever the type of music, what you need is a presenter who understands and appreciates it and adds to your enjoyment rather than detracting from it.

While I am not a great fan of Gay Byrne, nevertheless behind the pub bore stuff he knows and loves the music he plays.

In Marty's case there is very little difference between Tesco and Tosca.