Lyric fm's Breakfast show presenter - Marty Whelan.

Yvonne23R

I don't know if you heard the last chunk this morning where there was a fascinating discussion with the director of an opera that's opening in Dublin soon: The "Rise and the fall of the city of Mahogany". Mart spoke to him as an equal and it gave a really tempting taste of the opera that I - for one - wouldn't have thought I'd have been able to enjoy. it's quite like Cabaret as they said. And some of it was even sung in German which isn't really a musical language for enjoyable singing. But it will be done in English in Dublin which is better for ordinary punters who wouldn't have the bit of German like me.

And as for listeners - I didn't win myself - but Mart said that there was a huge response to the Wexford Opera Competition for tickets to the gala opening Night to attend the reception and meet Mart and all the Lyric gang. With dinner in a restaurant and an overnight in the Ferrycarrig Hotel for two.

I think if you get thousands and thousands of entries for the competition from opera lovers and listeners around Ireland and beyond it shows just how well the Show is hitting its audience.

No, I know nothing at all about Classic FM in England and I don't want to. (Is it there to make money for its private owners maybe? :cool:) It's as much as I can do to keep up with the great stuff that the national broadcasting station gives us.

Expunge

Look, Woodville56, I really don't care what you think about MITM. That's fine, never siad you wern't entitled to your view. I have responded robustly to YOU, not everyone, because you have singled me out on this. I have pointed out gaps in your knowledge, leading to some sweeping generalisations on what audience there is or is not for a (largely) classical music service in this country.

I do need to remind you that you have decided to take me up on what you feel is personalised abuse of a radio presenter, who is the subject of this thread. You have thrown up your hands in horror and protested to me about my tone on this matter. I feel a robust reply to your lecturing of me was always on the cards.

You, you alone, have chosen to lecture me on what you percieve to be a posting style you disagree with. That's fine and if a mod cautions me, I will be the first to submit.
You have said you're not going anywhere and I welcome that, even though I think you were bowing out about 20 posts ago.
I suggest we agree we to disagree on my posting style for now and I'll go back to my white hot outrage and you can ignore my sometimes severe tone, which I believe is justified and, as you have made clear, you do not.

I wish you the very best, Woodville56, although I continue to be made physically sick by the presence of Marty Whelan on Lyric.

pinkypinky

Yvonne23R wrote: »

I think if you get thousands and thousands of entries for the competition from opera lovers and listeners around Ireland and beyond it shows just how well the Show is hitting its audience.

I didn't hear the show (apart from 10 seconds of an 80s classic around 9am this morning) but I don't think MW saying there was a huge response to a competition means "thousands of entries". I'd be amazed if any competition on Lyric had thousands of entries.

There's undoubtedly a place for the sort of show Marty provides but it's on a station like 4FM. I remember the halcyon days of Carl Corcoran presenting that show. He also put in the occasional modern piece and film theme but without the banter and personality driven fare we get currently.

It's very sad that there's no classical offering on radio in the morning. Like other posters have said, we can get personality shows on many other stations. I just want some quiet, swishy music to wake up to. I did write to Lyric to complain a few years ago but their response was a very disappointing carbon copy that was actually forwarded on from a reply to another similar complaint. I just voted with my ears at that point. I still listen regularly to other shows on the station but I'll take anything over what they currently offer in the morning.

Woodville56

Expunge wrote: »

Look, Woodville56, I really don't care what you think about MITM. That's fine, never siad you wern't entitled to your view. I have responded robustly to YOU, not everyone, because you have singled me out on this. I have pointed out gaps in your knowledge, leading to some sweeping generalisations on what audience there is or is not for a (largely) classical music service in this country.

I do need to remind you that you have decided to take me up on what you feel is personalised abuse of a radio presenter, who is the subject of this thread. You have thrown up your hands in horror and protested to me about my tone on this matter. I feel a robust reply to your lecturing of me was always on the cards.

You, you alone, have chosen to lecture me on what you percieve to be a posting style you disagree with. That's fine and if a mod cautions me, I will be the first to submit.
You have said you're not going anywhere and I welcome that, even though I think you were bowing out about 20 posts ago.
I suggest we agree we to disagree on my posting style for now and I'll go back to my white hot outrage and you can ignore my sometimes severe tone, which I believe is justified and, as you have made clear, you do not.

I wish you the very best, Woodville56, although I continue to be made physically sick by the presence of Marty Whelan on Lyric.

Just a few points in response to above
1. I haven't singled out anyone in particular in my postings on this matter - I started with comments on postings which were (in my view ) personal attacks on Marty Whelan. I responded when my posts were in turn commented on. So I'm not singling you out Expunge, as you will see if you look back on my inputs to the thread. You will see there that I responded to a number of posters.
2. I accept that I'm not a classical music aficionado , I do listen to Lyric regularly and while I may not have the classically cultured ear of other posters here. I so enjoy what I hear , including Marty Whelan, John Kelly, Liz Nolan, Carl Corcoran and others. And while I wouldn't have the knowledge
of listenership figures you profess, I do know that in the scheme of things listenership is in the low to mid single digit range at best and I doubt if ditching Marty Whelan would improve the ratings to any extent ? Realistically, what you seem to want is a 100% pure classical station catering for a listenership of around 5% of the listening public ?? I couldn't agree with taxpayers money promoting that concept and on that we will disagree. Or is it a personal dislike of Marty Whelan for some reason - get rid of Marty and all will be well ??
3. If you and others here have such a dislike to Marty Whelan, the musical content of his show and his presenting style , how do you feel about the JK Ensemble programme or the Gay Byrne programme on Sundays - loads of ad lib and personal views on these programmes and a very cross over content on the JK show - yet I don't heat any criticism of these presenters , both of whom I enjoy.
Incidentally , and in relation to others comments about plugs for various events on the Marty show, I just heard Sean O'Rourke on Radio 1 read a listeners positive comments about "War Horse " - would you say this is inappropriate also ??

I'm not going to comment further on this topic ( definitely ) but as I only accidentally came upon this thread a few days ago and found, what to me is an unacceptable level of personal criticism of someone just doing their job as determined by Lyric Management, I felt I needed to have my say . Done that, not really prepared for the level of heated debate ( mostly one sided it seems) , the other fora where I contribute are much less adversarial, so better stay there .
Anyway, a bit tired of this thread where those who can see some grey rather than just black and white are dismissed and berated for their middlebrow views on the MITM programme. Good luck with the Marty bashing folks, maybe ye should ask the Mod ( if there is one) to rename the thread the " Anyone but Marty' forum . At least then passers by would be under no illusion that there might be an opportunity for fair, balanced and respectful comment .
Saying no more , ye win !! More to life than obsessing over who presents a morning radio programme !!

Yvonne23R

Woodville56 wrote: »

Just a few points in response to above
1. ......... I started with comments on postings which were (in my view ) personal attacks on Marty Whelan.

Very good point.

Woodville56 wrote: »

I couldn't agree with taxpayers money promoting that concept and on that we will disagree.

Or is it a personal dislike of Marty Whelan for some reason - get rid of Marty and all will be well ??

Sometimes I worry that there could be some sort of radio jealousy. Were some posters here in the past other less successful people from Radio and TV Land who couldn't stomach Marty's success and his rapport with ordinary people?

Woodville56 wrote: »

If you and others here have such a dislike to Marty Whelan, the musical content of his show and his presenting style , how do you feel about the JK Ensemble programme or the Gay Byrne programme on Sundays - loads of ad lib and personal views on these programmes and a very cross over content on the JK show - yet I don't heat any criticism of these presenters , both of whom I enjoy.

That's so true. This makes it really suspicous that there's such a downer on Mart. I sometimes wonder if it's because he doesn't try to be hip and fab and groovy like John Kelly - a fellow I like on radio too, by the way. And Gay is out on his own.

Woodville56 wrote: »

Incidentally , and in relation to others comments about plugs for various events on the Marty show, I just heard Sean O'Rourke on Radio 1 read a listeners positive comments about "War Horse " - would you say this is inappropriate also ??

Now that's the clincher! You see.
The plain people of Ireland will be going to "War Horse" in their hoards now that Mart and then Sean O'Rourke have given positive comments and thumbs ups to it. Isn't this what they mean by Supporting The Arts?

Onthe3rdDay

Right, that's me away from this mad house. I don't listen to Lyric in the morning any more, I know others that don't listen to Lyric at all. This is because of Marty in the Morning. it's not a personal attack, just the truth.

I accepted Woodville56 point of view because it does appear to be real and not a campaign, It's very different for the other posters that are supposedly normal listeners of the show.

There doesn't seem to be anyone defending the show on the thread other than Yvonne23R and Save our lyric. The interesting thing about those particular two contributors is the nastiness they show towards the (as they put it) the common people of Ireland. They would want to be careful, if they talked about another Nationality or race like they talk about Irish people they could be accused and charged with hate crimes. The way those two accounts go on about Irish people is no different from the cartoons of the Irish in the British Press in the 19th Century.

I'm sure there are one or two out there that enjoy the show and more power to them. I also know that the likelihood of Marty still being in the same job by Autumn 2015 is very low. I'm not saying lyric will get better but it will change. There are those in RTE that have noticed what is going on.

And that's were I bow out.

Yvonne23R

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

Right, that's me away from this mad house. I don't listen to Lyric in the morning any more, I know others that don't listen to Lyric at all. This is because of Marty in the Morning. it's not a personal attack, just the truth.

I accepted Woodville56 point of view because it does appear to be real and not a campaign, It's very different for the other posters that are supposedly normal listeners of the show.

There doesn't seem to be anyone defending the show on the thread other than Yvonne23R and Save our lyric. The interesting thing about those particular two contributors is the nastiness they show towards the (as they put it) the common people of Ireland. They would want to be careful, if they talked about another Nationality or race like they talk about Irish people they could be accused and charged with hate crimes. The way those two accounts go on about Irish people is no different from the cartoons of the Irish in the British Press in the 19th Century.

I'm sure there are one or two out there that enjoy the show and more power to them. I also know that the likelihood of Marty still being in the same job by Autumn 2015 is very low. I'm not saying lyric will get better but it will change. There are those in RTE that have noticed what is going on.

And that's were I bow out.

Have I just been accused of being racist? Me, of all people? I can't believe it. This is shocking and has to be taken back.

Onthe3rdDay

Yvonne23R wrote: »

Have I just been accused of being racist? Me, of all people? I can't believe it. This is shocking and has to be taken back.

Just to clarify, read the post carefully, you're not been accused of racism.

yosser hughes

Marty or his wife appears to be having a conversation with him/her self on this thread. It's farcical at this stage.It's almost amusing if it weren't so pathetic. The lengths an adult will go to over something like this.
I'll continue with BBC 3 myself. I won't be listening to Lyric until I hear that the chancers have been cleared out. I won't hold my breath.

HeidiHeidi

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

Right, that's me away from this mad house. I don't listen to Lyric in the morning any more, I know others that don't listen to Lyric at all. This is because of Marty in the Morning. it's not a personal attack, just the truth.

I accepted Woodville56 point of view because it does appear to be real and not a campaign, It's very different for the other posters that are supposedly normal listeners of the show.

There doesn't seem to be anyone defending the show on the thread other than Yvonne23R and Save our lyric. The interesting thing about those particular two contributors is the nastiness they show towards the (as they put it) the common people of Ireland. They would want to be careful, if they talked about another Nationality or race like they talk about Irish people they could be accused and charged with hate crimes. The way those two accounts go on about Irish people is no different from the cartoons of the Irish in the British Press in the 19th Century.

I'm sure there are one or two out there that enjoy the show and more power to them. I also know that the likelihood of Marty still being in the same job by Autumn 2015 is very low. I'm not saying lyric will get better but it will change. There are those in RTE that have noticed what is going on.

And that's were I bow out.

Hear hear. We can but live in hope.

Expunge

I also know that the likelihood of Marty still being in the same job by Autumn 2015 is very low. I'm not saying lyric will get better but it will change. There are those in RTE that have noticed what is going on.

That's interesting, Onthe3rdday. Doesn't look likely, alas. RTE seem to be showing incredible loyalty to Whelan and Byrne, regardless of the consequences to the Public Service ethos of the company.
There's not much point in replacing MITM with some other 'has been' who has to be looked after, who thinks he can play whatever the hell he wants, with a production team and management who basically just fellate him.

Utterly depressing.

DublinWriter

Yvonne23R wrote: »

but Mart said that there was a huge response to the Wexford Opera Competition for tickets to the gala opening Night to attend the reception and meet Mart and all the Lyric gang.

Well, he's hardly likely to say the response was poor.

I find him very hard to listen to, it gives me a headache trying to figure out what he's saying.

Gay's Sunday show is a pleasure, on the other hand.

SaveOurLyric

Yvonne23R wrote: »

Very good point.

Very good point.

SaveOurLyric

Yvonne23R wrote: »

Have I just been accused of being racist? Me, of all people? I can't believe it. This is shocking and has to be taken back.

I second that. It must be taken back.

HeidiHeidi

[Yvonne23R=DublinWriter;89671525]Well, he's hardly likely to say the response was poor.

I find him very hard to listen to, it gives me a headache trying to figure out what he's saying.

Gay's Sunday show is a pleasure, on the other hand.[/QUOTE]

I have the same problem with Gay as I have with Marty - the music is grand (even though I'm not a big jazz fan) - if he'd just give up the jabbering in between. Repeatedly joking about his 752 listeners and the old radio valves and his wind up gramophone....I rarely listen but I still know the gags. He's another presenter who has over inflated notions of how funny he is.

So to someone who asked earlier, no this is not just about Marty Whelan (on my part anyway), it's about the content, or lack of it, on prime time programmes on a music station.

(Yvonne23R, no need to respond as you have a hundred times before with another tale of a witticism you found amusing and directed at the plain people, we've got the message. You find them funny, we (I) don't)

jmcc

Must be about time for Yvonne to chime in with the latest advertisement for something that Marty is pushing on his show. This must be the only thread on Boards.ie with its own commercial breaks.

Regards...jmcc

Onthe3rdDay

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

I second that. It must be taken back.

This is my last comment on this boards, let me just quote yourself...

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

The UK is a far more musically sophisticated country. Ireland is pretty backwards in this respect, and bobbling around 2%, even stretching its range far outside the 'classical' realm that R3 and Classic FM maintain, feels about right to me.

This is one of many comments that are disgraceful. I am not spending the time going back further as I have a life to live. However, no one was accused of racism. However, it is fair to say that you and Yvonne23R have a very poor opinion of Irish people.

So its goodnight and goodbye!!!

Yvonne23R

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

This is one of many comments that are disgraceful. I am not spending the time going back further as I have a life to live. However, no one was accused of racism. However, it is fair to say that you and Yvonne23R have a very poor opinion of Irish people.

So its goodnight and goodbye!!!

That was the closing catchphrase that "The Two Ronnies" used - which is appropriate because - linking again - they are a favourite of Marty's for good comedy and Mart has a Ronnie himself as his facial Trade Mark.

Yvonne23R

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Well, he's hardly likely to say the response was poor.

(Yvonne23R, no need to respond as you have a hundred times before with another tale of a witticism you found amusing and directed at the plain people, we've got the message. You find them funny, we (I) don't)

Since you ask, Mart had a good one during the week ( sent in by a 7 year old - which shows how good the Show is at appealing to all age groups ) -

Why did the Jelly Baby go to school?
Because he wanted to be a Smartie!

Yvonne23R

jmcc wrote: »

Must be about time for Yvonne to chime in with the latest advertisement for something that Marty is pushing on his show. This must be the only thread on Boards.ie with its own commercial breaks.

Regards...jmcc

I think in fairness Mart isn't "Pushing" anything. He is helping to shape taste in the general audience about gigs that might appeal to us like the Opera he was giving some time in the sun to this morning. We can be bamboozled by journalists reviewing things above our heads in the papers. Mart brings things down to earth.

Or Cara O'Sullivan the soprano who's career he has made. Or Vladimir the Violin Virtuoso playing Vivaldi, who Mart rescued from Grafton Street busking and has turned into a star and now the conductor of his own orchestra. Or "War Horses" that has been brought to our attention.

With Marty Whelan you know you are in safe hands and that anything that Marty Recommends is well worth going to.

DownBeaten

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I have the same problem with Gay as I have with Marty - the music is grand (even though I'm not a big jazz fan) - if he'd just give up the jabbering in between.

+1. But thankfully next Sunday's show is his last, I believe. Hopefully it'll be replaced by a music programme.

Yvonne23R

DownBeaten wrote: »

+1. But thankfully next Sunday's show is his last, I believe. Hopefully it'll be replaced by a music programme.

Yes, Frank McNamara is coming back for a summer season, I've heard on the grapevine. With his piano live in studio this time.

Calina

Yvonne23R wrote: »

Or Cara O'Sullivan the soprano who's career he has made.

Cara O'Sullivan was a star long before Marty Whelan got his radio slot on Lyric. He didn't make her career.

SaveOurLyric

Yvonne23R wrote: »

Yes, Frank McNamara is coming back for a summer season, I've heard on the grapevine. With his piano live in studio this time.

A done deal I believe. And you could see how he would fit in seamlessly to the current Lyric vision.

Interesting insight from Marty into the hair transplant thing here and how well he was looked after by the guys at HRBR. Really seem to be a quality outfit.
http://www.independent.ie/videos/irish-news/marty-whelan-hair-transplant-video-testimonial-29953881.html

Anyone enjoy the bit of Gossec this morning ? A composer well worth exploring. Do.

SaveOurLyric

Calina wrote: »

Cara O'Sullivan was a star long before Marty Whelan got his radio slot on Lyric. He didn't make her career.

Would she be where she is today though without the platform that Mart gave her? Possibly. But possibly not, also. She is good though and deserves success.

DownBeaten

Calina wrote: »

Cara O'Sullivan was a star long before Marty Whelan got his radio slot on Lyric. He didn't make her career.

But without the legup she got from the great one, she'd still be playing the fiddle on Grafton St. .

Have to say how wonderful it is to listen to a truly skilled, professional radio presenter on Lyric on Sat/Sun. Great work, Trish.

Yvonne23R

DownBeaten wrote: »

But without the legup she got from the great one, she'd still be playing the fiddle on Grafton St. .

Have to say how wonderful it is to listen to a truly skilled, professional radio presenter on Lyric on Sat/Sun. Great work, Trish.

I heard Trish this morning and I liked her little programme. It's a lot less energetic than Marty's, but all God's Creatures got a place in the choir. George took it up an octave afterwards with something with a bit more life and personality in it. But then he's a professional broadcaster. But fair play to Trish all the same.

Aidric

jmcc wrote: »

Must be about time for Yvonne to chime in with the latest advertisement for something that Marty is pushing on his show. This must be the only thread on Boards.ie with its own commercial breaks.

Regards...jmcc

Frankly it's unbelievable that it's chiming along unchallenged. It's hard to keep track of the amount of puppet accounts on this thread.

I wonder if some sort of retainer is in place from dear old 'Mart'.

Yvonne23R

Aidric wrote: »

Frankly it's unbelievable that it's chiming along unchallenged. It's hard to keep track of the amount of puppet accounts on this thread.

I wonder if some sort of retainer is in place from dear old 'Mart'.

Well actually Mart has just announced that the Verona trip is now sold out completely.

And the opera on the cards in the Verona arnea is "Carmen" by Bizet. The programme will also be coming from Venice and the sunny towns around Lake Garda.

There's a comp this week to win a trip to two with access to Marty and the gang and to the opera. Just answer the question: in what Spanish city is Carmen set in? Text 51554 Keyword Marty, or email the Show.

He can't say fairer than that!

SaveOurLyric

Super Yvonne, thanks. If you're not in you can't win!

A big group of us went to <> in the concert hall last night, all dolled up in our finery. I was thinking Marty might have been there but we didn't see him. Early start in the morning in Limerick I guess, so too difficult for him to make it. I'm sure he would have been there otherwise. it was FANTASTIC! I don't think you would hear better in <>. the slave chorus was divine. hopefully Mart will give it a whirl again this week.