Do you still listen to Newstalk Breakfast after Ivan Yates

mike65

Its 3 months since the Yatesmeister fled these shores and NT Breakfast drafted in Shane Coleman to partner Chris Donoghue. I've pretty much given up now and will only flick to it if Morning Ireland is boring the arse off me and BBC radio 4/5 is doing likewise (so not often then).

The post 9 am slots are now completely missable without Yates acerbic humour and insider knowledge of political machinations and the political guests they have on. Coleman must also have a good idea where the bodies are buried but stays resolutely "on side" posing dull questions and certainly not getting under anyones skin. Sure Ivans teasing of young, single Chris became tedious but I'd have that back if Breakfast got its spirit back.

Of course some might be glad to have seen the back of Yates and now prefer its still essentially light but more mainstream ways.

Holy Warlord

As an aside, I'm happy there's no 'humourous' poll option. Too many surveys on boards ruined by atarijaguarlolrandom guff.

SEPT 23 1989

Its been bloody awful since he left,Dermot Ahern's (FF) son in law is not up to this gig surely Ivan could have broadcast from a shed in Rhyl or wherever he is ensconced untill all the unpleasantness blows over:D

califano

Yeah i haven't listened to it since shortly after Ivan left. Chris O' Dohohue is useless even annoying without him. Putting on a captain of the ship/ air of seniority front that doesn't suit him at all. He knew his place or was kept in his place with Ivan at the helm and that worked but i just cant listen to him at all anymore.

Yakuza

I listen to MI until 9:00, and Newstalk is the lesser of several evils to choose from until 10:00. I do miss the Yatesmeister but the show is still reasonably ok. Having said that, I've only recently discoverd the Mayo / Kermode podcast from Radio 5 and I'm really enjoying catching up on those, so I might be listening to less live radio for the next few months.

Drag00n79

I've stopped listening to it as I really miss Ivan on it. Shane Coleman afraid to say anything which might offend anyone = boring.

jonniebgood1

The show is not as good without Yeats.
That said it is a bit unfair to blame donahue who is a young presenter. Remember that when Yeats came to the show first it took quite a while for them to find their feet.

Skid

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

The show is not as good without Yeats.
That said it is a bit unfair to blame donahue who is a young presenter. Remember that when Yeats came to the show first it took quite a while for them to find their feet.

He has been presenting the Breakfast Show for two years now, and working for Newstalk for eight years. I really don't understand how people keep defending Chris Donoghue on the basis that he is young and shouldn't be expected to be any good. It's not College Radio, it's the most important show on any station's schedule. And Newstalk badly need a change at Breakfast.

jonniebgood1

Skid wrote: »

He has been presenting the Breakfast Show for two years now, and working for Newstalk for eight years. I really don't understand how people keep defending Chris Donoghue on the basis that he is young and shouldn't be expected to be any good. It's not College Radio, it's the most important show on any station's schedule. And Newstalk badly need a change at Breakfast.

They have just had a change.

If your logic had been applied to Ivan Yeats he would have been booted out soon after the change that brought him in.

Skid

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

They have just had a change.

If your logic had been applied to Ivan Yeats he would have been booted out soon after the change that brought him in.

My point is that Chris Donoghue is out of depth on that show, and I fail to see why we should make allowances because of his age.

Yates came from having no broadcasting experience. It took him a few months to settle into the role, no more than that. Donoghue has been broadcasting for years.

grumpymunster

I dont mind Chris Donoghue but Shane Coleman seems only fine as a stop gap for me. I would agree someone who is not afriad to ask the hard question but will also explain the most complex of issues in very lay terms is needed. They should perhaps give Margaret E Ward a run she was excellent on the business section a few years back.

jonniebgood1

Skid wrote: »

My point is that Chris Donoghue is out of depth on that show, and I fail to see why we should make allowances because of his age.

Yates came from having no broadcasting experience. It took him a few months to settle into the role, no more than that. Donoghue has been broadcasting for years.

We differ- I don't see him as being out of depth. If anything he has improved since Yeats finished with Newstalk- in his new role. He had previously been only given the lightest of stories so it will be interesting to hear him with more noteworthy stories.

Conovski

Donohue is an idiot, full stop. His typical "I want to ask you a question now Minister but before I ask you that question minister i want to ask you this one, which is Minister, here on Newtalk 106-108FM, based on the deluge of texts we are getting in at 30 cent on 53106" shtick has me switching over before he gets the question out. FFS, and stop talking about your weekends. We want to be informed about current affairs, not what bars you were refused from. If I want lifestyle advice I'll go elsewere. If I want parenting advice I'll tune into D'Arcy (Christ!).

Coleman (Ahern's brother in law isn't he) was a far better contributor to radio shows than he is an anchor, and one of the better print journalists.

pc7

I listen a lot less, really miss Ivan and his political insight. Chris is doing ok I feel but he reminds me of beige, he needed Ivan to add colour. Shane just makes it so boring I'm turning off the radio.

fred funk }{

I used to listen most mornings but very rarely do these days. 'Ultra Conservative' Shane really annoys me, more than Chris in fact.

Surely the ratings have gone through the floor. Any know what they were at the last JLNR count?

mike65

The last figures were for up to March so we'll have to wait until April-September figures are released in October.

EchoO

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Surely the ratings have gone through the floor. Any know what they were at the last JLNR count?

They did well in the last set of figures - up to 138,000, but they were out only a couple of weeks after Ivan left. So you will have to wait until August to get the first verdict on Chris and Shane.

Edit:See Mike65's post for the correct answer.

telekon

grumpymunster wrote: »

I dont mind Chris Donoghue but Shane Coleman seems only fine as a stop gap for me. I would agree someone who is not afriad to ask the hard question but will also explain the most complex of issues in very lay terms is needed. They should perhaps give Margaret E Ward a run she was excellent on the business section a few years back.

Dear God, no!

She seems like a nice person and all but that accent....first thing in the morning? No thanks, not again.

Postit

It's awful since Ivan Yates left. The forced "banter" between Coleman & O'Donohoe is cringeworthy.

O'Donohoe is a little smarmy for my liking and his childishness is quite apparant during these futile and tiresome "chats" inbetween seqments about their weekends etc, which makes for truly terrible radio. The panel discussions after 9am seem to bring more of this inane behaviour out in him.

In addition, the repeated reading out of the same newspaper stories every hour is nothing short of lazy timefilling.

I've listened since Claire and Ger. I'm now switching off.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Quite bizarrely, two votes for 'more' have appeared in the poll. Have Shane and Chris discovered this thread?

Ciaran_B

I called time on it a few weeks back. I gave it a good chance but Chris is not cut out as a morning anchor. Back to RTE 1.

bamboozle

stopped soon after Ivan left, listen the odd time but with the choice of MI or newstalk i'm increasingly choosing a silent drive to work...in fairness though i think i've just lost interest in keeping up with the news as its groundhog day stuff, same sh1te for the last 4 years.

jimmyw

grumpymunster wrote: »

They should perhaps give Margaret E Ward a run she was excellent on the business section a few years back.

Yes indeed, I dont generally like Americans but she is different.I could listen to her all day (nearly:p).She hypnotises me in a good way:o.

telekon wrote: »

Dear God, no!

She seems like a nice person and all but that accent....first thing in the morning? No thanks, not again.

Shame on you tut tut tut :P

Teyla Emmagan

telekon wrote: »

Dear God, no!

She seems like a nice person and all but that accent....first thing in the morning? No thanks, not again.

Her accent's a lot less irritating than Ian Guider's with his appalling diction and selection of speech impediments!!!

jimmyw

Chris is a bit rigid in his mannerisms, "speak to you". I do feel it needs the Ivan factor type of person.Maybe he spoilt us.Looks like Shane is staying.

I cant listen to MI though, its too staid:(.

Vunderground

When Ivan was on it the exchanges with Chris were informative because of Ivan's varied life experiences. Now you have two hacks waffling. I hate Morning Ireland but its getting really hard to stay with Newstalk in the morning.

Diabhal Beag

Chris is a nice guy but he should have a restraining order against all radio studios. He's brutal and his only redeeming quality was the Partridge-esque "banter" between himself and Ivan.

Nascence

I actually afforded Ivan some credibility to pontificate, I mean he'd accomplished something outside getting a gig on a 3rd rate no-frills news themed entertainment station.

Why the hell anyone would want to hear Coleman or O'Donoghue's view on the state of the country is just strange to me

oidhreacht

I listen first thing in the morning, but increasingly find I need to turn off the radio for parts of the show. I can't stand "cringe", especially in the morning, so I switch off for things like:

* forced banter between SC/C'OD
* C'OD talking sport
* what I got up to over the weekend
* usual "we've a lot to get through this morning" opening
* "i'll take the broadsheets you have the tabloids"

I agree with comments re C'OD inability to anchor - he was irritating/childish as a deputy. I don't think they get on at all & at times you can hear an edge in their voices. Harmony between presenters, or lack of, is something that screams out & I think NT need to sort this out in the long term.

I think SC provides decent insights/opinions & having listened to his contributions on Hook's show on Fridays, I think he's pretty good. But it's not working out at for the morning show.

Due to lack of competition I think I'll maintain my switch off strategy with the hope that NT sort something out.

Heroditas

There's no O' in his surname.

robbe

Hi,

I am a long time listener to newstalk and was critical of the former incarnations of the breakfast show (Claire Byrne and her stilted 'banter' with Ger Gilroy) - all light years away from the days of McWilliams and Dunphy (who could admittedly get repetitive with the same guests on ad nauseum - but give me Robert Fisk or Anthony Cronin any day over the contributors now).

I found Ivan Yeats to be sometimes interesting (COD 'banter' and rent a controversial opinion aside) but at least there were some considered/experienced views expressed from time to time and there was a vague sense of the inside track on political matters.

What we have now is forced bonhomie between 2 people who, while admittedly good natured, lack the personality to make up for the dearth of insightful contributors to the program. What we get is COD/SC's opinion about every aspect of the news - do I want to hear this I frequently ask myself as I turn off and listen to a podcast or (shudder) a piece about the tidy towns in Belturbet over on Morning Ireland.

We have COD/SC and their opinion on the newspaper headlines, a bit of banter, maybe a contributor sandwiched in between a competition and their views on something else. It's not all bad and sometimes a section can be interesting but it's the exception rather than the rule. I'm sure it's a tricky thing to get the balance right on a show but I don't think the current structure works, for me anyway. You'd have to wonder who else they could get to do it - after all they seem to run with about 2 overflow presenters who fill in for every other show (and one of them is SC). Anton Savage would be annoying, Fergus Finlay is doing a good job on Sunday (is he filling in for SC?)

How about Sile Seioge in the morning - now there's someone who would hasten the switch to Morning Ireland's Tidy Towns in Belturbet piece....

Rob

telekon

I quite like Chris (despite some of his diction problems) but since Ivan left he has turned into some sort of uncontrollable kid that is spouting opinions left, right and centre.

This attempt at himself and Coleman being all pally pally, laughing, mocking and joking on a relentless basis is quite hard to listen to first thing in the morning.

Chris is calling shane a 'granny' at the moment as shane thinks the springsteen gig was right to finish at 11... typical of the type of guff we come to expect these days.

They should just go the whole hog and get Chris a soundboard with loads of 'wacky' sounds for those crazy comedy moments during the show ala those two guys that do the radio show on the Simpsons...

mike65

You beat me to it, just awful stuff this morning. Nothing quite as toe-curling than listening to two fellas sounding like giddy schoolgirls as they "banter".

qwert2

I listen to my ipod, always have, always will

Irishoz

COD just doesn't have the personality to front the show. He would be better on a pure current affairs show than a light entertainment show like breakfast. They need someone with a strong personality to grab the show and make it their own. Shane Coleman isn't a presenter, he's more of a contributor. Alright in segments but not presenting.

liam7831

Does any one else notice the amount of times they give a namecheck?? They must at least mention their names twenty times a day...............like we get it already sean

telekon

"...and welcome to newstalk, we have a lot to get through this morning..."

No WE don't Chris, you do because that's your job. The word 'we' insinuates that I might stick with you for the entire show but its very tough when you say stuff like the above EVERY morning.

Just tell us the damn news while I decide whether to turn over to Morning Ireland or not...

DEFTLEFTHAND

Irishoz wrote: »

COD just doesn't have the personality to front the show. He would be better on a pure current affairs show than a light entertainment show like breakfast. They need someone with a strong personality to grab the show and make it their own. Shane Coleman isn't a presenter, he's more of a contributor. Alright in segments but not presenting.

I thought Breakfast is supposed to be current affairs though as opposed to light entertainment. I know its hard to tell these days, but I think that's what they try to pass it off as being.

meoklmrk91

Used to love listening to it on the way to college in the morning, it's not the same since Ivan left, towards the end of the year I found myself switching to a podcast more often than not, couldn't stick the droll, boring duo. Hope they have found a replacement by september!

Heroditas

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Used to love listening to it on the way to college in the morning, it's not the same since Ivan left, towards the end of the year I found myself switching to a podcast more often than not, couldn't stick the droll, boring duo. Hope they have found a replacement by september!

If they wait a bit longer, they'll be able to get Ivan back!

Postit

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Her accent's a lot less irritating than Ian Guider's with his appalling diction and selection of speech impediments!!!

+1 Someone should pull him and that spa Alan Hughes from TV3 aside and tell them that in words beginning with 'Th', the 'h' is not silent.

If I hear either of them say "Trout Tursday" instead of Throughout Thursday one more time!!!!!! Jesus....get it together ffs!

9959

Shane Coleman is just a 'hack'. He went very easy on Denis O'Brien after the Moriarty Tribunal, no wonder he got the gig. Chris Donoghue would make an excellent children's TV presenter.

telekon

9959 wrote: »

Shane Coleman is just a 'hack'. He went very easy on Denis O'Brien after the Moriarty Tribunal, no wonder he got the gig. Chris Donoghue would make an excellent children's TV presenter.

But children's TV presenters tend to annunciate properly...

Irishoz

I dipped into it yesterday and heard Norah Casey on. It's obvious they are lining her up for a permanent slot and are just running her through the a trial right now. She has a real personality, which is a plus on Breakfast. She also speaks very well and given her performance on the Fiscal Treaty debate it is obvious she is informed. I like her. Herself and Chris seem to be on an even playing field, so no Ivan-esq talking down to little Chris. However I still dunno about Chris. He is full of political knowledge and obviously loves what he does, but you has got to be able to make people warm to you in a presenters chair on a big show like that. I really think he should stick to pure news. As for Coleman...bye bye!

9959

Agree on Nora Casey, she gives the show some much needed gravitas. Don't agree that Coleman should be replaced rather than the over exuberant Donoghue. What about replacing both of them. Nora and Ivan! Hardley a dream team but a huge improvement on the 'smug brothers'.

my friend

no

I barely listen now...

Irishoz

9959 wrote: »

Agree on Nora Casey, she gives the show some much needed gravitas. Don't agree that Coleman should be replaced rather than the over exuberant Donoghue. What about replacing both of them. Nora and Ivan! Hardley a dream team but a huge improvement on the 'smug brothers'.

Replacing them both would give the show a new feel...one that it could probably do with. I think they are on to a winner with Norah. As for the two boys, for me Coleman is a defo no-no. As for Chris, I could live without him too very easily!

my friend

Chris mans the Studio with the gravitas of an Intern junior field reporter eagerly seeking to be hired

Irishoz

my friend wrote: »

Chris mans the Studio with the gravitas of an Intern junior field reporter eagerly seeking to be hired

Would you like a saucer of milk with that comment???

Irishoz

When are the next JNLR results due to be released?

my friend

Irishoz wrote: »

Would you like a saucer of milk with that comment???

'good morning Sir, nice to talk with you' (c)