Frontline Axed.

padd b1975

Can't imagine Pat being very happy about this.

Both the "frontline" and "Prime Time" brands are hardly flavour of the month given recent controversies.

By Ken Sweeney


Friday November 09 2012

4
Comments





NEW RTE head of news and current affairs Kevin Bakhurst has axed the
'Frontline' brand, with the debate show going out from next January under the
'Prime Time' umbrella.

In his latest major shake up at the station, the
former BBC boss denied that the decision to change the name of the Monday night
debate had anything to do with the 'tweetgate' incident involving candidate Sean Gallagher during the last Frontline
presidential debate last year.

"This is not a response to any one thing, whether
that be 'Prime Times Investigates' or the 'Frontline' presidential debate," Mr
Bakhurst told the Irish Independent.

"It's because we are better off with one strong brand across the three nights
which we can use in different ways. I think 'Prime Time' is a very valuable
brand with a great team behind it, and we are putting our weight behind
it."

The RTE boss said that current 'Frontline'
presenter Pat Kenny would still host the majority of the debates, but at the
earlier time of 9.30pm on Tuesdays, and with an "enhanced role" taking turns
presenting the other two 'Prime Time' programmes on Mondays at 10.30pm, and
Thursday nights at 9.35pm alternating with Miriam O'Callaghan and Claire Byrne, with former Fine Gael TD George Lee as a contributor.

Mr Bakhurst said bringing the 'Frontline' debate under the banner of 'Prime
Time' would also mean the same studio set could be used for both current
affairs programmes.

"What we are building right now is one big flexible set for both programmes,
which will save money not having to move in and out of the studio a couple of
times a week," said Mr Bakhurst, who joined RTE last September.

The new RTE head of news and current affairs also
ended speculation about the future of former 'Prime Time' host Richard Crowley
by announcing he would be leaving RTE TV to take up prominent roles on RTE
Radio. The station's former Middle East correspondent will now host the 'This
Week' programme each Sunday on RTE Radio One as well as 'The News At One' on the
station each Friday.

Praising Mr Crowley's "clarity and sharpness" in reporting on the US
presidential elections, Mr Bakhurst said that it had been the journalist's own
decision to switch to radio.

- Ken Sweeney

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/pat-kennys-frontline-show-to-be-axed-in-rte-shake-up-3287957.html

MagicMarker

A good move imo, except Pat should be the main man on all nights. Miriam O'Callaghan can feck off.

rednik

The Late Late Show as well please.

padd b1975

I think the Frontline had its moments to be fair.

It was let down by one piece of shoddy research (Gallagher tweet affair)

If any brand needed to go it was Prime Time but of course Steve Carson would never step on Miriam's toes.

ednwireland

wont be missed

Yakuza

I don't give a sh1te what it's called, political stuff with PK in the chair is almost always worth checking out.

hotmail.com

It's going to be replaced with a Prime Time debate programme headed by Pat Kenny.

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/pat-kennys-frontline-show-to-be-axed-in-rte-shake-up-3287957.html

I never really like The Frontline and found it to be sensationalist. Lots of shouting, but very little real debate. I won't miss it and would prefer to see a return of Questions and Answers.

If they're in the mood for axing, perhaps they should look at getting rid of the Late Late Show as well.

stop animal cruelty

pity pat kennys not gone with it!

edellc

Now now I think your all being a bit harsh on old Pat, sure for the salary he is on I want to see him on telly every night of the week, hosting every kind of chat show or debate show rte can think of. I want to see my monies worth, so come on RTE you need to work him harder.

kippy

edellc wrote: »

Now now I think your all being a bit harsh on old Pat, sure for the salary he is on I want to see him on telly every night of the week, hosting every kind of chat show or debate show rte can think of. I want to see my monies worth, so come on RTE you need to work him harder.

One person so far isn't a kenny fan......

mike65

The name changes....

zetecescort

Pat really shines on current affairs programmes. not suited to enterainment

SeaFields

The concept behind the show is decent enough but there are too many inarticulate joe soaps trying to get their point across and it gets very face-palmy for me at times. So much so I stopped watching awhile back.

Pat is in his element in politics and current affairs tho and hopefully this new show will let continue to do this.

BuilderPlumber

The Frontline started out okay in 2009 but quickly got bogged down with concentration on just 1 topic. Almost always, the banks were not far from the discussion topic and it got tired and boring.

Some people do not like Pat Kenny. Personally, I have nothing against him other than he is paid too much of course. He can be good when he has the right material. The Frontline tended to be good when it discussed issues like depression in Ireland, etc. and got away from the banking/financial crisis and electorial debates (including the infamous tweetgate).

The programme could well have worked WAY better if it discussed international issues like Iraq, Libya, Syria, Persia and US election more than it did. Primetime (I agree it is a far better programme) overall does this and Kenny can be used to his full potential talking about international currrent affairs.


Also, what is a FAR worse programme than The Frontline is Sean O'Rourke's The Week in Politics. This has got to be the single worst programme on RTE 1 at the moment.

padd b1975

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Also, what is a FAR worse programme than The Frontline is Sean O'Rourke's The Week in Politics. This has got to be the single worst programme on RTE 1 at the moment.

As far as I know its being moved to a slot much earlier in the day.

Its usual graveyard slot did it no favours whatsoever.

BuilderPlumber

rednik wrote: »

The Late Late Show as well please.

I agree. LLS needs to either be axed/replaced or revamped. For starters, Tubridy has become a liability. This year, Late Late Show has become extremely poor indeed. Tonight we have Twink and the winner of Voice of Ireland. Who wants to look at this crap?

Tubridy has no talent whatsoever to conduct interviews this year at all (in the past, he could show talent as an interviewer when he wanted - but that all seems to be gone now). His 'drunk style' interview of Nigella Lawson has got to be the lowest point ever but it is typically of the inane themes of this years Tubridy and Late Late Show. Again, you wonder? Is Tubridy really on something in interviews like that with Nigella? Wasn't Gerry Ryan at drugs for years?