TODAY FM.....

irishstu88

Is there anyone out there willing to organise a whip round for Today FM as they only seem to be able to afford two albums which they are forced to play over and over and over and over AND OVER (AND OVER) again...... ?

mike65

FRIDAY NIGHT 80s!

bbability

They could fix the volume on the transmitters around Dublin. I think one of them is louder than the other for the past week now... Very annoying having to turn the volume up and down every few minutes..

mr bungle.

they love the new song by republic of loose.im browned off from hearing it.heard it four times already today!!

ian87

I've switched to newstalk and Sean moncrief in the afternoons on my commute as Tony Fenton just ruins so many songs with his repetition. Last year leaving work at 14.50 I would sit into the car to the same song starting day after day after day.
They do great work in promoting new Irish bands to the point of overplaying them. If I here "the John Wayne" or whatever its called one more time I think I'll explode...

Infoanon

bbability wrote: »

They could fix the volume on the transmitters around Dublin. I think one of them is louder than the other for the past week now... Very annoying having to turn the volume up and down every few minutes..

Its particularly noticeable during talkshows......afaik the issue is RTENL maintain 100.9 Kippure but Today FM maintain the 101.8 installation which is noticeably louder. Not really an excuse ! alas....



(btw EastCoast have the same issue re 99.9 Vs 96.2 as of late)

KK4SAM

Very hard to receice it in the Waterford area.They must be cutting back on Tx power aswell.

gnfnrhead

Tony Fenton used to be awful for it. A couple of years ago you could pretty much guarantee five or six songs that would be played EVERY day that week. Don't hear him as often anymore but he seems to have stopped that now.

Ray D'Arcy was the same for a while, usually with Paulo Nutini.

soc160

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Tony Fenton used to be awful for it. A couple of years ago you could pretty much guarantee five or six songs that would be played EVERY day that week. Don't hear him as often anymore but he seems to have stopped that now.

Ray D'Arcy was the same for a while, usually with Paulo Nutini.

Ray D'Arcy loves playing something he thinks no one has heard before, except if you listen to another station you'll have heard it 4 weeks beforehand.

ThisRegard

bbability wrote: »

They could fix the volume on the transmitters around Dublin. I think one of them is louder than the other for the past week now... Very annoying having to turn the volume up and down every few minutes..

That's a pain in the ass isn't it, it's been going on for a few weeks at this stage.

S28382

I dont even bother listening to it anymore, i listen to Hector in the morning (when my brain is up to it) Ryan Tubs from 9 till 10 (i get to work then) and if i can get a listen to Sean Moncrief in the afternoon Off the ball from 7 then thats the radio done for the day.

Turtyturd

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Tony Fenton used to be awful for it. A couple of years ago you could pretty much guarantee five or six songs that would be played EVERY day that week. Don't hear him as often anymore but he seems to have stopped that now.

Thankfully haven't heard him in a while but does he still play U2 on a daily basis?

denishurley

soc160 wrote: »

Ray D'Arcy loves playing something he thinks no one has heard before, except if you listen to another station you'll have heard it 4 weeks beforehand.

He'll also often play a song that is appearing on an ad at that time

Jason Todd

I happen to like Michael McMullen and his Football Show on a Saturday afternoon on Today FM, but there is a new feature called Fanzone on it now with another presenter. Michael is presenting the main show it seems, and I know a lot of people have a problem with his voice and presenting style, but this Fanzone thing is presented by a guy with an even more pompous voice- Johnny Lyons from 98fm. Sorry now, but I'll be turning off after the main show finishes.

heybaby

Today fm is taking its eye off the ball in my opinion. Dempsey and co on brekkie are a good team but they need to freshen things up before things become stale.

DArcy is Darcy, love him or loathe him , what you see is what you get. However It wouldnt surprise me if in the next year or two if he looked for a change. He's been doing the same show for well over a decade now and with marriage and two kids, he may angle for a move back to tv work so he can spend more time with the kids. I think he's done everything he can do with the programme.

As far as his music policy goes, there doesnt seem to be one, he plays what he likes and if it means playing Janelle monae every day for 3 weeks he'll do exactly that. It does become tedious.

KC's show for me is purely a legacy of foley and co. I never thought KC was a strong presenter from day one but preferred him on his own to the gaggle of people he has on his team now.

Fenton, as ive said before is a walking radio cliche, lovely chap but as a presenter he infuriates with his one dimensional presentation, this was very much in evidence while he covered for dempsey. Fenton clearly doesnt prep his shows, sure why would he, he's got a producer ??!!?? again as ive said before Fenton having a producer is an absolute waste of money and a total indulgence.

Cooper is one of the finest if not the best current affairs / magazine host on irish radio, his ability to interrogate senior politicians / bankers is second to none yet he possesses the ability to do the lighter stuff with a sense of humour pat kenny can only dream of.

Colm O sullivan is essentially another KC, only more music focussed.

McLoone does his quirky thing and is suited to late evening.

Floody on planet 80's or whatever you call his show is quite possibly one of the laziest dj's on the radio, listen to his links, they are dreadful. Not far behind him is Tim Kelly who is a poor man's Fenton.

Quite why Eastcoast FM continue to allow Declan Meehan to present on a rival station that broadcasts into their catchment area is beyond me, but then again they allow Rob G to do something similar on fm104. Meehan playing Calvin harris just sounds wrong to me.

Jim O neill continues to phone in his voice tracked links from south africa on a weekly basis with all the charm and spontaneity of yer man on the speaking clock. It is totally and utterly ridiculous that today fm cannot find a jock who lives north of the equator to host this show let alone find an irish jock to actually do the show live from Dublin.

Alison curtis is back at the weekend yet despite her lengthy experience she continues to sound frantic and rushed during her links. I like what they are trying to do with her show but she needs to calm down and for the love of god , stop giving time checks during every link, followed by the phrase 'in the morning', its a crutch Alison ...

Finally Phil cawley, a jock I like and fenton could do well to listen to him. Inexplicably Cawley has lost a quarter of his listeners in the last 12 months, now do people just not like him or is he doing too many OB's at the weekend which tends to grate with some listeners who just want music rather not the hard sell every week.

Louise Duffy has come on tremendously since starting her radio career a couple of years ago but I still find it demeaning for her that she does dempseys traffic reports, if it was a bloke he wouldnt be asked to do it.
Paula Mc Sweeney has landed 2 jobs at today fm, one as showbizz correspondent on dempsey's show, which really constitutes fluff, and latterly a friday evening slot as a jock. She has agreat personality but really needs considerable help on air. Why Today fm overlooked oceans of experienced talent and opted for another novice is beyond me .. oh hold on .. its pure laziness.

Clearly I listen to the station alot and enjoy the station but Today fm in the absence of a national competitor (2fm)really should be further ahead than it is especially in Dublin, so changes are needed.

Addle

I presume Louise Duffy chooses to have 2 jobs?
1 with.Today FM and 1 with AA Roadwatch?

Jason Todd

Great post heybaby, I would break it down like this too;

A Team:
Ray D'Arcy
Matt Cooper
KC
Paul McLoone

B Team:
Louise Duffy
Alison Curtis
Phil Cawley
Colm O'Sullivan

Needs changing/ treading water:
Iano
Tony Fenton
Jim O'Neill
"Floody" (cringe)

Then you have the specialist presenters like Michael McMullen, Paul Collins, Anton Savage, Dave Couse etc. Imo they are all good at what they do, but Paul Collins can be very grating. Even the B Team there could be improved upon, bar Louise Duffy, I think she's great.

siblers

Colm O'Sullivan has huge potential. His mixup show is really good, similar style to KC, very relaxed and good craic. I like Michael McMullen, really knows his stuff. Only thing I don't like about that show is that god awful phone in they have from 5-6 (not even sure if its still going). Hearing glory hunting fans constantly moaning gets pretty tedious.

neris

I like michael mcmullen on the football & thought his phone in was good last few years. Can't understand shut that johnny lyons pillock got the phone in. he was awful on 98fm & same today. Today fm now have 2 of the biggest gob****es in sport radio presenting now on

siblers

neris wrote: »

I like michael mcmullen on the football & thought his phone in was good last few years. Can't understand shut that johnny lyons pillock got the phone in. he was awful on 98fm & same today. Today fm now have 2 of the biggest gob****es in sport radio presenting now on

Is Paul Collins the other?

wnolan1992

I never understand the criticism of McMullen tbh. I've always found him to be the best sports anchor in Irish radio. Really knows his stuff and the show is always top quality.

Didn't hear Johnny Lyons' part, but I'd be disappointed if he's doing the phone in. I don't particularly like the phone in, but I think I'd dislike it more if it wasn't Michael doing it.


I prefer Colm O'Sullivan to KC tbh. I have great time for KC, but I think he's better with a team than he is solo. O'Sullivan has serious potential in that slot.

Meangadh

heybaby wrote: »

Finally Phil cawley, a jock I like and fenton could do well to listen to him. Inexplicably Cawley has lost a quarter of his listeners in the last 12 months, now do people just not like him or is he doing too many OB's at the weekend which tends to grate with some listeners who just want music rather not the hard sell every week.

I'd have to admit to being one of these people who cannot stand him. Of all the people on Today FM he'd be the one I'd definitely always switch off when he's on. I find him really insincere and really cringey and patronising when he does interviews with people- with either celebrities or listeners.

I just don't like listening to him at all. He's kind of in the same school of djing as Tony Fenton but doesn't come across as sound as Tony.

I like Colm O'Sullivan though and KC's show is growing on me a lot. I really would like to see Ray D'arcy's show get a shake up though- or at least go back to the more light hearted show that it was.

channelsurfer2

i think its more a case of DOB not knowing what to do with it and really wanting Newstalk to become RTE1, which costs money, leaving none for Today FM. And yes that new fanzone feature is rubbish compared to what Michael McMullen used to do.

heybaby

channelsurfer2 wrote: »

i think its more a case of DOB not knowing what to do with it and really wanting Newstalk to become RTE1, which costs money, leaving none for Today FM. And yes that new fanzone feature is rubbish compared to what Michael McMullen used to do.

Its a very odd decision. Personally I always thought Michael mc Mullan to be right up there with the Talksport / 5 Live in terms of pedigree as a sportsbroadcaster, Lyons is merely a sports newsreader who likes the sound of his own voice and possesses the ability to be radio marmite.

Heym

Colm still sounds nervous and never seems to know the right point to get out of a link, lots of mumbling and rambling too....

McLoone is very poor. fair enough he knows his tunes.. but having him on during the day covering is a terrible decision. Seems there no direction there at the mo, the talk side of it is winning, but evenings / weeknds needs work.

Louise Duffy is a good presenter? are ya's mad lads?

Jason Todd

Heym wrote: »

Colm still sounds nervous and never seems to know the right point to get out of a link, lots of mumbling and rambling too....

McLoone is very poor. fair enough he knows his tunes.. but having him on during the day covering is a terrible decision. Seems there no direction there at the mo, the talk side of it is winning, but evenings / weeknds needs work.

Louise Duffy is a good presenter? are ya's mad lads?

I think she's very likable, and the promos for her show were hilarious and original.

wnolan1992

Jason Todd wrote: »

I think she's very likable, and the promos for her show were hilarious and original.

"I'm just reelly tired, OK?!" :pac:

RachaelVO

wnolan1992 wrote: »

"I'm just reelly tired, OK?!" :pac:

She's very likeable alright... heard a few times on a Saturday morning a while back and enjoyed it. I hope she's earmarked as a talent of the future.

Btr

Difficult to disagree as usual with any comments by Heybaby. Personally I think Today Fm is running on autopilot - don't get Louise Duffy and her apparent inability to connect with her early morning audience . Brekkie Show - well past it's sell by date and needs radical surgery . KC, Sully etc all sound exactly the same . TF and Paul Collins - no idea as I won't listen to them . Alison Curtis is a decent broadcaster and why she stays with Communicorp is beyond me

Seans_Username

More than 6 months on and the OP's criticism still holds true. I blame Tony Fenton and KC for overplaying any half-decent song in the charts. Both have absolutely destroyed that Chris Malinchak song and Get Lucky. But Fenton has done the impossible and continues to overplay a song released 5 years ago (Elbow - One Day Like This). Not that I ever liked it that much, he just plays it way too much, as if he thinks it hasn't been played in years, when in reality its been days. Paul McLoone taking over for him last week was a breath of fresh air.

And Aingeala Flannery replacing Matt/Anton on the last word is doing an awful job. I was listening to her talking to Sinead Gleeson about movies/tv (a section of the show I like to listen to) with another woman and it sounded like something from Sex and The City. Three overly-chatty women chatting shíte. It was unbearable.

Btr

I heard that and hoped Cooper would come back .,her lack of knowledge / research was frightening .

mike65

Whats the Fan Zone ****e? Or at least the DJ doing the presenting.

heybaby

Johnny Lyons from 98fm is hosting fanzone, he's an acquired taste alright but certainly has plenty of football knowledge. Wonder why Michael is no longer hosting that part of the programme.

Jason Todd

Johnny Lyons is shocking, loves the sound of his own voice. He almost stated as fact today that a Newcastle player was at home playing Playstation waiting for Arsenal to buy him, when he knows nothing of the ins and outs. I first heard him on 98fm last season and he loves giving his own opinions and predictions before matches. I heard him get every prediction wrong on a Champions League day so had no interest in what he had to say after that.

Don't want to be nasty about the man, but I have no idea why Today FM thought it would be a good idea to bring him in when they have the likes of McMullen, Nathan Murphy and John Duggan.

2moreMinutes

Since its the first Saturday I've been at home, I turned on Today FM to listen to the Live After 5 show. Thought I had the wrong day & I was listening to Tony Fenton:eek:

I'll give it a go for another few weeks but unless something dramatic happens, I cant see myself being able to listen to this. A damn shame as it was a great show in previous years.:(

NapoleonInRags

Jesus that Johnny Lyons is shocking - has no idea how to host a phone-in show.

Serious mis-step from Today FM

mike65

Terrible isn't he - all Smashy and Nicey and not in a good way.

LeakyGee

Seans_Username wrote: »

More than 6 months on and the OP's criticism still holds true. I blame Tony Fenton and KC for overplaying any half-decent song in the charts. Both have absolutely destroyed that Chris Malinchak song and Get Lucky.


Not the lads fault, blame a thing called 'playlist' where songs are scheduled to play by the programme selector. It's the same on every bloody station, great track gets played every 4 hours - for 6 months + :mad:

Penny Dreadful

siblers wrote: »

Is Paul Collins the other?

Paul Collins and his overly long exaggerated "I'm from the country" accent is the main reason I changed from Ian Dempsy's breakfast show. I cannot stand Paul Collins.
Matt Cooper is the best thing Today FM have by a long shot. I really like his show, his personality works well for me too.
Other than his show I never listen to Today FM any more.
I listen to Newstalk (stopped after Ivan left and was replaced by the dreadful Nora Casey- changed to Spin 103.8) in the mornings especially now that Ivan is back.
Their lunchtime show is good too although I rarely get to hear it as am at work.
I'm only in the car again from 5.30pm onwards so get to avoid the rest of the afternoon stuff. Its Matt Cooper for me all the way home!.

Ray D'arcy started to pontificate on everything and was so dreary that I have to stop listening to him.

Scaramanga 4

I think Today Fm should do a big revamp at weekends and bring in lots of new young talent, Friday night 80s, The classic 9 at 11, planet hits etc have all been on the schedule for about 15 years at this stage.

heybaby

Scaramanga 4 wrote: »

I think Today Fm should do a big revamp at weekends and bring in lots of new young talent, Friday night 80s, The classic 9 at 11, planet hits etc have all been on the schedule for about 15 years at this stage.

Agreed declan meehan should be dropped, having him on the station is goganesque. Floody needs to go aswell, his links are the laziest I've heard on many a station, and I'm at pains to repeat myself about Jim voice track o Neill, his music is fine, but it should be live and from somewhere in actual Ireland.

denishurley

heybaby wrote: »

Agreed declan meehan should be dropped, having him on the station is goganesque. Floody needs to go aswell, his links are the laziest I've heard on many a station, and I'm at pains to repeat myself about Jim voice track o Neill, his music is fine, but it should be live and from somewhere in actual Ireland.

It was gas last Sunday, he mentioned some big gig that had been on in Dublin and said, "I didn't get a chance to go along myself."

wnolan1992

You'll take Friday Night 80's away over my dead body Scara!

mike65

Jodie Foster is on Matt Coopers show

bbability

wnolan1992 wrote: »

You'll take Friday Night 80's away over my dead body Scara!

And mine .....

ford fiesta

Derek Flood isn't that bad. I think his show (Planet hits) is trying to re-capture the mood of Atlantic 252

wnolan1992

Yeah, I like Floody. I think he's suited well to the shows he does which are music driven. I don't really listen to him for his links, I listen for the music he plays. If that means having to endure basic "That was X, this is Y, text from Z saying 'blah', 53102!" links, then so be it.

Trebor176

I'd hate to see Friday Night 80s changed. Great music, but perhaps it needs a longer list of songs. Paula McSweeney is doing great, and Friday Night Anthems is a great show. Maybe she could fill in on different shows too? It's a shame that Nothing But 90s was dropped when Tracy Lee left (another presenter I quite liked).

Maybe it's because I'm not a football fan, but I'd have to switch off Premier League Live. I would much prefer music than four hours of matches, analysis and then Fanzone. Rock and Roll Football on Nova is grand. Great music and updates of matches in between. But, Today FM are of course catering for the footie fans, so I dare not complain.

The 6-midnight slot on a Saturday evening has changed a few times in the last few years or so with The Car Wash (great music), Nights With Alice Cooper (loved that too), then The Car Wash again and I can't think what else. Now there's Planet Hits and Ed's Indie Disco, but no complaints from me about those. Wasn't Floody on with Planet Hits from 9 or 10PM onwards before as well as the above?

Even weekday nights have changed a bit in recent times. The Chill show after midnight didn't seem to last long. I notice it's not listed on the website when it had been before. As for weekdays, maybe Dempsey's show could do with a revamp. I haven't heard it in ages, but going by what I've heard and read, it doesn't seem to have changed at all in a few years. I used to listen to D'Arcy everyday when I had the chance, but I haven't tuned in in ages. It's not because I don't like the show, but simply because I don't get a chance. I will certainly listen to it again when I can and see how it goes.

Louise Duffy is another presenter I'd like to see on a later time slot because she is well capable and great to listen to. Though, I guess she is ideal for that hour of the morning with her cheerful personality. I'd love to see AM Kelly back. I always enjoyed listening to her no matter what show she did. Her Year In Review was always great around Christmas.

Bar a couple of shows, I don't think the station needs too much of a revamp. Perhaps some presenters could be reshuffled or shows, but it works fine in my opinion. I'm sure we will see more changes at some stage, though.

bbability

I think the most recent results show Derek Flood holding his own at Today Fm. I'm sure some people here have access to that information to clear things up. And for the record, he's far from lazy. He a good jock who can hold his own.

PatsyWW

I was just checking on boards to see if anyone shares my opinion and that of a few of my friends on Paula McSweeney.
This was the only thread I could find with her name in it.
I find her voice must annoying in the morning , just don''t think she has a voice for radio, nothing personal as I don't know the girl. (I just switch the radio channel over anymore so not that big a deal)

Maybe its just us, but still surprised nobody else has mentioned it online.

Jason Todd

PatsyWW wrote: »

I was just checking on boards to see if anyone shares my opinion and that of a few of my friends on Paula McSweeney.
This was the only thread I could find with her name in it.
I find her voice must annoying in the morning , just don''t think she has a voice for radio, nothing personal as I don't know the girl. (I just switch the radio channel over anymore so not that big a deal)

Maybe its just us, but still surprised nobody else has mentioned it online.

To be honest, I don't think too many of us here listen to Ian Dempsey. And certainly not the Friday night show she does.