Quality radio shows on RTE

BarryD · 02-10-2014 3:33pm #1

It's hard not to be negative about many of the radio shows on RTE these days. If you leave aside the main news shows like Morning Ireland, News at One and Drivetime - the rest are hit or miss for me at any rate. I wouldn't be going out of my way to tune in, except maybe for some of the niche music stuff - The Rolling Wave or Ceili House.

There's regularly something of interest in the once off documentaries, I often find them worthwhile even if afterwards you learn it was 'first broadcast (fill in the year)'.

It wasn't always thus, maybe I'm showing my age. Pat Kenny in the morning was usually a decent bet, assuming you turned off the gushing Marie Louise who still holds sway now & then. Gaybo in his day (long past) ran a decent show even if he was fickle in the extreme.

If I had to name a two hand show, I'd cast my mind back to Fandango by Carrie Crowley and Ray D'Arcy in the 1990s. Always seemed sharp at the time and on the ball before it ended prematurely maybe. Probably couldn't have lasted and would have worn thin.

Anyone else for suggestions, current and old?

Raspberry Fileds · 02-10-2014 3:55pm

I have criticisms of Radio 1, but IMO it's RTE's best service by far.

Late Debate, Arts Tonight, This Week, Saturday with Claire Byrne, Sunday Miscellany, The Business, and others, are of high quality.

BarryD · 02-10-2014 4:46pm

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

Late Debate, Arts Tonight, This Week, Saturday with Claire Byrne, Sunday Miscellany, The Business, and others, are of high quality.

Yes I find these OK mostly: Arts Tonight, This Week, Sunday Miscellany & The Business. Not sure about Late Debate though, maybe I'm just fed up hearing the party line repeated at this stage of the day!

I always enjoyed Mo Cheol Thú by Ciarán Mac Mathúna for what it was - never replaced.

snubbleste · 02-10-2014 5:00pm

There's a few shows on RnaG that are quite good. In fact, I'd go as far as to say RnaG trumps Radio1.

There's a very good coastal docu on at the moment
http://www.rte.ie/rnag/cothu-an-chosta/

BarryD · 02-10-2014 6:55pm

Yes, I'd enjoy a bit of RnaG - wouldn't have sufficient Irish to catch the full meaning of most programmes, so can't really comment.

bbability · 03-10-2014 8:29am

The great giveaway show on a Saturday Morning. Who used to present it?

mickydoomsux · 03-10-2014 9:49am

Liveline is the single greatest comedy radio show on the planet so Radio 1 are doing something right

thesandeman · 03-10-2014 12:08pm

mickydoomsux wrote: »

Liveline is the single greatest comedy radio show on the planet so Radio 1 are doing something right

Except on the last Friday (or occasionally Thursday) of every month.

hullaballoo · 03-10-2014 12:31pm

bbability wrote: »

The great giveaway show on a Saturday Morning. Who used to present it?

Was that not Ian Dempsey? I seem to remember that's where my hatred for his endless cheeriness stems from. :pac:

bbability · 03-10-2014 2:31pm

Suzanne Duffy was one presenter but I know there was more possibly Simon Young

Odyssey 2005 · 03-10-2014 2:41pm

mickydoomsux wrote: »

Liveline is the single greatest comedy radio show on the planet so Radio 1 are doing something right

You have one morbidly weird and possibly sick sense of humour.

jimmyw · 03-10-2014 6:45pm

Seriously I'm not a crackpot, I think the "Doc on One" documentaries are fairly good and interesting most of the time.Very few of them I would switch off. If I missed them, I download them later in the day.

There are thousands of them on the archives.

BarryD · 03-10-2014 7:06pm

jimmyw wrote: »

Seriously I'm not a crackpot, I think the "Doc on One" documentaries are fairly good and interesting most of the time.Very few of them I would switch off. If I missed them, I download them later in the day.

There are thousands of them on the archives.

Agreed, usually well crafted and often covering topics that at first glance, you wouldn't think to be interesting but are.

jimmyw · 03-10-2014 7:25pm

BarryD wrote: »

Agreed, usually well crafted and often covering topics that at first glance, you wouldn't think to be interesting but are.

Yeah like the one about the "Knee", but I stll listened to the full show:D

Skid X · 03-10-2014 7:53pm

Scrap Saturday was pure class.

BarryD · 03-10-2014 8:12pm

How could I forget Scrap Saturday?

They lost the mould when Dermot Morgan died. Though Oliver Callinan sp? sails closeish to the wind sometimes but not as close as Morgan I think!

Aidric · 03-10-2014 8:14pm

Any current affairs show that features Richard Crowley as anchor can be relied upon. He was the natural successor to Kenny imo and I would have loved to have seen him given Kenny's old slot. Much preferable to the buttoned up Sean O Rourke.

For musical output John Creedon is underrated and Late Date is consistently excellent despite dropping the excellent Lillian Smith.

Skid X · 03-10-2014 8:16pm

I thought some of Brendan Balfe's Radio shows were excellent. He was treated poorly by RTE.

Fuzzy Clam · 03-10-2014 10:51pm

BarryD wrote: »

How could I forget Scrap Saturday? They lost the mould when Dermot Morgan died. Though Oliver Callinan sp? sails closeish to the wind sometimes but not as close as Morgan I think!

Didn't RTE pull the show although it was popular?

HeidiHeidi · 03-10-2014 10:58pm

Aidric wrote: »

Any current affairs show that features Richard Crowley as anchor can be relied upon. He was the natural successor to Kenny imo and I would have loved to have seen him given Kenny's old slot. Much preferable to the buttoned up Sean O Rourke.

For musical output John Creedon is underrated and Late Date is consistently excellent despite dropping the excellent Lillian Smith.

Lilian Smyth is back on Late Date these days, and unless I was dreaming (can't rule it out) I'm sure I heard her on an early morning slot lately.

Herself and John Creedon are two of the best currently on air IMO.

Seascapes is another programme I love but rarely hear - although not so much since Tom McSweeney retired from it, just can't quite warm to Marcus as much.

Also love the World Report slot on Sunday mornings - although I usually sleep through it - it's a really good slot. Must get more into the habit of podcasting it.

westmidlands · 04-10-2014 2:57pm

The South Wind Blows, a real gem of a show. Stumbled across it by chance one Sunday night, wouldn't miss it now.

BarryD · 04-10-2014 6:40pm

westmidlands wrote: »

The South Wind Blows, a real gem of a show. Stumbled across it by chance one Sunday night, wouldn't miss it now.

Hmm.. overdoes the hushed reverent tone and 'the lovely setting sun over the waves of Atlantis' stuff, for my taste anyway!!

HeidiHeidi · 04-10-2014 6:42pm

BarryD wrote: »

Hmm.. overdoes the hushed reverent tone and 'the lovely setting sun over the waves of Atlantis' stuff, for my taste anyway!!

This. Love the stuff he plays, but can't be doing with all the breathy, hushed whispering rubbish he comes out with in between.

bbability · 03-11-2014 9:37am

Lack of quality came to mind last night when I had the unfortunate experience to switch to 2fm around 10pm last night. The worst, I mean the worst piece of radio I've heard in a long time. The worst impression of Roger Federer ever with two presenters totally out of their depth. Either that or I'm getting old!

Losty Dublin · 04-11-2014 1:37pm

bbability wrote: »

Suzanne Duffy was one presenter but I know there was more possibly Simon Young

Sorry for the bump but to answer this for you; Gareth O'Callaghan presented it in from 1992. He co-presented the show with Jimmy Magee on the day when Michael Carruth's olympic boxing final was on in 1992. The match was supposed to be scheduled for 9AM so the give aways were held over until after the bout. However, it was very late starting and by the time the match was over, the show has almost ran it's course, leaving no time at all to give away any prizes!

Suzanne Duffy took over in 1993 and presented it for most of the 90's. In 1998 Will Leahy got the gig plus at some stage in the shows life it was presented by Ruth Scott, possibly in 1999.

Quality radio shows on RTE

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