Andy Mac leaves Beat 102-103

Prince William

Probably the longest serving drive presenter in the country, his replacement doesn't look like a spring chicken either tho.

Faugheen

Prince William wrote: »

Probably the longest serving drive presenter in the country, his replacement doesn't look like a spring chicken either tho.

Andy Mac retired, I believe.

callaway92

Faugheen wrote: »

Andy Mac retired, I believe.

I find that slightly hard to believe since Beat haven't mentioned his name on the radio at all.

Prince William

callaway92 wrote: »

I find that slightly hard to believe since Beat haven't mentioned his name on the radio at all.

That was a very shoddy way to treat their longest serving presenter.... He had a very good run tho, when he started Gareth O'Callaghan on 2fm was his competition

iseegirls

I see Emma Nolan has come back from iRadio, but to present the same 7pm slot she had before she left.

Darren Rice who's replaced Andy seems to have been there for years as well around the station, but at least they're giving a few more people a shot at the more prominent radio shows.

Faugheen

callaway92 wrote: »

I find that slightly hard to believe since Beat haven't mentioned his name on the radio at all.

I doubt they'd sack a presenter who has consistently been the most listened to on the station and was there from the beginning...

callaway92

Faugheen wrote: »

I doubt they'd sack a presenter who has consistently been the most listened to on the station and was there from the beginning...

Who says they sacked him? There could’ve been a falling out over something.

sitkaspruce

Andy was / is a living legend, a great radio personality and we will miss his unique voice and wit on the airwaves.

Prince William

Faugheen wrote: »

I doubt they'd sack a presenter who has consistently been the most listened to on the station and was there from the beginning...

Normally it would actually make sense for a youth station to move an older DJ like Andy Mac on at this stage but as I've said his replacement doesn't look much younger then him.

sitkaspruce

I'll be moving my dial to whoever picks up Andy Mac - Hes the best in the business. I wonder could he move across the corridor to WLR FM or will it be the National Airwaves (Hopefully replacing Eoin Mac Dermott on 2fm in the evenings)

California Dreamer

callaway92 wrote: »

I find that slightly hard to believe since Beat haven't mentioned his name on the radio at all.

Bit of a ****ty response from the station as a whole seeing as how the people in charge were just junior members of staff when they all started out together.

mooseknunkle

California Dreamer wrote: »

Bit of a ****ty response from the station as a whole seeing as how the people in charge were just junior members of staff when they all started out together.

I was wondering if he left under bad circumstance as there was no mention of him on the station or any of their social media,then today i noticed with the announcement on facebook of the changes a couple of people had asked where Andy Mac had gone,a couple of hours later beat deleted the comments.

Pretty bad way to treat the longest serving and only real DJ left on the station,and with all the changes the breakfast show stayed the same,the one show thats in desperate need of a change.

callaway92

California Dreamer wrote: »

Bit of a ****ty response from the station as a whole seeing as how the people in charge were just junior members of staff when they all started out together.

Agreed. Not nice at all. Seeing people like Niall Power etc stay dead quiet on it is childish and embarrassing on his part.

Prince William

I Remember when beat launched their imaging VO had English accents, were they trying to appeal to former Atlantic 252 listeners?

mooseknunkle

callaway92 wrote: »

Agreed. Not nice at all. Seeing people like Niall Power etc stay dead quiet on it is childish and embarrassing on his part.

Him and Vinny acting like two teenage girls on the breakfast show its gone beyond embarrassing at this stage,but id say he has to much pull in there so won't be moving anywhere.

sitkaspruce

Niall and Vinny aren't strong enough characters to build the station around. That was Andy Mac.

iseegirls

mooseknunkle wrote: »

Him and Vinny acting like two teenage girls on the breakfast show its gone beyond embarrassing at this stage,but id say he has to much pull in there so won't be moving anywhere.

It's quite tedious. They have been running through the same segments in the exact same slot for the past 13 years. Beat The Bomb, Daily Dilemma etc. The lack of new ideas, innovation, new talent is something that has stopped within those 3 hours. But as you said, they're unremovable due to Niall having such power in there.

sitkaspruce

iseegirls wrote: »

It's quite tedious. They have been running through the same segments in the exact same slot for the past 13 years. Beat The Bomb, Daily Dilemma etc. The lack of new ideas, innovation, new talent is something that has stopped within those 3 hours. But as you said, they're unremovable due to Niall having such power in there.

2 terrible presenters getting away with murder. The lack of imagination or creativity is shocking - if they were at any other station they would have been cut by now.

dragonfly!

I was searching Facebook for Andy Mac last night and came across Niall Powers Facebook page.
They had a night out for him and he had a nice tribute along the lines of they say you should never meet your heros but not only did I get to meet mine but I had the pleasure of working alongside mine for the last 15 years

mooseknunkle

iseegirls wrote: »

It's quite tedious. They have been running through the same segments in the exact same slot for the past 13 years. Beat The Bomb, Daily Dilemma etc. The lack of new ideas, innovation, new talent is something that has stopped within those 3 hours. But as you said, they're unremovable due to Niall having such power in there.

I wouldn't say they are bad presenters they've just grown to old for the breakfast slot,they should of put Dave Cronin and Trish on it and have a completely new format with two people instead of three.

This announcement they made for the changes would make you laugh.

Market leading regional radio station Beat 102-103 has announced a new presenter line-up, including the return of Emma Nolan from iRadio.

Top 7 at 7 and Takeover presenter David Hammond, who won Best Radio DJ at the 2018 IMRO Awards, is the new voice of Beat’s Big Lunch, taking up the reins from Dave Cronin, who moves to Beat at Work AM following a successful stint on the extremely competitive lunchtime slot.

Multi-award nominated primetime presenter Darren Rice takes on the much-coveted Beat Drive slot. The weekday switch-up incorporates welcoming back a familiar voice in Emma Nolan. Emma, who presented The Takeover from 2015-2017, returns with a new Takeover format for 2019, while taking up an additional editorial role as Multi-Platform Content Coordinator. All of these presenter changes are aimed at further strengthening the brand which has, as its umbrella show, the hugely popular Beat Breakfast hosted by Waterford’s Niall Power along with Vincent Bradley from Wexford & honourary Waterfordian, Jamaican-native Trish Archer.

Speaking on her welcome return, Emma promises to be the night-time companion you didn’t know you needed in your life!

“The romance and companionship associated with night-time radio remains healthy in the digital age. Whether you’re passionate about music, a late-night grafter or just going for a spin with your mates, the Takeover is set to bring engaging content that’s relevant to you – the people of the South East”, she says.

“Coming back to this vivacious and personality-fuelled radio station is incredibly exciting. It’s no secret that some of the most amazing talent in the country hails from the Broadcast Centre, and I can’t wait to re-immerse myself with the creative, digital and programming teams, and more importantly, my good friends there. I cannot wait to be a part of all of the major plans for Beat in 2019 and beyond.”

Beat’s on-air makeover doesn’t stop there. Weekend also sees a change of guard as Shonagh Lyons becomes the new presenter on Beat’s Big Saturday. Meanwhile, Waterford’s Paula Phelan takes over from Shonagh on Sunday afternoons from 4-6pm. Both presenters are graduates of the Beat/WLR/WIT Broadcast Course.

Head of Station Sound, Niall Power adds that he’s really proud to be working with the best young radio talent in the country: “The two Davids and Emma are the voices of a generation of young adults living and working in the South East. Darren Rice is a recognised name and voice across the region and I’m looking forward to hearing his easy-going approach to getting you home every day; all in the company of great music!”

Niall Power adds that “the show changes will be supported by an exciting station sound update as we introduce a new branding package from the talented team at Reelworld Europe. The package was created at their studios in Manchester and Seattle and is the perfect fit for Beat’s bolder attitude and playlist in 2019”.

Reelworld Europe’s Paul Fernley says: “It’s great to continue our relationship with Beat in 2019! We love working with Niall, Gabrielle and Darren at Beat to support their exciting and ambitious output. This new set of themes brings the station’s sound right up to date with jingles that match Beat’s CHR playlist. I can’t wait to hear them on-air!”

Beat has also announced a new addition to the station’s creative team in 2019. UK radio executive David Lloyd will be working with the Beat programming team on strategy and presenter development this year. David has held key management and programming roles in several UK stations, including LBC, the Galaxy Network, the BBC and the Orion Network. He has also served as Head of Programming at the UK Radio Authority.

Gabrielle Cummins is the C.E.O. and Programme Director of Beat. She says “We’re constantly hearing that radio needs to adapt and change to survive. Beat has been constantly evolving ever since it launched as Ireland’s first regional radio station back in July 2003. As we head towards our sweet 16th birthday, I’m confident the exciting changes we’ve introduced, coupled with plans that will undoubtedly further engage our super loyal audience, all point towards 2019 being one of the most successful years to date for this multi award winning, market leading station. We always listen to input from our valued listeners & clients, so all the team here has been working hard to exceed expectations. We’re all really looking forward to hearing feedback about our exciting new line up and fresh new sound to mark this latest chapter in the successful life of brand Beat”.

https://beat102103.com/beat/switch-it-up/?fbclid=IwAR058zYCNKCQ9q0iJxL0L-_HHL708isIyO6EH8N87KMKNla1iYIBbWJweyA

Faugheen

JNLR's are what gets advertising into the station. Andy Mac's show used to have loads of ads compared to other shows that I can remember.

Stations like Beat don't sack a presenter who's bringing in money. I honestly think people are just posting what they want to believe with no facts to back it up.

sitkaspruce

Faugheen wrote: »

JNLR's are what gets advertising into the station. Andy Mac's show used to have loads of ads compared to other shows that I can remember.

Stations like Beat don't sack a presenter who's bringing in money. I honestly think people are just posting what they want to believe with no facts to back it up.

Look All I know is he was the best presenter there and no one else came close. I don't know how people listen to or enjoy that farce they call beat breakfast.

Faugheen

sitkaspruce wrote: »

Look All I know is he was the best presenter there and no one else came close. I don't know how people listen to or enjoy that farce they call beat breakfast.

Your posts have been fine. I'm aiming mine at those who are immediately pointing at him getting sacked rather than the idea that he left on his own terms.

sitkaspruce

Faugheen wrote: »

Your posts have been fine. I'm aiming mine at those who are immediately pointing at him getting sacked rather than the idea that he left on his own terms.

Thanks Faugheen, Im sure that I cant be the only one who feels robbed of their afternoons, Hopefully Andy Mac turns up somewhere soon.....

marno21

From Niall's post on Facebook, it seems to me that Andy just decided to call it a day and maybe he didn't want much of a fuss made about it. He was an A+ presenter on Beat but then again he was there 16 years and all good things must come to an end. It will certainly be the end of an era in the south east as he was a fantastic presenter and well suited to the drivetime show.

It would be fantastic if he turned up somewhere else, he would be a major loss to radio if he retired. They don't make em like him anymore.

sitkaspruce

A little birdy told me that ANDY MAC is working for WLR now - is this true?

end of the road

sitkaspruce wrote: »

A little birdy told me that ANDY MAC is working for WLR now - is this true?

i haven't heard anything about this. however he did work there for a time before joining beat so a return there wouldn't be a surprise.

sitkaspruce

Great news for everyone - Andy Mac is on the lunch time show on WLR, Get those dials moving to 97.5 or 95.1 fm to hear classic tunes and witty banter.

sitkaspruce

Bad news everyone - Andy Mac must be finished on WLR, Geoff Harris is back playing the same 10 songs every day.

Still haven't gone back to BEAT since Andy Mac left, went to see him DJ in a bar in Waterford and he put on his usual star studded show.

I presume those idiots are still on in the morning - absolute bland radio. Its horrible stuff. Even lottie Ryan has more appeal than Niall and Vin, they stopped relevant YEARS ago. Get with the times BEAT!

California Dreamer

sitkaspruce wrote: »

Even lottie Ryan has more appeal than Niall and Vin,

Woah Woah Woah!!!!! Careful on there!!!! :rolleyes:;):eek:

sitkaspruce

California Dreamer wrote: »

Woah Woah Woah!!!!! Careful on there!!!! :rolleyes:;):eek:

Its absolutely true. They are woeful. No matter who they put with those two it just doesn't work. Vin has the charisma of a rabid dog and the less said about Niall the better....

iseegirls

sitkaspruce wrote: »

...went to see him DJ in a bar in Waterford and he put on his usual star studded show.

Please explain what's part of his star studded show?

If it doesn't contain five Sixes In The Mix, and a promotion for the Dinn Ri in Carlow, along with a traffic update then he'd be way out of his comfort zone.

sitkaspruce

iseegirls wrote: »

Please explain what's part of his star studded show?

If it doesn't contain five Sixes In The Mix, and a promotion for the Dinn Ri in Carlow, along with a traffic update then he'd be way out of his comfort zone.

The only traffic that night was trying to get to the Dance Floor as Andy Mac spun out all the hits keeping the revelers moving to the beat all night.

Did I ever need to know the traffic in Nenagh? No
Did I get visit the Dinn Ri or Ryan Thomas Jewellers?
Did I get lost in the middle of a six in the reliving memories of night clubs in Berlin and sandy beaches in the South of France? Every day

I see your point that Beat though that BEAT did not maximise his talents, maybe the poor management of the likes of NP is the reason why they are not as big as Spin etc.

sitkaspruce

sitkaspruce wrote: »

Bad news everyone - Andy Mac must be finished on WLR, Geoff Harris is back playing the same 10 songs every day.

Still haven't gone back to BEAT since Andy Mac left, went to see him DJ in a bar in Waterford and he put on his usual star studded show.

I presume those idiots are still on in the morning - absolute bland radio. Its horrible stuff. Even lottie Ryan has more appeal than Niall and Vin, they stopped relevant YEARS ago. Get with the times BEAT!

Andy would have played whatever was on the playlist,the same as Geoff does.Presenters dont get to choose what they play.

sitkaspruce

Geoff is a great DJ, I met him in Ardkeen stores a few years ago and asked him to give a shout out to my aunt for her birthday in a few days time, and he remembered!

Andy Mac and Geoff Harris are great radio DJs, always give the people what they want.

sitkaspruce

How is everyone coping without Andy Mac?

Chip Whitley

sitkaspruce wrote: »

How is everyone coping without Andy Mac?

I think we'll live.

To be fair to him though, I wasn't a massive fan, he felt like a bit of a throwback on a youth station in recent times BUT, when he filled in for Geoff Harris a few months back I thought he was excellent and sounded like the break had done him the world of good. He sounded so much fresher than Geoff who, it has to be said, plays the same music over and over and needs some new segments to replace the 'time tunnel' etc.

I'd be all for Andy Mac given a prominent timeslot on WLRfm

California Dreamer

Chip Whitley wrote: »

He sounded so much fresher than Geoff who, it has to be said, plays the same music over and over

Geoff, just like every other presenter has zero input on the music they play.

Wanderer2010

There is something really odd and unlikeable about Niall Power from Beat 102, cant put my finger on it..it doesn't help that hes pushing 40 or probably older and still acts like a little teenage girl in the morning breakfast show, which makes him look absolutely ridiculous at this stage. Why would he continue to do that instead of passing the reigns over to someone younger and more interesting. All the content is aimed at 20 something people so him and Vincent doing it is just cringeworthy.

Im delighted Mary O Neill saw sense and got out of there before she too became stale and typecast.

Chip Whitley

California Dreamer wrote: »

Geoff, just like every other presenter has zero input on the music they play.

Honestly, I find that hard to believe. We play 'WLR Bingo' in our office so when Geoff plays Denis by Blondie or Teresanne plays Babylon by David Gray for the umpteenth time this month we all have a little chuckle. After the Michael Jackson documentary earlier this year, Teresanne removed the one or two MJ songs from her playlist which was immediately noticeable as she played them so much! Plenty more examples which escape me now.

Maybe WLR just has a limited number of songs from which to choose?

sitkaspruce

Andy Mac was covering the afternoon show for Terese Ann this week and I cant be the only one to have enjoyed it. He sounds fresh and rejuvenated. Like a man who has broken off the chains of the six in the mix and is ready to produce more radio gold.

Let's hope in the next WLR FM shake up he picks up a permanent role rather than super sub to cover the holidays, that's if hes not picked up by 2fm to recover the failure that is their breakfast show.

California Dreamer

Chip Whitley wrote: »

After the Michael Jackson documentary earlier this year, Teresanne removed the one or two MJ songs from her playlist which was immediately noticeable as she played them so much!

If Teresanne is the head of music for WLR then she would have removed the songs from the active playlist. But she would not be allowed to just not play them.

90% of radio is not done by committee. You go into the studio and hit NEXT. End of!

California Dreamer

sitkaspruce wrote: »

that's if hes not picked up by 2fm to recover the failure that is their breakfast show.

Thats some dream world you are living in there!!! :eek::eek::eek:

sitkaspruce

California Dreamer wrote: »

Thats some dream world you are living in there!!! :eek::eek::eek:

Dream world? Maybe it is - but why not dream? If Martin Luther King didnt have a dream and Rosa Parks refused to move from ther seat would Barrack Obama have been elected to the White House?

We all know guys - it's all political in RTÉ, That's why we still have great DJs like Andy Mac and Geoff Harris in WLR. If it was up to talent, they would have cracked the national airwaves along time ago.

mooseknunkle

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

There is something really odd and unlikeable about Niall Power from Beat 102, cant put my finger on it..it doesn't help that hes pushing 40 or probably older and still acts like a little teenage girl in the morning breakfast show, which makes him look absolutely ridiculous at this stage. Why would he continue to do that instead of passing the reigns over to someone younger and more interesting. All the content is aimed at 20 something people so him and Vincent doing it is just cringeworthy.

Im delighted Mary O Neill saw sense and got out of there before she too became stale and typecast.

Niall and Vinny and Trish are all embarrassing the breakfast show needs a serious revamp but that won't happen because they are still getting the listeners and Niall has too much pull,Treasanne,Mary,Ray,and Andy all had the sense and got out and shifted to WLR...

sitkaspruce

Niall and Vinny are living in cloud cuckoo land of they think they are relevant and if they were on a station where they would have been moved to a graveyard late night slot or an early Saturday/ sunday morning.

Two middle aged men playing caricatures. Maybe Vinny will see sense and head back to South East Radio and as for Niall, he probably thinks he could manage the show with his cats!

Aska

Chip Whitley wrote:

Maybe WLR just has a limited number of songs from which to choose?

South East Radio are the same, rehash the same 'oldies' on a weekly basis like fleetwood mac, blondie....

Must be something in the water down here.

sitkaspruce

Aska wrote: »

South East Radio are the same, rehash the same 'oldies' on a weekly basis like fleetwood mac, blondie....

Must be something in the water down here.

I wonder have they a vacancy for a below average sports / breakfast radio host with the charisma of a toe nail.

We must organise a meet up for one of Andy Macs gigs - he was in the Kazbar in Waterford City last Thursday and Friday. I'll keep you posted for his up coming gigs and we can pick a date that suits us all.

patrickc

Heard Andy on this afternoon on WLR

sitkaspruce

patrickc wrote: »

Heard Andy on this afternoon on WLR

Yeah I was listening too - a great show as always.

iseegirls

sitkaspruce wrote: »

Yeah I was listening too - a great show as always.

Happy Christmas sitkaspruce:
https://twitter.com/wlrfm/status/1152915469147484161?s=09