2021 in Irish Radio

Ballycommon Mast

I guess it was a fairly evenfall year?, some of the events that I remember, Eoghan McDermott leaves 2fm suddenly and is replaced by Carl Mullen & Donnacha O'Callaghan. Radio Nova and 4fm swapped Breakfast shows, 98fm axed their daily chat show. RTE ceased DAB radio broadcasting. Denis O'Brien sold out of Bauer. Phil Cawley left Today FM after 24 years. Mairead Ronan left Today FM lunchtime show after 2 years. Louise McSharry was publicly axed from 2fm and removed from the building by security.

radiotrickster

Bauer gave away half a million euro with their cash machine and other giveaways. It makes you wonder how much they made if they could give that away!

Infoanon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370333#Comment_118370333

Many radio stations are struggling financially. One way to fund stations is through eg 'cash machine ' lotteries , the pay outs are not coming from the stations own resources but rather from the €2.50 premium calls to enter the competition.

Looking across the Atlantic, the listenership figures are in stark decline with 'hours ' listened now being counted in minutes. I expect that in time the same will happen here and be reflected in the Jnlrs, for the moment everyone is #1......

radiotrickster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118372808#Comment_118372808

Yeah, I meant it makes you wonder how much they make from each competition if they’re able to give away 5-15k five days a week. They’re pushing a 21k giveaway now that starts tomorrow

ford fiesta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058224229/2021-in-irish-radio

if true, why did security get involved?

newcavanman

I'm in the truck from 6am till 6 pm Monday to Friday, so I'm an all day radio listener, usually talk radio. I have to say I think the quality of broadcast radio in this country has plummeted in recent years. Whilst they weren't everybodys cup of tea, the likes of George Hook, Eamonn Dunphy and Sean O'Rourke were compulsive listening. They have been replaced by a wave of lightweights who all seem to succumb to the same a mentality and world view. Anything that challenges the ' correct' view is smashed down. Trump seemed to be the rallying call for these people. With his arrival on the scene they could coalesce on a single front of attack, and anyone or thing that challenged their world view was worthy of their combined efforts. Thus we have blind obedience to the EU, NPHETm Greta Thunberg and so many other icons of our time.

In previous times we would have heard contrarian positions and opinions. Now it seems all broadcast media follows the so called Correct opinions. I believe people do not want this. People enjoy discussion, arguments, the teasing out of issues. Instead we are left with gasbags like Newstalk Breakfast, Tubridy, Scare Byrne and Cooper. I don't include D'Arcy, as he is just a joke. Mind you, a sick joke at 400 K pa

I listen to podcasts more and more, and I think a lot of people are voting with their Dials. I think in 10 years time, these people will find themselves in the same boat as print journalism is now and with no one to blame but themselves

Pelvis Parsley

I think you're spot on my friend.

Hope you got a bit of respite from tipping and loading over the Christmas.

Declan A Walsh

Two former Dublin pirates and more recently online stations had temporary license runs on FM this year in various parts of the country: Easy Radio and Freedom FM. Easy Radio was still running as a pirate as recently as 2020.

The Dublin pirate scene in 2021 has been dominated by oldies-oriented largely weekend-based pirates. The most frequent players are Retro FM (92.0), Energy Power AM on 1395 kh (also relays live broadcasts from Retro FM) and ABC 80s on 96.0 FM. 94.3 FM seems to have been shared out between various players, relaying at different times Retro FM, All Eighties and Charity Radio. Another oldies pirate Star1057 has been popping up off and on during the year on 105.7. Other times it has broadcast as The Beach on 105.7 FM, which plays chilled dance music. Dance pirate Phever has been on, as far as I can make out, mainly on Fridays on 91.6 FM. Another dance pirate Club FM returned sporadically to the airwaves on 107.1 FM. Meath dance pirate RetroNow turned up on various FM frequencies, beaming into some parts of Dublin, but seems to have gone quiet now at least on FM.

Declan A Walsh

Simon Young, formerly of 2FM and briefly involved with temporary licensed stations (Hot Country and Christmas FM), passed away this year.

radiotrickster

These aren’t all changes / moves but also a few moments that stand out to me thinking about the year:

FM104’s breakfast went viral for their assumably staged game where someone tried to cheat in Instagrand. Then a few days after, Spin South West’s breakfast had a chancer trying to cheat as well, if I remember correctly. Coincidental.

98FM seemed to start its own homeware range for their breakfast show with branded hot water bottles, candles and boxes of personalised Quality Streets? I don’t follow the show much but it seems random.

Spin removed an hour of their drive show on Friday’s to add Joel Corry doing a DJ show.

Cormac Moore left radio only recently. I think his show was nominated for an IMRO this year? Laura Bracken (Spin) and Ciaran O’Connor (98FM) left radio too.

And speaking of that, Spin’s Zoo Crew went for a double header show to a single presenter show after Laura left. Now the listeners are “the crew.”

And this was also the year FM104’s breakfast got into trouble for comments about a special needs child or something along those lines? I never actually heard the audio myself so I can’t remember it too well.

Honourable mention goes to Ed Smith as he had his show moved to the later slot on Today this year.

robo

Ed Smith's move ... big mistake for the Sunday show.

The post about Talk Radio - I'd listen to a lot of that during the year & agree, no can replace Sean O'Rourke, that man was good. There really isn't anyone as good.

One good thing from this year is Anton Savage getting his own show on Newstalk (when Baur took over) - I need more Anton on my wireless please in 2022.

chilloutrelax

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118384652#Comment_118384652

Who is taking over from Cormac Moore on FM104? The other presenter left a few weeks ago also.

California Dreamer

Ger Roe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118382746#Comment_118382746

As did 'Doctor Don' Moore.

Ballycommon Mast

We all forgot to mention Paul McLooon and his Pet sounds program leaving today FM after many years. I guess the reason it's so easily forgettable is that the show had gotten later and later during the past decade. It used to on 7-9 then 9 - Midnight and Finally 10-Midnight

radiotrickster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118389096#Comment_118389096

Trishauna Archer (who was on Beat for years) has it in her Instagram bio that she does the show so it would assumably be her. I haven’t seen an announcement anywhere though (not even her Instagram feed). She had done some cover on the show before I think.

padd b1975

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118373425#Comment_118373425

She obviously chose the 'kicking and screaming' option.

end of the road

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118394296#Comment_118394296

to be honest i doubt any of this ever happened anyway as we would have heard about it.

Ballycommon Mast

It went around on WhatsApp, she started screaming at Paul Russell, WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT C**TS DIRTY WORK, HE DOESN'T HAVE THE BALLS TO FIRE ME HIMSELF, THE ****

Ballycommon Mast

Btw I don't know who's the **** she's refering to Dan Healy or Jim Jennings ?🤔

UsBus

Irish radio has really gone into freefall. This cash machine rubbish is really scraping the barrel for them. I suppose if people are thick enough to pay 2.50 each time to enter it is a money maker for them. As someone mentioned earlier, there is nobody of George Hooks ilk on to provoke discussion anymore. Just PC outrage discussion from the newstalk woke djs. "Text us in your thoughts, as we have none of our own" They bring on their own presenters from different radio shows to pass off as guests for topic discussion.

One of my goals for this year is to delete newstalk from my preset stations and listen to more music. Their presenters are infuriating to listen to.

I can't even start on RTE 1 with Darcy and Duffy, both robbing a living, to name but a few on the rte bandwagon.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118387375#Comment_118387375

Re: SOR

This past year or so has really highlighted for me how you take some presenters for granted.

When we had Marion and SOR, or even going back to the days of Dunphy and Hook, its only when they are gone and replaced by lightweights do you actually appreciate how good they were.

Is there even a decent 'heavyweight' left in current affairs/talk radio? Matt Cooper probably thinks he is, but his output has really dropped in quality over these last handful of years. And the guys on the big money, the holy trinity of Tubs, Darcy and Duffy, have now turned into fluff and filler shows.

Declan A Walsh

For one weekend in 2021, Derek Jones of oldies pirate Retro FM did a reboot of his original pirate Radio Veronica from the early 1970s. It was broadcast on a few different oldies-connected frequencies.

StevenToast

Ryan Tubridy continues to "riff" his way to 500k a year while taking weeks and weeks off....

Continues to say the end of covid is in sight....which he was saying this time last year...

Failing miserably at his attempt to become a new form of "Uncle Gaybo"

Ballycommon Mast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118397241#Comment_118397241

Oh yeah, i remember in autumn 2020, Tubs was always saying, just hang in there a little longer, once the vaccine is released, this is all over 🤣🤣🤣