John Clarke's 2fm of the 00s, what a wasted opportunity.

Ballycommon Mast

When John Clarke lost his job as head of 2fm, he became a born again anorak and now people have forgotten how appallingly bad he managed the station for over a decade. A lot of the country didn't have a regional youth station until the end of the 00s and it was long before YouTube Spotify etc was mainstream, so if you were a young person living in say Limerick in 2005, RTE's radio station for young people was giving you Marty Whelan in the morning, Gareth O'Callaghan and Larry Gogan in the evening and Dave Fanning wondering what is bebo. He fired Tony Fenton and Dusty' Rhodes telling them "pop music is dead" he hired Jenny Huston, Cormac Battle, and Dan Hegarty but left them to rott away in midnight shifts while he put Lite fm style djs like Dave Redmond and Enda Murphy on during daylight hours. He turned down both Ray Darcy and Foley's services.

end of the road

i don't think anyone who is actually interested in radio has forgotten about it at all, however the general public will just move on if they don't like something and don't really have a specific interest in the finer details of who is managing what, but they will know if they like a presenter, the music or other content or not.

i don't know if JC is a born again anorak or whether he always was one, nor to be honest would it have changed his version of 2fm either way.

ford fiesta

Dave Redmond and Enda Murphy were weekends only

There was increased competition to 2FM, from Today FM and regional stations in the 00's

JoeA3

A more interesting question is why this sub forum in particular seems to attract the posters who keep coming back under different usernames with a clear agenda. I’m sure the OP is yet another re-reg of a poster who’s been here under several different guises before. Why the obsession with attacking the decisions of an RTE employee from 10-15 years ago? Stinks of a fella with an axe to grind to me.

for what it’s worth I thought 2FM of the 90’s-early 00’s was peak 2FM so I really don’t understand the dig here at all. I don’t believe Fenton/Rhodes were “fired” as you put it either.

Lord Nelson

Anyone who turned down Darcy and Foley is alright in my book. A pair of over rated ego trippers.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118397108#Comment_118397108

Clarke's 2FM didn't have to compete with regional stations in any serious manner. Beat had launched; but Spin SW and particularly the un-merged iRadio stations were barely established. Not something you'd get the sack over.

So he was competing with TodayFM only really.

Infoanon

2FM was not a 'yoof' station but rather the national 'pop' music service.

John Clarke tried to move the station forward hiring former Phantom FM DJS but everything he did was against a background of vested interests wanting to have 2FM privatised.

John Clarkes successors haven't exactly set the world on fire either btw

Ballycommon Mast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118402350#Comment_118402350

I'd say RTE are kicking themselves for not selling 2fm in the 00s, it could easily have fetched 200 million back then, they wouldn't get more than 5-10 million for it today.

Sheridan_Le_Fanu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118402660#Comment_118402660

Gerry Ryan was the main reason 2fm was still popular and profitable in the noughties. The advertising revenues his show was bringing in to 2fm right up until his death, were huge. Ryan's death was also the death of 2fm.

ford fiesta

some 2FM presenters were made permanent RTE staff members soon after joining Jenny Huston, Dan Hegarty, Cormac Battle, Rick O'Shea. Probably a few others?

Had this ever happened before, or since?

Ballycommon Mast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411342#Comment_118411342

Jenny Huston would still be lingering away on a late night slot today if she hadn't taken part in the redundancy scheme of the early 2010s

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118411342#Comment_118411342

I find it interesting that the first three all came from Phantom FM when it was a pirate. One thing I can say about John Clarke is that he had not forgotten that he had come through the pirates himself and was not afraid to take people from the newer pirates, which was quite adventurous at that time for RTE.

TheBMG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118412819#Comment_118412819

I’ll respectfully disagree with you here Declan!

I think 2FM did have a long standing tradition of turning to the pirates for presenters and although credit goes to JC for hiring some fantastic talent, it also has to be said he made terrible use of them.

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118413035#Comment_118413035

I know 2FM had a long tradition of turning to pirates for presenters. I meant specifically that 2FM were not in the habit of taking presenters from pirates in the '00s until John Clarke did. That was what I meant by "at that time".

ford fiesta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118414475#Comment_118414475

There were some pirate presenters that moved directly to 2FM in the late 90s / early 00's - John Power, Conor G, Mark McCabe..

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118414758#Comment_118414758

I stand corrected! I was thinking specifically of the early '00s rather than the '90s, but I think it's a moot point now! It's interesting that none of those three dance presenters mentioned are with 2FM anymore.

cena

Wasn't Wes darcy (hip hop dj) on during john Clarke's time. Early 2000s

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118415151#Comment_118415151

I remember his name on the schedule alright. I had previously heard him in the 1990s on East Coast FM. Apparently, he also was with FM104 and 98FM just before 2FM and RTE.

cena

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118415226#Comment_118415226

I enjoyed his show. Tried to not miss it.

I wouldn't mind him coming back to radio

ford fiesta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118415151#Comment_118415151

He sure was. Wes also took over from Dusty Rhodes in jingle etc production, station imaging. And he was the man "back at base" when the 2FM Roadcaster/OB desk was out and about.

He is in Perth, Australia now, involved in an Irish Bar from what I see on social media.

I think Wes' brother Craig was also in 2FM in a production role.

Dr Karl

Was he to RTE what Matthew Bannister was to the BBC?

Ballycommon Mast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118771002#Comment_118771002

No, he was definitely more of a Johnny Beerling