The Tubmeister on Virgin Radio (Warning in post #1)

tobefrank321

He's been handed a golden opportunity here to break into the UK market and become a proper heavyweight broadcaster, who can make it on any station including the BBC. So he needs to start taking his UK audience seriously. In depth preparation and interest in UK topics would help. You can't just talk about books and bookshops all day, and what's your favourite book. His first intro to RTE was as a teenager talking about books and to be honest he doesn't seemed to have progressed too far from that level.

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569791#Comment_121569791

Don't know if he can constantly afford icing sugar on that salary. Obviously back on his 700k rte wage it was no problem.

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569623#Comment_121569623

This isn’t actually new.

Newstalk has broadcast TED Talks from NPR in the past, and I’m pretty sure it broadcast Im Sorry I Haven’t A Clue in the distant past.

RTE Radio 1 Extra carries several BBC World Service programmes.

Nights with Alice Cooper was broadcast on local radio stations in Ireland before.

The only difference here is that this is a well known presenter in a higher profile slot.

Are we saying that no material emanating from outside Ireland should be aired on Irish radio. Does that mean Irish radio can’t air commentaries of UK sporting events from UK stations - the Premier League for instance? Can the Eurovision Song Contest be aired if it’s not taking place in Ireland?

While the UK’s not in the EU, an outright ban on the airing of non-Irish programming would likely fall foul of EU law if it banned programming originating in the EU too. In addition it raises questions - if we’re happy to allow non-Irish programmes to air on Irish TV, why should radio be different?

Peter Flynt

For all his talk about books I always found Tubridy to be a very poor interviewer of anyone of any topics politics, economics or any other serious stuff when he did TLLS. He never asked the questions that needed to be asked. He was good with the entertainment stuff - the actors, celebrities etc.

FattyBolger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569850#Comment_121569850

Researchers are hugely important in broadcasting, you can't have presenters in serious radio programmes flying off-the-cuff or making stuff up.

Retiring Joe wouldn't save a whole lot on the grand scheme of things but RTE does need to get rid of its bizarre celebrity system, where the likes of Marian Finucane or Dave Fanning were given high-paying jobs for life because they were stars in the 70s. It just doesn't fit in small markets such as Ireland.

Pintman Paddy Losty

The level of hate and vitriol on this thread is flabbergasting. Particularly as the old chestnuts of it being about the licence fee or being forced to listen have been proven to be the total crock of sh1t it was.

Sad.

Anyway, I've been enjoying today's show a lot. He's definitely getting more comfortable in the role and based on the texts in so are the audience. Been a great selection of music too.

Glad to see him lean in to his well earned reputation as a voracious reader and bit of a nerd.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569839#Comment_121569839

I don't think anyone has said "I hate him" and not given a reason. Most people have given valid constructive criticism. And most people actually want him to succeed for various reasons.

He's 50 years of age. He needs to learn what works and what doesn't work. The great broadcasters know their audience, try something, discover it doesn't work and then try something that does work.

Put it this way, if an English broadcaster came over to Ireland and mainly talked about the UK for 3 hours, they'd lose audience share here pretty quickly. People need to feel a connection to a broadcaster, its rule number 1.

I will give you this, the Partridge comparisons are probably lazy, however, he's gone from Ireland's equivalent of the BBC to something close to Radio Norwich within a short time frame and he probably is desperate to get back to the "BBC" eventually.

And you have to admit, both Partridge and Tubridy are obsessed with asking "what's your favourite...".

Hamsterchops

Constant Irish references to Ireland, non stop Irish texts from Irish posters with many references to Saltburn movie (Irish lead actor), books, books tell us about your books, Irish books, Glasnevin cemetery, Daniel O'Connell, Ring of Kerry, Ireland 🇮🇪

Books!

Might as well be based in Dublin, can't see the point of it being in London as its got very little to do with London or Britain.

FattyBolger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569876#Comment_121569876

Well radio is different because there aren't any regional television stations in the Rep. of Ireland, and there are tons of regional radio stations.

Nights with Alice Cooper was a syndicated pre-recorded radio programme, it was night-time filler. And the Eurovision/Premier League matches would fall under the umbrella of coverage of live events, usually in those cases the Irish stations would have their own commentary on the events covered.

Both cases are totally different to Ryan Tubridy's show, which is a simulcast of a live show from a UK station. What I'm talking about is analogous of an Irish television station airing the BBC's Hootenanny instead of their own countdown.

I'm certainly not advocating any kind of "bans" on anything but I do think that it is not A Good Thing where Irish programmes on local radio stations are replaced with live programmes from the UK featuring big radio stars, during prime-time radio hours.

It absolutely sets a precedence where local stations with their charming idiosyncrasies are slowly replaced with cookie-cutter mass entertainment from the UK.

lee_baby_simms

Well Tubridy had a big chat show, a public fall from grace and a comeback on a digital station doing a mid morning radio show based around fluff banter and mindless phone in topics.

The comparisons with Partridge simply don’t exist.

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569934#Comment_121569934

Come on, Virgin Radio UK isn't close to "Radio Norwich". It's not the biggest station in the UK, but it's a national broadcaster, and he's sandwiched between two bona-fide recognisable, established names in UK media. It's a professional, respectable outfit, not some backwater local station.

HerrKuehn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569965#Comment_121569965

I think the comparisons are coming from his awkward manner and the things he says.

LambshankRedemption

Researchers are hugely important in broadcasting, you can't have presenters in serious radio programmes flying off-the-cuff or making stuff up.

I know that, but have you ever listened to Joe Duffy? He flies off the cuff all the time.

My suggestion wasn't get rid of all researchers by the way in case thats what you thought I meant. I meant on top of his 350k what do his researchers cost?

FattyBolger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569967#Comment_121569967

The Partridge stuff is a very cheap and lazy comparison. I've seen a few people trying to be humorous in this forum and they're toe-curlingly unfunny, particularly the phonetic Joe Duffy parodies.

65535

More updates !

Today:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41301466.html

Yesterday:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41301367.html

Brian Scan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569965#Comment_121569965

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569991#Comment_121569991

i think your irony detector needs to be recalibrated.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569967#Comment_121569967

He's going to be simulcast across a load of radio norwich's at the weekend whilst also being simulcast with another radio norwich (q102) and mainly insists on talking to the listeners of those stations.

Radio Norwich appears to be his level, unless he can actually start talking to the UK listeners in a meaningful non radio norwich style.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569967#Comment_121569967

It’s 1.5% of the UK listenership- while it’s not as low as Radio Norwich true when you compare the percentage audience of population he’s been used to it’s minuscule

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570001#Comment_121570001

Oh dear the natives are rebelling 😀

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570001#Comment_121570001

There has to be some rules against someone based in the UK replacing home produced locally focused radio and putting local staff out of jobs. The BAI might take an interest in the licence rules, to avoid a race to the bottom. Simulcasts during non prime hours would be fine. But hours of prime time radio is a different matter.

Also unfair and a competitive disadvantage for rival stations.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569861#Comment_121569861

He's been handed a golden opportunity here to break into the UK market and become a proper heavyweight broadcaster, who can make it on any station including the BBC.

Is it really though?

As someone else said, the Virgin gig is

a mid morning radio show based around fluff banter and mindless phone in topics.

If he does ultimately get a serious offer from the BBC or another British radio station more fitting to his profile it'll be primarily on the basis of his RTE CV, the Virgin interlude won't have much bearing one way or another unless he makes a complete hames of it

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569912#Comment_121569912

So I have been reading a lot of this thread and this is the first time I have read anything about the TV Licence Fee. I could have missed that, but largely people are being critical of Tubs. I happened to today to see how it was going, I think yes there is a bias here against Mr Tubs but people are largely giving their opinions on the show. I think it the thread will die as less of us tune in to see how it is going, I might listen again in a few months.

tobefrank321

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570034#Comment_121570034

He'll get it by primarily showing he can appeal to a wide UK audience in the way Norton and Wogan are/were able to. I don't sense that motivation so far in him, to make it big in the UK.

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570019#Comment_121570019

It's still as big a station as RTE Radio 1 in terms of listenership. Chris Evans and Graham Norton never had to endure the lazy "Alan Partridge" slurs because of who they broadcast on. It's no "Radio Norwich" by any measure.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569886#Comment_121569886

I don't think he was that great with celebrities either....maybe the rte canteen "celebrities" that knew the story and had knew it was all.art of a little self contained ecosystem.....maybe it'd my imagination but I seem to remember very awkward interviews with people outside of that.....interrupting people, not really engaging with them, like you said never really asking an interesting question....he didn't seem to get to a place where he was drawing an interesting conversation out of guests...it was all safey safey nicey nice, let's not offend the daffodils or very awkward interruptions at the wrong time etc etc...if it was nearly always a sort of slow speed car crash....you know where you can see the verge slowly coming as you slide off the road

To me there was always an air of a fish out of water out of him interviewing, it always seemed too try hard or smarmy ...no natural flow, he's like a guy that found something lucrative that wasn't really his calling....I reckon he will be very good at something and obviously happy when he finds the area kn life he is really cut out for

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570077#Comment_121570077

It's a drop in the ocean in the UK. That's the point being made here.

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569996#Comment_121569996

Partridge wouldn't be applicable if there weren't strong resemblances in both manner and story line.

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121570110#Comment_121570110

If the ocean was topped up by 1.5%, you'd know all about it. Don't be fooled by percentages. Virgin Radio UK is not the regional backwater local station some people here desperately want it to be.

Sunny Disposition

Listened to a bit of it again today, I think he was a good bit better today than the first two days. He still needs to calm down a bit, but he deserves a chance. Paddy Power is sponsoring the show which is very positive for Ryan

Hamsterchops

Sponsored by Paddy Power, and that completes the Orish connection, but will the British audience buy into "the Irish show" like is the exclisively Irish theme for an Irish audience be enough to keep it going in London/Britain?