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

humberklog

"You can WhatsApp us, that's how we like to do it here, on 00448889944768312047374...".

Got 45 minutes in today, heard him being a little dismissive of George Ezra's funeral arrangements and Russel Crowe mentioning David Irving's Goering BIO... I enjoyed hearing Robert Webb trying to sell me something during the ads.

lee_baby_simms

He sounded nervous, almost panicky. I wonder how much is down to him or guidance from Virgin Radio?

I can’t help but feel that Ryan is better suited to a slower pace like Wogan or Gerry Anderson used to do but those guys made it look easy I suppose. Ryan isn’t near that level

robwen

https://twitter.com/VirginRadioUK/status/1742139777762148372?t=726exeTephmCPEs-nLKPpw&s=19

Comes across a bit cringe to me, be interesting to see how he's received in the UK

chrisd2019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121560654#Comment_121560654

Its not liveline!

How long before Joe is a guest though?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563207#Comment_121563207

He has a rushed persona taking lots of short steps on a conveyer belt but needing a slowed paced belt. A man in high gear at slow speed.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563230#Comment_121563230

They’ll need a translator for that stint.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563470#Comment_121563470

and Joe will want First Class flights to London, via Dubai.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563094#Comment_121563094

Very bland full of nothingness. Send us in whatsapp stuff, What's on your mind etc.

Yeah but one day soon he'll be upping the intellectual level to

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563207#Comment_121563207

I wouldn’t blame any individual for being nervous on initial stint in a new gig or job, that’s in itself perfectly normal (except for Gaybo who was an initiator and never learned to be nervous he was so tied up in the nitty gritty) but wow the comment about being thin skinned & narc-ish, be it in jest, was telling,

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563479#Comment_121563479

I wance flew first class there, pathetic (well in truth to Paris but same airline/airplane BAE-146) just a slightly wider space as would be necessary for the girth of the man.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121562041#Comment_121562041

Surely it was bizarre to use a radio programme to talk about Brexit for years in the first place. Who would find that interesting?

And now he's working there. You couldn't make it up.

hotmail.com

It sounds like a music programme with him talking at the odd junction.

A massive climbdown.

lee_baby_simms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563490#Comment_121563490

What does it tell you?

NIMAN

We are talking about a guy who was at one point on 700k per year, to basically chat to folk on TV and the radio.

Then he took payouts to 500k, then to 350k.

For a guy earning that much, the least you could expect from him is that he'd be a competent presenter.

Enda Caldwell

To clarify, Atlantic 252 was Irish (RTE) and Luxembourg owned. We had transmission facilities in County Meath Ireland covering most of Europe on one frequency: 252khz Longwave. Our studios were at 74 Newman St. in London where some programmes originated from Live via RCS (same as playout of Virgin + Q102 uses today "Zetta" which can allow for split links, separate formats, playlists, *different tracks on 2 stations or more as with Absolute Radio, macros, boil the kettle etc.) The Marc Brow breakfast show came from London in 98/99. Otherwise ALL of our programmes from 1989 to 2002 came from Mornington House in Trim. We had unique stereo tie lines / codecs isdn between Newman St. And Trim. It all had to pass through Trim to reach Summerhill via the studio to transmitter link.

Atlantic 252 broadcast from Ireland to The UK (with additional remote studio in London) The LW licence was Irish. Aimed at The UK. Bam on Virgin evenings 7-10 hosted middays at Atlantic from Trim from 93-95. The Rajar audience figures for Atlantic 252 in its final year or two from 2000-2002 are still available and can be compared to Virgin's of the same period for 1215 AM. At its lowest Atlantic had 900,000 listeners and at peak it had between 6-11m listeners in the period 91-95. 1.2/3 million listeners is still higher than even RTE R1's highest ever audiences. Virgin's DAB only UK figures can be reached on the Rajar UK site.

alzer100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563849#Comment_121563849

Nice post Enda, really good technical info on Atlantic 252, especially for the anaroks 😊 and how Virgin Radio pull off the simulcast between themselves and Q102. I know this is really for another thread but in relation to Atlantic 252, why did they phase out the HotHits format that made that Radio station so successful between 1989 and early 1992? I know Paul Kavanagh stepped away from PD at around this time.

Enda Caldwell

Lets take it to the 252 thread + do it there. Thanks!

GSF

Sounds like they didn’t do any rehearsals or off air trail shows. Virgin radio is a mess - a few celebs doing their own shows with no name presenters and a confused playlist the rest of the time. U.K. radio had 3 big players - BBC, Global and Bauer and Virgin isn’t any of them. Total audience of 1.3m across the station most of it for Evans. Compared to Magic radio with nearly 4 million listeners where Ronan Keating has created a decent role for himself with some coherent fit with the overall station image, Tubridy just seems to have been dropped randomly into Virgin Radio with no thought as to how it benefited the overall station sound and image

Beechwoodspark

I heard Tubs “introduction pitch” yest “I read the newspaper and I like books and I listen to podcasts” - Good Lord above - such bland rubbish.

He is rightfully getting criticism in the reviews.

I got the sense listening to him “selling himself” he is hoping the like of BBC 4 pick him up, despite the fact the whole “book lover” Schtick he goes on with is a gimmick - simply PR BS Noel Kelly Media and him alighted upon to project an “intellectual” front.

GSF

Classic Fm just announced their new breakfast presenter this morning- Dan Walker ex BBC breakfast and football presenter currently presenting Channel 5 News. I wonder did Tubridy pitch for this gig? Classic Fm has about 5 million listeners in the uk and employs a lot of personalities. In the past Henry Kelly was their big name. Now it’s Alexander Armstrong, Alan Titchmarch and a host of ex bbc and itv newsreaders. It would probably be a better gig for him but he wouldn’t have the name recognition to get it I’d guess

Morgans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121564530#Comment_121564530

Maybe they aren't as susceptible to Noel Kelly's 'negotiating techniques'.

FattyBolger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121563216#Comment_121563216

He comes across incredibly nervous and jittery in that clip, which is fair enough the first day you step into a major radio market.

humberklog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121564637#Comment_121564637

It would be fair enough if he hadn't over 25 years experience presenting radio.

It should've been a silky smooth and solidly confident opening show. It was neither.

Enda Caldwell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121564698#Comment_121564698

Amen to that.

AndyBoBandy

Day 2;

Reference the TV show he hosted

Free advertising for Apple

Terrible accent

Oirish

Joking about his inability to read out a phone number

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121561640#Comment_121561640

Thats assuming he did any research.

Hamsterchops

Just listening to Virgin and he is (as the poster above above says) very "Orish", constantly referencing Ireland, with Irish texters to the show, Irish bands, people with "Irish" names phoning in, I think he ?sounds uneasy and out of place to an English - London audience.

Early days I guess . . .

Is that London bridge?

lee_baby_simms

There’s more to Ireland than this, Ryan.

Morgans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121564863#Comment_121564863

I think the most surprising thing about Tubridy's last year is just how many people there are in his wider support structure, looking out for his success, willing to go to the mattresses for him. You'd expect it from teenagers following a boy band/girl group.

rightmove

Part of me thought he might make this work. Listening to the show last 2 days... that part of me is getting less.