150KTubs - future career in Virgin Radio and other soulful pursuits **Mod: Read OP**

Tork

Is it really that odd? RTE likes to laud its own and they were saying goodbye to one of the station's heavyweights. Whether you like it or not, TV and radio presenters have a very different relationship with the public than the CEOs of 99% of companies. They're business people and they're not meant to be well known.

Bryan Dobson is a household name and has been a fixture on current affairs radio and TV for decades. He had a very solid career in RTE and was good at his job. Unlike Tubridy whose shortcomings have been highlighted here, Dobson is a presenter who would've done a good job on British TV. You can argue about how well he was paid, but he was working in an era when RTE were overpaying everybody. You can be sure that when Joe Duffy hangs up his headphones, Bryan Dobson's departure will be overshadowed in a big way.

swine

Dobson was a (well-paid) professional that put some others in the RTÉ newsroom to shame I thought.

In other news, today's guest is … Paul Howard. The joke that stopped being funny after the Celtic Tiger choked.

I haven't watched it, but saw there's 8 episodes listed in the channel bio. Also interesting to see the other NK podcast with Matt Cooper and Ivan Yates pull in 5K viewers compared to 1K on average Tubridy's bookshelf.

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136410#Comment_122136410

Is it now a case of everyone else's fees to the NK stable funding the maintenance of the RT brand?

Brian Scan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136622#Comment_122136622

Surely fees to Noel Kelly fund Noel Kelly.

leath_dub

Tubs discussing the final episode of Seinfeld, where everyone involved in the show got an engraved Cartier watch

He then starts listing many of the gifts he got on the LLS: Guitar from Ed Sheeran, Vespa from U2 etc

"But I never got a Cartier watch"

Mr Disco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136727#Comment_122136727

such a halfwit

Kingslayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136727#Comment_122136727

U2 must be feeling the pinch, they got a big harley for Gaybo and Tubs only gets a scooter. Did they get anything for Pat Kenny?

leath_dub

I get the distinct impression that there was a lot of scrambling around in RTE ( and NK productions) to try give Tubs a worthy sendoff from the LLS. That cringe worthy shout out from Paul McCArtney, for example. If Hay got a Harley from U2, no doubt some calls were made on Tubs' behalf . U2 probably got the cheapest motor vehicle they could get away with to keep the hungry cnut happy

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122135168#Comment_122135168

I though it was bizzare, firstly he announced his exit months ago and he was all over the newspapers about it, then when he retired there was more and more. I understand that he's been on the TV / Radio for 4 decades but as one person said to me "I was sure he'd already left" they weren't aware he was still hosting the News at One or Morning Ireland for that matter, which means Dobbo wasn't around for many people for the last 11 years. Also he then was interview on the Late Late Show.

I am sure he is a good presenter but at the end of the day he is a newsreader and had he wanted to be on the BBC he could have gone.

The reference to others in CIE, ESB and An Post was largely due to the Death of the RTÉ Producer the week before, not Dobbo.

Also don't say that to the CEO of An Post!

mrsdewinter

The hoopla over Dobson's retirement didn't strike me as odd: it's led by Dublin media folk who, by virtue of their job, are glued to RTE mainstays like News at One, even if your friends aren't. And he's likely beloved by the ageing demographic who still buy newspapers.

Also, it seems quite reasonable that he'd be asked about the biggest RTE story in some time. Seems pretty on brand for him that he would be polite about somebody he half-knows.

Back to Tubs, any figures to indicate how he's doing? Wasn't there word here the other day that listenership figures would be released during this week?

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136727#Comment_122136727

Seems an odd topic. But then it is Tubridy and there are audience figures (RAJAR and JNLR) out this week. News UK would need more than one set of numbers to make a decision on Tubridy's future at Virgin Radio.

Seinfeld was a show that was watched all over the world and had excellent writing and memorable characters. It is still available on Netflix. Not sure that the Tubridy LLS shows are even available on RTE Player. The people on the Seinfeld show deserved those watches. Tubridy claimed to be taking a pay cut while most other people in RTE were really taking a pay cut.

Regards…jmcc

ErnieG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136760#Comment_122136760

Yes, a Gibson Les Paul guitar. They played a song ("Magnificent") on Pat's last LLS.

tohaltuwi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122137856#Comment_122137856

Pat can sing well and play guitar.

tohaltuwi

A neighbour has a close relative who was a colleague of Bryan, reported to be a very solid guy. In my own working life I directly interacted with his family, couldn’t be nicer people and they lived in all the various realities of Dublin 8, which is a wonderful area for people growing up with rounded views.

Expunge

I have listened to a couple of links this morning. He's asking people to send in pictures of where they are or what kind of view they have. Mostly Irish responders or people in the UK with what seems like Irish names. He then (badly) tries to describe the photos. On the radio, like.

Then he tells us about buying a new pair of runners recently while back home in Dublin. Now, he's trying to get a debate going on what UK people call "runners" because, apparently that's an Irish term.

It's just not credible to me that Tubridy's presentation is landing at all in the UK. I know it's early in the cycle of RAJARs to tell one way or the other but maybe with some genuine, unspun data we'll have an idea of a trend.

I have noted that the links seem to be shorter than they were when I last listened a number of weeks ago.

yagan

I have noted that the links seem to be shorter than they were when I last listened a number of weeks ago.

Sounds like they're reducing his oxygen

HildaOgdenx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122140565#Comment_122140565

It's just not credible to me that Tubridy's presentation is landing at all in the UK. 

I agree. I heard a very brief clip recently, can't remember what it was but it would mean little or nothing to anyone outside of Ireland.

Also, was his voice always so difficult to listen to? Rushing his words, using singy songy tones - from the very brief clips I have heard on Q102, he is not at all easy to listen to, in my opinion.

KevRossi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136760#Comment_122136760

No idea what mileage Gaybo got out of the Harley, I saw some photos of him on it. Kenny plays guitar regularly enough.

And Tubs? Well according to himself, several weeks later the scooter was gathering dust in RTE. That's what he thought of it. But I suppose the free storage is just another freebie he got.

Kingslayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122141765#Comment_122141765

Gays hog was in the foyer in vicar street for years. I am not sure if its still there.

AndyBoBandy

As far as I remember, didn't Gay downsize the bike to a more managable and practical size? especially for someone learning to ride for the first time, and as a senior citizen?

jippo nolan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122141955#Comment_122141955

he put stabilisers on it!

Brian Scan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122141955#Comment_122141955

Was it not the case that they gave him the Harley because he had been a motorcyclist in his youth?

Bellbottoms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122142575#Comment_122142575

If has been a long time. But I am pretty sure when they gave it to him. Larry Mullen started to tell a story about being out on his bike one day in full biking gear and a helmet. When he was stopped at lights, the driver of the car next to him wound down the window and started to ask Mullen his bike. The driver of the car was Gaybo. Who got a shock when the Mullen took off his helmet and he saw who was on the bike. Mullen made a joke about him having a bigger shock when he saw Gaybo was driving the car.

That was the inspiration for the gift. I don't believe Gay was ever on a bike before hand.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122139089#Comment_122139089

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122137174#Comment_122137174

My neighbours are very nice people too, and I know an executive in An Post who seems to be a solid guy!

I just think it was OTT. I think perhaps it came just after the death of a former RTÉ producer, and it could also be my bias. But as I say many people have forgotten him.

Expunge

RAJAR Q1 2024 is out. Can't see too much on Virgin Radio, except this line from Adam Bowie's UK radio blog….

Source: https://www.adambowie.com/blog/2024/05/rajar-q1-2024/

"Virgin Radio saw its reach rise 7.4% on the quarter, but fall slightly down 0.9% on the year to 1.5m. Hours were down 0.4% on the quarter and down 2.3% on the year to 9.1m."

They do accumulated listening hours instead of market share over there.

So, fewer listeners than a year ago but more than 3 months ago, listening for fewer hours than before.

1,503,000 people listen each WEEK (not day).

That's the whole station figure, not a figure for Ryan Tubridy.

I think we know how Uncle Noel will spin this.

Expunge

Also, this, from the Irish side - the more important side. From Radio Today Ireland.

Make of this what you will….

"Wireless Ireland’s Q102 grew weekly reach by a massive 26% year on year to 184,000 listeners, while FM104 also increased to 258,000 listeners.

While the Q102 figure only includes three months for the new Ryan Tubridy Show, other shows across the schedule are delivering new listeners too.

The combined weekly reach in Dublin now stands at 360,000 or 30% of Dublin adults."

podgeandrodge

@Expunge "So, fewer listeners than a year ago but more than 3 months ago, listening for fewer hours than before"

Perhaps people tuned in to hear him but had to tune out pretty quickly 😃

podgeandrodge

On News.co.uk (owner?) website:

"Spurred on by new presenters with the launch of the Ryan Tubridy Show mid-morning show on weekdays and Kim Wilde joining Virgin Radio 80s plus, the Virgin Radio UK network, which includes Virgin Radio UK, Virgin Radio Anthems UK, Virgin Radio Chilled UK and Virgin Radio 80s Plus UK, reached 1.9m listeners, with listening hours across the network of 11.3m."

Expunge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122145226#Comment_122145226

So, they're combining the total listenership of all the Virgin radio brands to a total of 1.9m weekly listeners there.

I'd say when Chris Evans' listeners are taken out of it, there's not much left for everyone else.

podgeandrodge

Interesting that same quarter last year, Virgin owner website spin stated:

".....Virgin Radio UK network reached 1.8m listeners, with listening hours across the network of 11.6m, up 4.7% year-on-year."

This year:

"....reached 1.9m listeners, with listening hours across the network of 11.3m."

So a 5% increase in listeners, but a 3% drop in listening hours.

I think Chris Evans was quoted somewhere as saying today he'd grown his listeners by 3k.

Can't find anything for Tubs but his figures will be honeymoon presumably, whether they grow or fall next quarter will be interesting.

Which is better for the stations, listeners or listening hours? I'm presuming listening hours as having millions of listeners listening for minutes isn't a draw for advertisers?