High Noon with George Hook.

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 08:52PM

This is one of the times I wish Vincent Browne hadn't retired.

I'd be very interested in hearing his take on George's current situation. I'm pretty sure he would have taken issue with George's comments but as a Barrister, Broadcaster and Former News Editor I would love to know what he would make of the treatment George is receiving and whether he would be for/against George being sacked.

Snake Plisken · 17-09-2017 09:07PM

Anyone on Facebook and want to support George search and like Bring back George Hook page

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 09:12PM

constitutionus wrote: »

this is one of the angles of this thats doing my head in.

WHY the fuk should newstalk managment give two fiddlers what those behind the "critical reaction" of their line up feel?

its people in RTE - who are 22 million in debt, nobodies from the journal.ie, fringe "wimmins groups" like the NWCI , Ivana bat**** and the Irish Times- whose entire readership is LESS than George Hooks high noon listenership !

the ONLY people they should give a monkies about is their audience. the ones paying the bills for them by turning up everyday and being the proof of the return advertisers can expect for their investments.

if they keep going down this path im sure they can be very proud of their "standing" in irish society- when they close the doors and let everyone go cause nobodies fecking listening to them anymore.

for what its worth i see that traitorous little toerag donogue getting the gig and i cant wait to see it blow up in his face as the public abandon him in their droves.

Ciara Kelly will get it (probably all sewn up already) and the ratings will tank.

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 09:15PM

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Anyone on Facebook and want to support George search and like Bring back George Hook page

I read an article today written by Mark Tighe in the Sunday Times, he claims that someone set up a campaign on My UpLift to have George reinstated but at time of going to print only six or seven people had signed it, while over 5,100 had signed the petition to have him removed.

I had a look on the My UpLIft site today but I could only see the campaign to have him removed, I presume some people might be nervous of showing support for George in case it was misinterpreted.

Calhoun · 17-09-2017 09:19PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

I read an article today written by Mark Tighe in the Sunday Times, he claims that someone set up a campaign on My UpLift to have George reinstated but at time of going to print only six or seven people had signed it, while over 5,100 had signed the petition to have him removed.

I had a look on the My UpLIft site today but I could only see the campaign to have him removed, I presume some people might be nervous of showing support for George in case it was misinterpreted.

Lol do people take those poles seriously? Think how easy they are to manipulate from group thinking individuals on the right and left of the divide.

nullzero · 17-09-2017 09:23PM

brooke 2 wrote: »

Ciara Kelly will get it (probably all sewn up already) and the ratings will tank.

She should stick to her medical practice, I've always wondered what would motivate someone in her position to go into broadcasting.

There's so much being made of the ratio of male to female presenters on Newstalk, perhaps these male presenters are in fact the most suitable and best qualified for their jobs.
From another angle, the demographic that tunes into Newstalk would most likely be mostly male, there is a reason why commercial pop music radio is so aimed at young women, because they are the target demographic for those stations whilst talk radio which is for the most part focused on political and current affairs issues tends to be aimed at a typically more mature male audience.

How many mature male presenters are on Spin 103.8 (part of the same group) for instance? Perhaps we need to address the gender inequality over on those radio stations too.

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 09:24PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

I'm 99.9% certain that Dr. Ciara Kelly has been told that she has George's show.

I listened to her being interviewed yesterday by Marian Finucane and my initial thought was I had been very unfair to her during the week. She was quite generous in her praise for him and the help he had given her along the way.

However, as the interview progressed I felt that the interview was part of a rehabilitation process on behalf of Newstalk (The Mens Shed Station & Dr. Ciara). She knows that there are members of the public who feel that she was less than loyal to George this week. She seemed very anxious to let us know she didn't sign the petition asking for his removal. Ciara is smart enough to know she will need to win back the public if she is to make a successful radio career for herself. Starting a new show that your friend was ousted from might make you as popular as getting promoted after crossing a picket while your best friend and colleague was on strike.

The thing that struck me as being very strange was - when asked by Marian if she had been in contact with George, she said that she had been in touch with her good friend (father figure) George by text.

Anyone who knows George knows that he doesn't like text. I've lost track of how many times on the radio he has said that when he receives a text he rings the person because he hates it some much.

Given the close friendship they were supposed to have, I would have expected the good doctor to visit her friend (being a doctor, who expressed concerns to Marian about the affect the controversy would be having on his mental health) it amazes me that she chose to text him over a making phonecall or a visit (of course maybe he didn't want contact from her?).

I thought Ciara's answer to one of Marian's final questions was very interesting (perhaps even a little revealing). Marian asked her how she would feel if the current situation involving someone she regarded as a father figure/friend presented her with an opportunity.

Ciara spoke at length about not making secret of wanting a primetime show before saying
These were not the circumstances I would be looking for them...

'Were not' sounds like she has the job or has been promised it. Otherwise, her answer surely would have been "These are not the circumstances"???????

I'm convinced the deal has been done, time will tell but there was something smug about her demeanour in the final few minutes of the interview.

Excellent post.

I also thought it strange that she had only been in contact with Hook by text.
It seemed to me that there was a slight pause before she answered that question - perhaps she was not being entirely truthful?

It does feel that she will be Hook's replacement. Can't see all his fans tuning in to listen to her. It will be interesting to see how long she will last.

PeterTheNinth · 17-09-2017 09:30PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

I listened to her being interviewed yesterday by Marian Finucane and my initial thought was I had been very unfair to her during the week. She was quite generous in her praise for him and the help he had given her along the way.

I think the key point about Ciara Kelly's contribution is that she was already in George's job before she spoke out with any sort of support for him. And when she did speak, it was in a cold, dispassionate, almost begrudging manner. There was no love in what she said. The only warmth in her voice was when Marion asked her would she be standing in for George full time, and she smugly responded "Well, I will be there on Monday".

Walter Winchell said "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Ciara Kelly is the sort of friend who walks in and takes your job when the rest of the world walks out.

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 09:30PM

foxtrot101 wrote: »

She is now with "super" agent Noel Kelly

http://www.nkmanagement.ie/female.html

Guess he will be foisting her on us just as he did the Seoighe sisters!

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 09:35PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

I read an article today written by Mark Tighe in the Sunday Times, he claims that someone set up a campaign on My UpLift to have George reinstated but at time of going to print only six or seven people had signed it, while over 5,100 had signed the petition to have him removed.

I had a look on the My UpLIft site today but I could only see the campaign to have him removed, I presume some people might be nervous of showing support for George in case it was misinterpreted.

I saw several people complaining that they had wanted to sign the one to retain him, but UpLift had closed it down. They had no success when they tried to contact UpLift to ask why this was so. Kind of disturbing.

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 09:37PM

nullzero wrote: »

She should stick to her medical practice, I've always wondered what would motivate someone in her position to go into broadcasting.

The simple answer is money. I remember her saying that running her practice was costing a lot of money and it was hard to make a profit.

The money from being a newspaper columnist, broadcasting on TV and radio, plus personal appearance fees and going on the After Dinner Speech circuit must be appealing. As far as I know, she does or used to do some work for a private Cosmetic Clinic - fillers and botox etc. It probably makes financial sense for her to leave her practice for a while, employ a locum and cash in on her media opportunities while she is still in demand.

Del.Monte · 17-09-2017 09:37PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

Here's Brenda Power's take on the George Hook controversy.

I wholeheartedly agree with her regarding the hypocrisy of Paul Murphy's boycotting of Newstalk given his treatment of Joan Burton and her assistant, Karen O'Connell. The Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said he did not think Hook should continue broadcasting for the station.

“I think his comments were beyond inappropriate and he should be removed from the programme,” said Mr Murphy, who confirmed that would be the party’s requirement for ending its action.

It really is a bit rich of Paul Murphy to be lecturing anyone.

A good piece by Brenda Power except for this

"Hook deserves all the criticism he has provoked. His comments about a teenage rape victim deserving “blame” were outrageous. Suggesting a drunken girl is fair game doesn’t just shame every victim of sexual assault, it casts every man as a sexually incontinent predator. But Hook’s comments have flushed out an alarming amount of support for this view. Online comment threads, even on mainstream sites, were often 50-50. We need to know these views are out there so the next time a rapist gets away with a suspended sentence or an insulting cash payment to his victim, or a parish priest leads a queue of sympathisers to shake his hand, or a victim refuses to press charges, we’re not scratching our heads in bewilderment. That’s the whole point of free speech."

I think that a proper survey - even amongst the like of me who supports Hook - would find that the vast majority of us view rape very seriously indeed and in my case I would tend to throw away the key on dangerous individuals. A minimum of twenty years with rock breaking for offenders - and before somebody jumps down my throat I'm not talking about one night stands that get out of hand with one side accusing the other. I'm talking about trash like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Murphy_(criminal) who need to be put down. However, I support Hook and just think he went about the matter is his usual bull-in-a-china-shop way.

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 09:39PM

Calhoun wrote: »

Lol do people take those poles seriously? Think how easy they are to manipulate from group thinking individuals on the right and left of the divide.

I imagine quite a bit of manipulation went on. It seems the petition to retain him was shut down even though people wanted to sign it.

martingriff · 17-09-2017 09:41PM

I wonder how much a week she is in her practice. Wasn't it in difficulty at one point.

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 09:45PM

PeterTheNinth wrote: »

I think the key point about Ciara Kelly's contribution is that she was already in George's job before she spoke out with any sort of support for him. And when she did speak, it was in a cold, dispassionate, almost begrudging manner. There was no love in what she said. The only warmth in her voice was when Marion asked her would she be standing in for George full time, and she smugly responded "Well, I will be there on Monday".

Walter Winchell said "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Ciara Kelly is the sort of friend who walks in and takes your job when the rest of the world walks out.

Pat Kenny is the only person in Newstalk that really stuck his neck out for George.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed in Ivan on Friday evening, he sounded more HR than HR. Talk about engaging in public relations spin. I suppose the difference between Pat & Ivan is, Pat is nearly 70, he has had financial setbacks but he is doing alright for himself .....and he knows that he will always be in demand by various media outlets for as long as he chooses to work.

constitutionus · 17-09-2017 09:57PM

brooke 2 wrote: »

I saw several people complaining that they had wanted to sign the one to retain him, but UpLift had closed it down. They had no success when they tried to contact UpLift to ask why this was so. Kind of disturbing.

a lad over on politics.ie said he tried to set one up and it was taken down twice.

apparently the crowd behind My Uplift are politically motivated to put it mildly.

never heard of em myself so its anyones guess.

on the ciara kelly thing, how the hell do you NOT make money as a GP in this country?

therye nearly ALWAYS the biggest tax fraudters when ever a statement comes out from revenue (dem and the dentists, theres always some fella owing 1.5mil or so

)

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 09:57PM

George is certainly keeping the journalists of Ireland in work at the moment.

George Hook set to lose THOUSANDS from cancelled corporate gigs after rape comment controversy

Suspended Newstalk host George Hook faces losing THOUSANDS on corporate appearances after his controversial rape comments, it has been reported.

The 76-year-old broadcaster was sent home by station bosses on Friday before his High Noon show as his fate with the station remains undecided.

Now it has been claimed that the scandal means Hook is losing out on being booked for after-dinner speeches at events.

The former rugby pundit is signed to a booking agency and is believed to charge over €2,000 for some appearances.

A source told the Sunday World: “George usually does a few after dinner speeches every month especially among the rugby crowd he fraternises with.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/george-hook-set-lose-thousands-11190569

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 10:01PM

nullzero wrote: »

She should stick to her medical practice, I've always wondered what would motivate someone in her position to go into broadcasting.

There's so much being made of the ratio of male to female presenters on Newstalk, perhaps these male presenters are in fact the most suitable and best qualified for their jobs.
From another angle, the demographic that tunes into Newstalk would most likely be mostly male, there is a reason why commercial pop music radio is so aimed at young women, because they are the target demographic for those stations whilst talk radio which is for the most part focused on political and current affairs issues tends to be aimed at a typically more mature male audience.

How many mature male presenters are on Spin 103.8 (part of the same group) for instance? Perhaps we need to address the gender inequality over on those radio stations too.

Well, she spends so much time in NT, you would wonder how she has any left over for her medical practice. Mind you, if I walked into a doctor's surgery and saw she was to be my doctor, I would quickly turn on my heel and run out of there!

The woman is so lacking in empathy, I would not be surprised if she had difficulty holding on to clients. Perhaps, that is why she is branching out to broadcasting!

On a serious note, I seem to remember her saying a few years ago, during the recession, that she had a huge mortgage on her surgery. Hook gave her a dig recently when she turned up to do her slot on High Noon, having already been up at all hours to do the morning programme. He asked her if she slept in the place as she seemed to be there all the time 'You must need the money!'

I did hear someone refer to NT as' Blokes radio' the other day! I know I am not the only woman who listens to it, but there is no doubt that the majority of listeners is male. I love politics and the USA, so used to like George Hook, even though I found him exasperating at times. I will miss him, but, there is absolutely no way I am tuning into that virago, Ciara Kelly. :mad:

constitutionus · 17-09-2017 10:06PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

George is certainly keeping the journalists of Ireland in work at the moment.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/george-hook-set-lose-thousands-11190569

"a source"

journospeak for "i made it up". i think we can expect ALOT more stories like this in the following days as the clickbate brigade try to milk it for all its worth.

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 10:16PM

constitutionus wrote: »

"a source"

journospeak for "i made it up". i think we can expect ALOT more stories like this in the following days as the clickbate brigade try to milk it for all its worth.

My personal favourite is ....'someone close to x' .....is usually the individual themselves

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 10:17PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

The simple answer is money. I remember her saying that running her practice was costing a lot of money and it was hard to make a profit.

The money from being a newspaper columnist, broadcasting on TV and radio, plus personal appearance fees and going on the After Dinner Speech circuit must be appealing. As far as I know, she does or used to do some work for a private Cosmetic Clinic - fillers and botox etc. It probably makes financial sense for her to leave her practice for a while, employ a locum and cash in on her media opportunities while she is still in demand.

And there was that short stint with the Guinness Anti-Drinking thing - until she left after all the uproar. Ray D'Arcy went to town on her about it recently when she appeared on his programme with Mary Byrne from Operation Transformation. It was quite funny to hear her wriggle through her replies!

Calhoun · 17-09-2017 10:26PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

The simple answer is money. I remember her saying that running her practice was costing a lot of money and it was hard to make a profit.

The money from being a newspaper columnist, broadcasting on TV and radio, plus personal appearance fees and going on the After Dinner Speech circuit must be appealing. As far as I know, she does or used to do some work for a private Cosmetic Clinic - fillers and botox etc. It probably makes financial sense for her to leave her practice for a while, employ a locum and cash in on her media opportunities while she is still in demand.

Hard to make a profit in Greystones which has become a fairly affluent commuter town compared to what it was back in the day, on top of that she sent both her kids to private school.

If i was using her practice i would not be so sure how distracted she was getting with the media gigs.

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 10:30PM

constitutionus wrote: »

a lad over on politics.ie said he tried to set one up and it was taken down twice.

apparently the crowd behind My Uplift are politically motivated to put it mildly.

never heard of em myself so its anyones guess.

on the ciara kelly thing, how the hell do you NOT make money as a GP in this country?

therye nearly ALWAYS the biggest tax fraudters when ever a statement comes out from revenue (dem and the dentists, theres always some fella owing 1.5mil or so )

That's where I must have seen it. So much for free speech!

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 10:34PM

Calhoun wrote: »

Hard to make a profit in Greystones which has become a fairly affluent commuter town compared to what it was back in the day, on top of that she sent both her kids to private school.

If i was using her practice i would not be so sure how distracted she was getting with the media gigs.

It's a no-brainer really, if she was presenting a prime time radio show she should have no difficulty charging €2,000 for a personal appearance or After Dinner Speech. She would have to see a lot of patients before she would make €2,000.

brooke 2 · 17-09-2017 10:42PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

George is certainly keeping the journalists of Ireland in work at the moment.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/george-hook-set-lose-thousands-11190569

So, now we know who was camping outside his home.

George also gives talks at Novenas - guess that is another cash cow that will be closed to him.

Lady Chatterton · 17-09-2017 10:53PM

I think this is a great (common sense) article on the George Hook controversy by Brendan O'Connor.

Is silencing Hook really the answer?

The Newstalk presenter's comments on rape were wrong, but they should spark debate not banishment, says Brendan O'Connor

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/brendan-oconnor/is-silencing-hook-really-the-answer-36139411.html

Harry Angstrom · 17-09-2017 10:55PM

Last week, the bould George tweeted "Should cyclists who kill people be jailed for manslaughter?"

For this alone, he deserves to be silenced. Good riddance and all that.

Calhoun · 17-09-2017 10:55PM

Lady Chatterton wrote: »

It's a no-brainer really, if she was presenting a prime time radio show she should have no difficulty charging €2,000 for a personal appearance or After Dinner Speech. She would have to see a lot of patients before she would make €2,000.

40 give or take but the personal appearances are only lucrative if she keeps the day job.

Considering how important the job is i wonder how well she can balance them.

retro:electro · 17-09-2017 10:57PM

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

Last week, the bould George tweeted "Should cyclists who kill people be jailed for manslaughter?"

For this alone, he deserves to be silenced. Good riddance and all that.

For asking a question?

VinLieger · 17-09-2017 11:00PM

For everyone mentioning the ratio of male vs female broadcasters Ivan mentioned on friday that behind the scenes it is very much the opposite. He said 10 out of 11 producers were women, the head of the station is a woman and on the open floor the majority were women as well.

Like it or not NT's demographic research has led them to create a schedule with mainly male voices as thats the best way they were told they can make money and as a private company thats their priority

High Noon with George Hook.

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