Billy McCarthy RIP

Gael23 · 20-11-2016 9:28am #1

All over Facebook that Billy McCarthy has died suddenly. I don't have a link just yet.

independent11 · 20-11-2016 9:36am

Gael23 wrote: »

All over Facebook that Billy McCarthy has died suddenly. I don't have a link just yet.

RIP

http://www.wlrfm.com/shows/4-deise-am-with-billy-mccarthy/4375-wlr-fm-announces-the-death-of-waterford-s-favourite-broadcaster-billy-mccarthy.html

Jambo · 20-11-2016 9:40am

What a shock, RIP he will definitely be missed from the local airwaves.

Wanderer78 · 20-11-2016 9:45am

rip, thats a shock

PTH2009 · 20-11-2016 10:02am

Heard he was sick a few weeks ago but didn't knw it was that serious. Big Shock

Rip thoughts and his prayers go to his family, friends and all his colleagues

91wx763 · 20-11-2016 10:11am

Boringly conservative ("I'll run it past the legal people...."), couldn't work the mixing desk and the ultimate product of Ray Burke's local radio disaster.

But a very nice man. People didn't hear the "real" him on the radio.

RIP.

Alpha Centauri · 20-11-2016 11:36am

RIP Billy.

Max Powers · 20-11-2016 12:05pm

Awful news, talk about making your mark in Waterford, all you had to say was Billy and people knew what you were referring to.

Harry Palmr · 20-11-2016 12:45pm

He had been off the air quite a bit this year (dunno if that was related to health though), while he was never my cuppa he was pretty much the ID of WLR and he's a big loss for them as well as his loved ones.

Wanderer2010 · 20-11-2016 2:11pm

Alpha Centauri wrote: »

RIP Billy.

A very funny and accurate description of the typical complaints Billy had to deal with every day- a great tribute to him!

Sorry to hear of this very sad news, condolences to his family and friends.

200motels · 20-11-2016 6:03pm

Very sad to hear RIP Billy one of our own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CaLZETYkmU

danjo-xx · 20-11-2016 6:20pm

RIP Billy, how old was he. I wud have said only late 40's

Gael23 · 20-11-2016 6:54pm

danjo-xx wrote: »

RIP Billy, how old was he. I wud have said only late 40's

62.

The Bowling Alley · 20-11-2016 7:45pm

RIP Billy. Thought he was much younger than 62

Faugheen · 20-11-2016 10:45pm

There'll be a tribute show on the Deise AM slot from 10 tomorrow for those of you interested.

An awful sad day for Irish radio with Billy's passing, not just Waterford radio although it'll obviously be the locals who'll be more affected.

taytobreath · 20-11-2016 11:45pm

rest in peace, the mornings wont ever be the same without that voice

TheQuietFella · 20-11-2016 11:54pm

I personally wouldn't agree that he'll be a loss to radio.

He appealed to a certain group of radio listeners and that's it.

In my opinion he was nothing more than a nuisance on radio.

He was no Gerry Ryan and that's for sure!!!

Still though, too young to die and may he rest in peace!

jimmyw · 21-11-2016 12:27am

His last broadcast two weeks ago.

https://soundcloud.com/wlrfmwaterford/deise-am-7-nov-2016

He didn't always appreciate other peoples opinions I thought, but alot of Waterfordians loved him, so he had a biggish following.

A bloody shock to a lot of people though.RIP.

TheQuietFella · 21-11-2016 12:44am

jimmyw wrote: »

His last broadcast two weeks ago.

https://soundcloud.com/wlrfmwaterford/deise-am-7-nov-2016

He didn't always appreciate other peoples opinions I thought, but alot of Waterfordians loved him, so he had a biggish following.

A bloody shock to a lot of people though.RIP.

A sober Father Jack so!

thesultan · 21-11-2016 11:48am

I always thought he was very good.

BBM77 · 21-11-2016 12:29pm

RIP. Sad he died so young.

He probably was an institution in Waterford alright. However I know from personal experience he was not pleasant to other people. Probably should leave it at that. Again, RIP, it is too young to die.

dzilla · 21-11-2016 2:49pm

TheQuietFella wrote: »

I personally wouldn't agree that he'll be a loss to radio.

He appealed to a certain group of radio listeners and that's it.

In my opinion he was nothing more than a nuisance on radio.

He was no Gerry Ryan and that's for sure!!!

Still though, to young to die and may he rest in peace!

Je5us, somethings are probably best not said.

Baby4 · 21-11-2016 2:59pm

This post has been deleted.

91wx763 · 22-11-2016 8:58pm

The outpouring of grief being orchestrated by WLR is actually embarrassing. Books of condolence ? Constant sombre music like some eastern bloc dictator had died ?

I'd be of the firm belief that if poor Billy was in a situation to have an opinion he wouldn't have had all this panto.

WLR at its finest. Big JNLR figures for the last time because whether you liked him or not Billy got those.

The hope from the radio point of view is that the Eamonn Keane contributor is engaged, he is organised.

MRnotlob606 · 23-11-2016 10:17am

Whenever there's a rip thread on boards, someone always have to come in with some stupid or disrespectful.

MRnotlob606 · 23-11-2016 1:37pm

91wx763 wrote: »

The outpouring of grief being orchestrated by WLR is actually embarrassing. Books of condolence ? Constant sombre music like some eastern bloc dictator had died ?

I'd be of the firm belief that if poor Billy was in a situation to have an opinion he wouldn't have had all this panto.

WLR at its finest. Big JNLR figures for the last time because whether you liked him or not Billy got those.

The hope from the radio point of view is that the Eamonn Keane contributor is engaged, he is organised.

I think its only a fitting tribute to Billy McCarthy. How could they not give him a tribute like such? He was the voice WLRFM, and one of the pioneers of radio in Waterford.

invara · 23-11-2016 2:20pm

It is very sad to hear that he is gone. Radio in Ireland is very special, most countries do not have the vibrant local and national conversation that is here. And Billy was a great example of that warm friend on the radio, that staves of loneliness, and makes people feel part of a community. The response to his passing has a very natural character, big JNLR numbers are a sign of how strongly he connected with people. His show went toe-to-toe with RTE and Newstalk and usually won. So his passing is very sad.

TheQuietFella · 23-11-2016 8:05pm

dzilla wrote: »

Je5us, somethings are probably best not said.

Does that mean that you agree with me?

TheQuietFella · 23-11-2016 8:10pm

91wx763 wrote: »

The outpouring of grief being orchestrated by WLR is actually embarrassing. Books of condolence ? Constant sombre music like some eastern bloc dictator had died ?

I'd be of the firm belief that if poor Billy was in a situation to have an opinion he wouldn't have had all this panto.

WLR at its finest. Big JNLR figures for the last time because whether you liked him or not Billy got those.

The hope from the radio point of view is that the Eamonn Keane contributor is engaged, he is organised.

I would agree completely although I don't listen to local radio I can only imagine

the 'grief' being broadcast across the airwaves.

Faugheen · 24-11-2016 1:05am

91wx763 wrote: »

The outpouring of grief being orchestrated by WLR is actually embarrassing. Books of condolence ? Constant sombre music like some eastern bloc dictator had died ?

I'd be of the firm belief that if poor Billy was in a situation to have an opinion he wouldn't have had all this panto.

WLR at its finest. Big JNLR figures for the last time because whether you liked him or not Billy got those.

The hope from the radio point of view is that the Eamonn Keane contributor is engaged, he is organised.

Wow. Where to begin with this.

Their biggest and most talked about presenter passed away. He had the biggest listenership of the station and by far the biggest engagement with listeners for nearly 30 years. What were they supposed to do? Say 'Billy's died lads, sorry about that'?

No. They, along with his listeners, choose to remember him. He was clearly a popular character in there. Beat were giving him loads of tributes as well, and I don't ever remember them mentioning WLR.

I get the impression you didn't like Billy McCarthy and/or his show, but fact of the matter is a lot of people did. Just because you didn't doesn't mean you can sh*t on what WLR are doing to remember him.

Listen to the Deise AM tribute show. Billy was the man who married the Managing Director and his wife, he sang at a lot of weddings for those guys. He clearly means a lot to them.

Listen to Geoff Harris choking up at nearly every second word and Theresane O'Reilly clearly in tears as she speaks. And by the way, you don't know what Billy would want. Judging by the tributes for him and his love for the arts, music and theatre, he probably would have loved it.

If you really believe the bile you're coming out with, go down to WLR and tell them how you feel. And while you're there, look at the staff's faces, look at that nearly full book of condolence, and then you'll realise how much he meant to them. If you're not going to do that, keep those disgraceful, disrespectful comments to yourself instead of hiding behind a keyboard.

iphonehead · 24-11-2016 8:04am

I wouldn't expect everybody to like Billy, and everybody is entitled to their opinion but my god I 100% agree with the previous reply. If you don't like Billy or WLR that's fine with all of us I'm sure, but they have done a great remembrance of Billy for those of us who do care and who do miss him. It will be interesting to see how many remember you or for that matter care when you are gone. Typical waterford begrudging crap. No change there.

Laken Dara · 24-11-2016 2:39pm

jimmyw wrote: »

His last broadcast two weeks ago.

https://soundcloud.com/wlrfmwaterford/deise-am-7-nov-2016

He didn't always appreciate other peoples opinions I thought, but alot of Waterfordians loved him, so he had a biggish following.

A bloody shock to a lot of people though.RIP.

His last programme,and one of the last subjects talked about was guardian angels.May he rest in peace.

91wx763 · 12-12-2018 2:25pm

Bumping an old thread due to relevance, Eamonn Keane is to finish Deise AM at end of December. There were whispers that the WLR hierachy didn't like his style, too confrontational and nowhere near as conservative as Billy. Did he get poked ? Judging by his denials of same today there might be a bit of truth in the rumour......

Moving on, who's next in line to the throne ? Not Maria Macann.......

Harry Palmr · 12-12-2018 3:02pm

Eamon Keane is bloody terrible - he was awful on the Newstalk lunchtime show and I'm sure pants on Radio Kerry. He is faux confrontational, hard talk when his target isn't in front of him but obsequious when doing a face to face in the studio or down the line. The woman who stands in for him is pretty decent or the Business Desk presenter would be my picks from within WLR. His technique is very poor as well - you can hear every moist breath and splutter. I'd say listening through headphones is most unpleasant!

Muttley79 · 12-12-2018 3:30pm

From an insider his a very hard man to work with,he has a huge ego about himself his ringing in to wlr at the last minute saying he won’t make it to his own show,takes holidays whenever he wants without notification,is constantly over running his show with talking and cutting out adds that wlr rely on for revenue.he should have never got the gig to start off with.hopefully they find somebody much better

jimbojazz · 12-12-2018 4:36pm

God I couldn't bear listening to that man. Obsessed with the GAA, practically every programme was taken up in someway with a discussion about it.

Always making mistakes with links and hitting wrong buttons etc.

He wont be missed.

Wanderer2010 · 12-12-2018 4:55pm

Muttley79 wrote: »

From an insider his a very hard man to work with,he has a huge ego about himself his ringing in to wlr at the last minute saying he won’t make it to his own show,takes holidays whenever he wants without notification,is constantly over running his show with talking and cutting out adds that wlr rely on for revenue.he should have never got the gig to start off with.hopefully they find somebody much better

I heard the exact same thing about Liz Reddy as well, that she is supposed to be full of herself and a big ego, I don't know how a mere radio newsreader gets a big head but there you go, its a weird world.

TheQuietFella · 12-12-2018 5:22pm

Completely agree with all the above posts!
McCarthy was no good, the guy who followed him wasn't up to much either
but just to be fashionable they'll put a feminine presenter in the hot seat!

Things though have unfortunately changed in broadcasting where now you
can't appear to be confrontational anymore but you are there to deliver a well
balanced diet of opinion from those you are interviewing without crossing that
line! In other words you have to be ultra PC and not upset anyone!

Squidvicious · 12-12-2018 6:32pm

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Completely agree with all the above posts!
McCarthy was no good, the guy who followed him wasn't up to much either
but just to be fashionable they'll put a feminine presenter in the hot seat!

Things though have unfortunately changed in broadcasting where now you
can't appear to be confrontational anymore but you are there to deliver a well
balanced diet of opinion from those you are interviewing without crossing that
line! In other words you have to be ultra PC and not upset anyone!

To be honest, I hardly ever listen to local radio but one part of the above caught my eye. I have no idea what woman they might hire or if she'd be any good but it's hardly fair to suggest that if a woman is hired for the job that they'd only be doing it to be fashionable. Perhaps they might think that she'd do a decent job and be worth a chance?

Johnboy1951 · 12-12-2018 8:47pm

Hehehehehehehehe

iseegirls · 12-12-2018 8:56pm

Maybe Ian Noctor? Haven't seen him since TV3 rebranded Sunday AM into Weekend AM.

liam7831 · 12-12-2018 8:58pm

iseegirls wrote:

Maybe Ian Noctor? Haven't seen him since TV3 rebranded Sunday AM into Weekend AM.

Where did he disappear to ?

thesultan · 13-12-2018 8:56am

iseegirls wrote: »

Maybe Ian Noctor? Haven't seen him since TV3 rebranded Sunday AM into Weekend AM.

I liked him on that

alta stare · 13-12-2018 10:10am

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

I heard the exact same thing about Liz Reddy as well, that she is supposed to be full of herself and a big ego, I don't know how a mere radio newsreader gets a big head but there you go, its a weird world.

To be fair afaik she is more than just the news reader in fact i think she is the editor or something of the likes. She is poor at reading the news all the same. Iv never heard a broadcaster stumble over something as much as she does.

I dont really listen to WLR but when i am exposed to it (in work) the worst iv heard is Eamon Keane and Geoff Harris.

Gardner · 13-12-2018 12:25pm

alta stare wrote: »

To be fair afaik she is more than just the news reader in fact i think she is the editor or something of the likes. She is poor at reading the news all the same. Iv never heard a broadcaster stumble over something as much as she does.

I dont really listen to WLR but when i am exposed to it (in work) the worst iv heard is Eamon Keane and Geoff Harris.

Oliver Carroll and his fake ****ing voice is the worst. :mad:

gave up listening to WLR years ago

91wx763 · 13-12-2018 12:28pm

iseegirls wrote: »

Maybe Ian Noctor? Haven't seen him since TV3 rebranded Sunday AM into Weekend AM.

Works for a multinational media company. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/iannoctor

WLR couldn't afford him.

alta stare · 13-12-2018 1:52pm

Gardner wrote: »

Oliver Carroll and his fake ****ing voice is the worst. :mad:

gave up listening to WLR years ago

I know Ollie and that voice isnt fake. One of the nicests guys you could ever meet.

Wanderer2010 · 13-12-2018 6:02pm

alta stare wrote: »

I know Ollie and that voice isnt fake. One of the nicests guys you could ever meet.

Its a very very odd voice though, where on earth is he from with an accent like that?

greenspurs · 14-12-2018 12:49pm

probably be another bland D4 voice (teresanne oreilly-alike )

debok · 14-12-2018 2:24pm

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Its a very very odd voice though, where on earth is he from with an accent like that?

Yeh i was in pub one night and i could hear his voice just presumed radio was on until he came up to order a pint. Crazy voice.

alta stare · 14-12-2018 7:43pm

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Its a very very odd voice though, where on earth is he from with an accent like that?

Yeah it is an odd one alright. Still tho he is a nice guy so i wish him the best no matter what accent he has

Billy McCarthy RIP

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