RTE 1: 'Today' with Claire Byrne

john123470 · 24-08-2020 11:22am

bureau2009 wrote: »

How on earth did RTE chose Claire Byrne for this programme????????

^^ Exactly this
Jaysus, bring Sarah Mac back !

CB just hasnt got it. Very obviously eading prepared questions off her cards. Sarah MaC takes no prisoners. Excellent interviewer. In her bones. CB has shown her form (lack of) on tv

Now we have yet another reason to switch RTE Radio off forever. Best reasons so far are Turbidy, de D'Arcy, Duffy .. and no small number of others.

Have those responsible for hiring in RTE got an agenda to keep all the weak-hitters in these positions ?
Are these radio jobs - for life ?

So much talent out there .. a real shame they can't exploit it

limnam · 24-08-2020 11:31am

john123470 wrote: »

^^ Exactly this
Jaysus, bring Sarah Mac back !

Jaysis, No.

No squeaking this morning, no fumbling around unable to pronounce correctly half her words. Professional delivery.

While there might be better options than CB. She's miles beyond the college radio SM provides.

Silky smooth

24-08-2020 11:36am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Ffs, hand sanitizer is like a naggin of vodka? Good luck to anyone trying to drink it for fun.

It's reputed to be popular with de unwell outside St James.

24-08-2020 11:40am

Expunge wrote: »

You must not have heard any of Marty Whelan's bland, vacuous yet hyper interviews with people from areas of music and the arts he seems never to have heard of.

This has not stopped him from having a career on lyric, amazingly.

The same will be the case with Ms. Byrne. All of the blandness, no hyperness.
20 years of this coming up.

Thank you for your service, Noel Kelly.

NK = Establishment

Atlantic Dawn · 24-08-2020 11:43am

Retiring at 55 is nice, not in any way sustainable but nice.

Atlantic Dawn · 24-08-2020 11:47am

They should put injection centres in Foxrock and Malahide to see how great they really are.

24-08-2020 11:48am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Retiring at 55 is nice, not in any way sustainable but nice.

I was able to retire at 57, having started work in public service at 17; 40 years service. Very nice indeed! I could say like Pee Flynn, "try it some time". It was a real trial for a person with an imagination like myself wurkin in de public service, but there were some times (before modern H&S & procedures etc) when my abilities were actually made use of a d I found brief moments of great job satisfaction.

hankless · 24-08-2020 11:57am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

They should put injection centres in Foxrock and Malahide to see how great they really are.

There isn't a problem with intravenous drug use in those areas.

Back on topic; disappointed but not surprised with the first show. Claire had big boots to fill and she is a size or two off. I thought the show would go down a light-hearted current affairs route and after this morning I think I'm right.

I will listen again for the remainder of the week but as of now, I'd be surprised if I keep it up in the coming weeks.

withless · 24-08-2020 12:26pm

The bland leading the bland.

ShamNNspace · 24-08-2020 12:50pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I was able to retire at 57, having started work in public service at 17; 40 years service. Very nice indeed! I could say like Pee Flynn, "try it some time". It was a real trial for a person with an imagination like myself wurkin in de public service, but there were some times (before modern H&S & procedures etc) when my abilities were actually made use of a d I found brief moments of great job satisfaction.

I have 2 sisters in a similar position, early 60's same job more or less all their lives. I remember the enthusiasm for change and to do something good they had in the early years and watched it slowly drain away to the point that they're just puttin in the time now to the finish line, and then they see the new recruits coming in full of the same enthusiasm till its knocked out of them by the "can't be done" rather than what should be a can-do attitude which seems to be prevalent here. Ti's just an observation (maybe inncorrect) from me looking in from the outside

boardise · 24-08-2020 12:55pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Is it true Michael Martin sponsored one of the prizes for the golf? That was mentioned in the Phil Hogan thread.

Even if he did it means nothing. It's just a casual gesture of goodwill for a social outing where he would not know what programme of events might have been planned . Plus he would naturally expect that guidelines would be in place. He would be told by a secretary that the Taoiseach normally does this every year and it would be done in a few seconds on the nod. Busy leader of a country couldn't spend any time on such incidentals.

KevRossi · 24-08-2020 12:58pm

Hard to know what to make of it; it's not as if she was unprepared, the story broke last Thursday and was indeed continuously breaking during the programme on Friday morning. Claire Byrne is an experienced broadcaster, on radio and TV, so I don't think nerves could be an excuse, indeed we were told she got the job due to 'experience'.

I felt she dropped the ball with Micheal Martin, she could have been a bit more tenacious with him, and she started on Pearse Doherty with the funeral story, one that Doherty was obviously going to be well prepared for.

She has a long way to go and will be given a lot of time, but her performance today was a C-, especially when there was only going to be three topics to discuss; Hogan, schools and Dail recall. Overall, a somewhat disappointing start.

Beechwoodspark · 24-08-2020 1:08pm

boardise wrote: »

Even if he did it means nothing. It's just a casual gesture of goodwill for a social outing where he would not know what programme of events might have been planned . Plus he would naturally expect that guidelines would be in place. He would be told by a secretary that the Taoiseach normally does this every year and it would be done in a few seconds on the nod. Busy leader of a country couldn't spend any time on such incidentals.

Is that you Bertie

boardise · 24-08-2020 1:10pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Seems I am missing a bit of car crash radio here!

I must have heard a different interview to most here -it was far from a car crash.
The questioning was clear and ordered. Pressure was applied without badgering.
I thought the Taoiseach performed well across a range of extremely troublesome issues -many unresolved and for which no easy unproblematic solutions present themselves. ( Ritual clarification -I'm not a FF member/voter )
But that's ok -I'm well used to being in the minority and I could be as wrong as bedamned.

pc7 · 24-08-2020 1:29pm

I didn’t enjoy the show at all, found her voice very monotonous and I was tuning out. First day so will give her a chance, will be back to Pat tomorrow and will podcast her show.

As for Mehole, my god he is a brutal speaker, so, so bad. You’d think he’d have a few set answers ready even. He had a shocker, doesn’t bode well.

Sorolla · 24-08-2020 1:53pm

I reckon I am used to the Sarah Mac style of interviewing (plus her wonderful voice) and I found Claire a little too timid today.

The Taoiseach got a soft interview.

pinkyeye · 24-08-2020 8:58pm

Test For Echo wrote: »

Just had a wee look on the RTE site - MM's body language looks like he's being interviewed by the Gardai.

Sweat pouring off him.

:D

Spanish Eyes · 24-08-2020 9:01pm

I hope she has a good nights sleep in her wooden shed.

Sarah Mac was way better. All round.

elperello · 24-08-2020 9:19pm

I heard all the MM interview and after that bits here and there.

I thought CB did well, all thing considered ,for a first show.

Very much in at the deep end, imagine, first interview the Taoiseach in the middle of a crisis.

CertifiedSimp · 24-08-2020 9:25pm

Listend to a clip for just a couple minutes, Claires voice sounds different on the radio compared to TV.

I found she frowned a lot on TV and emphasised a lot of her words.

She was looking peachy though, blonde hair and nice glasses. What a babe!

Cole · 24-08-2020 9:34pm

I just listened back to the MM interview, and it was very uninspiring from both sides. I heard the rest of the show live and it wasn't great, but it's only been one show...her first show.

The different Today Show threads have always been among the best on this forum, but the unquestioning praise/love in for Sarah, which suddenly hijacked (imo) Sarah's old thread last Friday, is now where this thread seems to be going. Rather than have a reasonably balanced discussion on the new Today Show (Sarah's gone), it seems to be a 'Claire's useless and Sarah's amazing' thread...falling over one another to get on the "Bring back Sarah" theme.

Seems you were right, Brendan.

Enjoy the echo chamber.

Infoanon · 24-08-2020 9:51pm

elperello wrote: »

I heard all the MM interview and after that bits here and there.

I thought CB did well, all thing considered ,for a first show.

Very much in at the deep end, imagine, first interview the Taoiseach in the middle of a crisis.

That's not being put in at the deep end - CB has plenty of experience on the radio and was given the plum interview with MM at a time the government is in meltdown and MM is all over the place with his answers .

CB blew a golden opportunity - or another way of looking from my point of view is that CB confirmed my concerns about her getting this gig.
I didn’t think CB was great on Saturdays at 1 and too often missed golden opportunities a la today's performance.

elperello · 24-08-2020 9:58pm

Infoanon wrote: »

That's not being put in at the deep end - CB has plenty of experience on the radio and was given the plum interview with MM at a time the government is in meltdown and MM is all over the place with his answers .

CB blew a golden opportunity - or another way of looking from my point of view is that CB confirmed my concerns about her getting this gig.
I didn’t think CB was great on Saturdays at 1 and too often missed golden opportunities a la today's performance.

Deep end in the context of starting a new gig with a really big interview.

Of course as you say she is experienced but even someone with her experience must be a bit daunted taking over such a big show.

I don't think she blew it at all.

Too soon to make a definitive judgement.

Infoanon · 24-08-2020 10:01pm

Golden opportunities like today don't come along very often - though nothing would surprise me in the current climate - but I do agree that today was the first show and perhaps see how the week goes .

elperello · 24-08-2020 10:05pm

Infoanon wrote: »

Golden opportunities like today don't come along very often - though nothing would surprise me in the current climate - but I do agree that today was the first show and perhaps see how the week goes .

We certainly live in interesting times.

She will have plenty of opportunity to prove her mettle in the coming days.

Will Yam · 24-08-2020 10:20pm

KevRossi wrote: »

I don't think Claire Byrne is anywhere as insistent as Sarah McInerney, she would have pushed harder for his response on Hogan resigning.

I still think she relies too much on asking prepared questions off her cards and isn't always the best at going off on a tangent when throwing a bit of a juicy bone.

I think it was sponsored by FF, but could be wrong on that.

I think she was truly awful.

I don’t like McInereny but she does a far better show. The difference between her and Byrne is that she listens to her interviewees. She lets them talk.

Byrne doesn’t listen, interrupts and doesn’t allow her interviewees to make their point.

I thought Clare Byrne live was on tonight and was looking for a painted wall to watch it drying. But it’s Daithi and 10 years of roses, so I don’t care if the wall is painted or not - anything would be better than daithi and his roses

Will Yam · 24-08-2020 10:23pm

pc7 wrote: »

I didn’t enjoy the show at all, found her voice very monotonous and I was tuning out. First day so will give her a chance, will be back to Pat tomorrow and will podcast her show.

As for Mehole, my god he is a brutal speaker, so, so bad. You’d think he’d have a few set answers ready even. He had a shocker, doesn’t bode well.

The problem now is that the morning choice is between Pat “I know everything and by God I’ll let you know it” Kenny, and Clare “I’m rather vacant” Byrne.

Think it’s time to switch over to Times radio from uk

brooke 2 · 24-08-2020 10:29pm

Deleted User wrote: »

To coin a phrase...

:pac::pac: Bring back Sarah! :pac:

elperello · 24-08-2020 10:37pm

Will Yam wrote: »

The problem now is that the morning choice is between Pat “I know everything and by God I’ll let you know it” Kenny, and Clare “I’m rather vacant” Byrne.

Think it’s time to switch over to Times radio from uk

While there are some good alternatives outside Ireland they are not as available as Irish stations once you move away from broadband.

Also of course they won't cover Irish news and current affairs.

Will Yam · 24-08-2020 10:49pm

duffman13 wrote: »

Tends to stick to a question pack, not as natural as Pat at diving on a tangent on slip ups

Except Pat would spend god knows how long telling us how much he knows about the subject matter.

RTE 1: 'Today' with Claire Byrne

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