Marty Whelan: should he be on RTÉ lyric fm?

The John Greene Show wrote: »

Marty Whelan has only 6 months left as host of the lyric FM breakfast show, he is RTE staff so will be required to retire on his 65th birthday next June.

It doesn't matter. In the same way it's said that Donald Trump is the first of a steady stream of 'Trump like' characters, he'll just be replaced by some other character roaming the corridors of RTE on full pay in need of a gig.

Ronan Collins, Will Leahy, Rick O'Shea and whoever else loses a gig in Gold or 2FM will be in the frame.

The brand is bust and a format change or closure (which is/was the top brass preference) might be the kindest thing now.

Those of us who wanted at least light, consistent and informed classical content have long moved on at this stage.

inthehat wrote: »

Where to though....? I actually like Marty and listen to him regularly but he's in a particular vein. I never seem to know where to find good light classical.

You could ask the same "where to though?" question about a lot of presenters and shows. RTE is trying to be all things to all men so you get oddities like Dave Fanning and a sports show on 2FM and Marty Whelan on what was originally meant to be a classical station. I've never listened to him because he isn't my cup of tea but I know people who do and who enjoy him. It isn't going to happen but RTE could do with another FM station to cater for the people who are too old for 2FM and would like to listen to music rather than the talk Radio 1 mostly offers during the day.

serfboard wrote: »

Never really thought much of Marty until I heard him doing a bit with Shay Byrne on Risin Time

A Cringefest any time that happens. worse than Shay Byrne's hyperactive banter with Des Cahill.

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

I think he's terrific.

Finally an AA presenter who can keep up with him in Johnathan.

I really despise AA Roadwatch reports on national radio. Complete waste of time.

RINO87 wrote: »

While not perfect, Marty has been a great oasis away from the deluge of current affairs in the past year. I had not listened much before covid, but will certainly miss this show if he does indeed get the boot in June.

Is there talk of him getting the boot in June?! I really hope not.

I think Marty is absolutely fantastic. I never took to him on TV, always annoyed me and didn't enjoy the programmes he presented however on Lyric he is wonderful.

He's exactly what the doctor ordered when looking for an escape from the usual dreary news cycle and endless talk or if you don't want to listen to rubbish pop. He has great timing and I have been introduced to so many different kinds of music, particularly opera, since listening to his slot.

Admittedly he can be an acquired taste but I find his mix of corny Dad jokes, musical styles and general banter a tonic in the morning.

I think he's great on his current slot. I certainly hope he's not given the boot when he turns 65 in June.

I enjoy his presenting, the banter, and the music. It's one of the better breakfast shows around.

Oh Christ, there's the Banter word again.

Lyric originally was not intended to be a space for a presenter who was not wanted elsewhere in RTE to carry out "banter" for a relatively small audience.

It was supposed to be a little bit more high minded than that.
Anyway, it's gotten worse with each passing year. We now have John 'This is That was' Kelly sometimes playing 10 reggae tracks in a row and The Blue of the Night seems to be stuck in a 1970's student bedsit with a lot of Led Zepplin every evening.

It sounds like a free for all in there these days - worse than student/hospital/community radio at a cost of about 6 million euros per annum.

Anyway, you could argue that none of these are Marty Whelan's concerns. He just does what he does - it shouldn't be on Lyric, I'd argue.

BBC radio has half a dozen national stations that cover most bases. RTE is trying to be all things to all men and the result is a mishmash of stations with random programs shoved everywhere. 2fm has Dave Fanning and the sports show sitting in the middle of its music for youths schedule. Lyric has the likes of Marty and John Kelly. By rights, these shows should all be on a separate station aimed at people who want to listen to music but aren't 21 any more. That's not going to happen of course.

Tork wrote: »

BBC radio has half a dozen national stations that cover most bases. RTE is trying to be all things to all men and the result is a mishmash of stations with random programs shoved everywhere. 2fm has Dave Fanning and the sports show sitting in the middle of its music for youths schedule. Lyric has the likes of Marty and John Kelly. By rights, these shows should all be on a separate station aimed at people who want to listen to music but aren't 21 any more. That's not going to happen of course.

Despite their number, BBC radio stations still don't manage narrow programming. If you turned off Radio 4 after listening to hard-headed news on the Today programme, you'd be forgiven if you were disappointed to tune in to radio drama a few hours later. The Six O'Clock News often leads in to comedy. Radio 3 has an awful lot of chat, some of it, like Free Thinking, entirely unrelated to music. I don't listen to much Radio 2, but I think Jeremy Vine's programme is a bit like Moncrief on Newstalk interspersed with music. I don't think RTE should be criticised, then, for varied programming, provided the stations retain their core character, which I think Lyric certainly does.

I can see how Marty Whelan would grate for daily Lyric listeners or people looking for some proper classical in the morning. But I must say, whenever I've chanced across him, I've enjoyed his easy manner at that hour in the morning. To be quite honest, I'd sooner rather they got rid of the film scores programme that they have mid-aftrenoon on Saturdays.

iffandonlyif wrote: »

I'd sooner rather they got rid of the film scores programme that they have mid-aftrenoon on Saturdays.

No way - the best programme on Lyric, IMO.

Cant argue with a bit of Marty - sure you get Nevin also and the banter and chat. Marty is a legend

The John Greene Show wrote: »

Marty Whelan has only 6 months left as host of the lyric FM breakfast show, he is RTE staff so will be required to retire on his 65th birthday next June.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/rte-star-marty-whelan-says-24119967

Not at all sure why the question being asked about Marty being on Lyric or is it perhaps more about Marty?

I've always thought he's down to earth, not a hint of arrogance about him (sadly the same can't be said about many other RTE presenters), who's smugness and arrogance is breath taking. Whatever about music choice, his presenting style and perhaps his tendency to perhaps talk more than other presenters on Lyric, it's actually these qualities I personally find refreshing, up lifting and amusing, particularly on dreary cold morning on the way to work. I can personally vouch for a dear friend who went through a year of rehab after a serious illness, who's recovery was helped by the few hours of Marty in.the morning. I can understand he may not be to everyone's taste, but I've certainly appreciated his service for many, many years.