The Ryan Tubridy Show **Mod: Read OP**

I can't help but think both sides went into this agreement with different aims. Virgin thought they were getting a veteran broadcaster who'd take over that mid-morning slot and perhaps become a breakthrough star. It's looking more and more like Tubridy isn't interested in trying to connect with any of his new listeners. It's the equivalent of a summer job that'll keep him going until something better comes up back in Ireland. I'm not a fan of Tubridy's but don't wish him ill either - I'd describe myself as an interested observer. Any time I dip into his show, I come away thinking he's doing a terrible job. Any texts he reads out are from Irish people, he can't stop talking about Irish things and he's not actually that interesting. Other radio stations are available and I think many will turn the dial or whatever the modern equivalent is.

Jaysus the defenders are out in force. The cheques must have cleared

What’s happened to @Pintman Paddy Losty and @Sunny Disposition ?

Why does everyone seem so confident that Tubridy will have ANY chance of a future career with RTE ?

How could that be justified by anyone at RTE ?

Unlike RTE, Virgin Radio is a commercial radio station and it has to cover costs and make a profit. It has no licence fee to help it along so it primarily works on getting advertising and sponsorship. With Tubridy, Virgin got an established name even if he was just an Irish broadcaster with little UK visibility. The interesting thing is the part of the deal that has Tubridy's slot syndicated on Q102 and other Wireless Group (News Broadcasting) stations in Ireland.

There has been a lot of takeover activity in the Irish radio market and the Communicorp stations were sold a few years ago to Bauer. There have even been sales at a local radio level. Tubridy's main value is not to Virgin Radio but rather in the syndication deals with Q102 and the other Irish stations. He may have been worth the salary he is being paid by Virgin Radio if he can boost the listenership of Q102 and the other Irish stations. He's working longer hours for less money than he was getting in RTE.

It might seem to be a bit of a gamble for Virgin to put Tubridy on right after Chris Evans but if people are listening to the slot rather than the presenter, it might not lose a lot of the audience. The important thing is that the advertising and sponsorship for the slot remains healthy. If Tubridy helps build the figures for Q102 and the other Irish stations, it would make them more attractive to a buyer but it might also bring in more advertising. Perhaps he will get some of his fans to switch from RTE to Q102. His old slot on RTE seemed to get more listeners after he was replaced. The next few RAJARs and JNLRs should show if the gamble has paid off.

If he's a success for Q102 etc (their figures go up and the RTE and others figures go down slightly) then it might make more commercial sense (for Virgin Radio's and Q102's owner) to move him sideways back to Ireland and reassign the Virgin Radio slot to a UK presenter. It could take six months to a year to see if that's what will happen.

Regards...jmcc

Welcome to Boards.ie.

Opening link and the dad jokes are back....

"Gail is on" "Run like the wind Gail"

"Who am I?" Ryan Tubridy, thats RYAN TUBRIDY... Let me introduce myself........

It really is hospital radio stuff....

You get the impression from him that he's actually broadcasting to a BBCR4 or R2 audience.... or maybe he believes that's who his audience is....

All the while playing Taylor Swift and Ed Sheehan songs...

I give it 6 months (and I'm being kind)

Pairing up with a gambling company is the absolute height of scumbaggery.

It's hard to avoid sponsorship from gambling these days because the industry sponsors the feck out of everything and anything it can... (probably half of Premier League jerseys were betting ads a few years ago)...

Tubs & Noel probably worked a few connections to make it happen, which is absolutely fine, and not a stick to beat them with...

I've probably only listened to about 6-7 links in total, with 1-2 being the initial intro's (all on Q102), but haven't heard the name Paddy Power once!! so do only the Virgin audience hear it? Or is it only at the top/bottom of the hour type deal?

Remove Tubridy from the situation for a moment and just say it was an well known Irish radio presenter without toxic baggage who was approached by Virgin to host that slot then what would their business angle be?

There's no shortage of candidates in the large market that is the UK, perhaps someone with a loyal following via a regional radio station that covers a population greater than Ireland would be ideal. No weirdness rabbiting on about things and people that are unknown in Britain etc..

The only business argument I can think of is that Tubridys seat is paid for by a sponsor, or maybe it's paid for by Tubridy himself to just get back on air; Paddypower being a smaller input than we credit. As someone else pointed out Paddypower is a well known business in Britain so it's just more adverting they'd do anyway regardless of Tubridy so not exactly any kind of scoop; it's just their advertising budget including that slot.

There was over half a year of radio silence for Tubs so desperate times require desperate measures and if paying to get on air on any station is the way to go then it makes sense. I've no doubt Virgin will be aware of the circumstances under which he burned his own bridges in Ireland, but there's no risk if he costs them nothing and if listenership falls they simply replace him.

Its not a coincidece that Paddy Power works for Paddy Power.

The only other quibble that I would have with the above is that if you do not have extra listeners or extra advertiser, it's useful to have an agent with established connections to offset organic growth. A minder. You could say that Ryan is an investment vehicle for Noel and Niamh.

And yes, gambling sponsorship is everywhere. While it wont matter as he plays Taylor Swift, the forces behind Tony O'Reilly and Declan Lynch not getting interviewed (badly) by Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late is where the relationship between Paddy Power (or Flutter now), Noel Kelly, RTE and Ryan Tubridy becomes a bit more sinister.

EDIT: One final thing, I don't think that many would be looking out for a radio host to bring a sponsor with them. Ideally they would be hired for their listenability. It would be no cause for mockery if there wasn't a sponsor as not all radio hosts have one, and many of the best dont.

Guy from Galway on the phone with Tubs currently, i'd swear it sounds like Dave Fanning.

Seeing as the whole JFK thing isn't as big over there I reckon in time tubs will become a self appoint royal correspondent for Ireland.

There were rumours he was going to GB News at one point, I would have loved to see that.