Ryan Tubridy - From Virgin to Youtube **Mod: Read OP**

i agree with your comment about Ray D'Arcy disappearing and not popping up again…..well not immediately anyway. Its a bit more classy.

It reminds me of Joanna Donnelly who flounced off Met Eireann only to think she could run for President of Ireland. Now she also has a YouTube channel desperately trying to be an "alternative" voice for weather……or to rival Met Eireann. It's not working.

She's also on X and barely gets any views or comments since her Presidential "campaign" ended. She is someone who loves the limelight (Dancing with the Stars?) and struggles to believe she has lost her fan base it seems . Ego is a big thing with people who have lived in the media bubble for too long. They need to know the public move on and they will be forgotten. Life outside the protection and promotion of that bubble is a lot harder.

The difference is that both D'Arcy and Ryan Tubs had no say in their departures, they got the boot. Joanna Donnelly chose hers in the full belief she could do better on her own and (in her own words) "my public" loved her. A tough lesson.

"He has firm as an author of political and historical works and could build on that. I’m sure he could build that to get a regular column writing on intersting political items from the past. Publish more books and establish himself as an authority on an area".

Did you ever read his diary from London? It was terrible. Like it was written by a teenage student. I suspect you are rating him higher than his ability deserves, then again he built a 35yr career on this.

Even if you had to Google him, I'm fairly sure you've heard "Pour Some Sugar on Me" or "Let's Get Rocked" many times.

’Lovely stuff’ - Shakin Stevens.

Artist taxation? I wouldn't say he is receiving more than €100,000 for any of the books he has written, though likely he got an upfront payment and see little to no royalties.

I'd argue much of what was stated is like the new studio he invested in 2 years ago.

Guess he misses being pilloried

Writing a book around political history will be too much like hard work -and personally speaking I wouldn’t rate him on that topic to begin with anyway - there is of course a biography coupled with a theatre tour circuit in Ireland waiting for him in the future which I’ve no doubt he’ll embark on- but it’s way too early for that - he has hardly entered his 50s. He needs to live some more first

He seemed to have a very high opinion of himself because he reads books. Most people read books, but don't feel the need to mention it in every conversation or delude themselves that it makes them an intellectual heavyweight.

Exactly. That's how it works.

Do the job, get the agreed pay, sure maybe get an extra €345,000 on top - which one might or might not be aware of.

Maybe get an extra €225,000 on the side (done via a regular run-of-the-mill UK barter account - sure how else would an Irish employee be paid?), including €75,000 per event - even for events that never even took place.

We've all been there, move along.

We told the Oireachtas Committee that radio is all he's got. So he doesn't even rate his own writing skills.

After his books on JFK, and Irish people, he moved in a different direction after that with "The First Christmas Sweater (and the Sheep Who Changed Everything)" - no doubt leaving many historians and political enthusiasts very disappointed.

If Tubs really wants to embrace the YouTube thing:

Noel, if you're reading, I'll take payment for the idea in cash, thanks.

Strange we gone from arguing that there is too much polemic type content online to you won't get fired for upsetting someone… tell that to Ivan Yates.

The problem with YouTube is often the algorithm. It's going to take your content and push it to people that are looking for the content and with the plethora of youtubers making similar content you will either sink or swim.

Outside of the Nicola Tallant (crime) and Andrea Corr (music/nostalgia) much of the Bookshelf went largely unnoticed.

I mean fair dues to Tubs for going out there and picking himself up, but I argue to go back to the advice that many on here gave him back in 2023, take a year off and come back, or slow down what you are doing.

I do feel he is slowing down, but not by choice. When is he back on the air?