The Pat Kenny Show

PK on Saturday - a big "meh" from me for the first edition. Out of the 2 hours, 40 mins given over to an interview with Scarramucci (recorded on Thursday, with Pat remarkably silent for the majority of the time), and less than heavy hitting analysis from a correspondent in Lebanon. The remainder was mostly fluff on skincare and cooking.

I actually thought that this 2 hour weekend format would be full on expert analysis of current affairs. Here's hoping things ramp up quickly!

No newspaper panel (yet) today either.

It doesn't seem we have Kenny Live, so to speak.

very interesting so far today

It's live Jim, but not as we know it.

Ive not listened to them yet, but I'd be all for less fluff. Paul Harrington is now going to take on that Smash HIt, wannabe by the Spice Girls, and the whacker chef from the Marker Hotel will be in to talk about how to make a spice bag at home followed by our dermatology expert will be on to answer all of your questions, her answer to every one will be "You should talk to your GP".

takes all sorts

https://bauermedia.ie/2025/08/pat-kenny-reveals-future-plans-with-newstalk/

Pat will also join the board of Bauer Media Audio Ireland.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/newstalk-could-have-handled-my-switch-to-weekend-show-in-a-better-way-says-pat-kenny/a1689845942.html

He's still with Noel Kelly.

TBH he's overrated and can be rattled quite easily, which I found out a few years ago!

We can now say that none of these interviews have done anything for C Byrne, D'Arcy, Tubs and now Kenny.

In the middle of planning the new schedule, Pat says Newstalk had to perform “a firefighting exercise” when RTÉ poached Kieran Cuddihy.

Newstalk had just poached C Byrne! What are you talking about!

But I don’t believe in the JNLRs. I never have. I think it’s not a very scientific way of measuring audiences.

You should have been down in UCC a few weeks ago to tell the arrogant head of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, but I doubt you would. You know it's 13K interviews over 6 months one of the biggest ongoing opinion polling done in the country. (Have you ever taken part in it?)

But that could have been negotiated quietly. Instead, it was the Colosseum and they threw Ryan to the lions.

No room for Ryan in Newstalk? Imagine how quite RTÉ where with Pat's exit fee back in 2013.

Once they decided to get into the business of top 10 salaries, that was when the slide started. RTÉ had many failings, but they managed to divert all the attention on to the presenters, and that suited them because they could exploit and embarrass them, which they did, while covering many of their own blushes.

It is as if presenters wages aren't part RTÉ's problems. They get public money, every public organization comes under scrutiny. You pay someone 900K per year then that's what you might expect to find.

“What happens when you don’t want that presenter any more and you want to shuffle the pack? Now you’re stuck with a whole pile of people on expensive staff jobs,” he says.“Bakhurst didn’t seem to understand this, but that’s why you pay the talent — and I use the word ‘talent’ because that’s the theatrical word they use — but you pay the talent a lot because they take a risk.

So don't put them as staff because you might want to ditch them, but pay them well for the risk that they take for a 40 year career, with little risk?

The talent take a risk, they go freelance, they ply their trade, but they rise and fall on whether they’re doing the business for the radio or TV station. And if they don’t do the business, they don’t get renewed.

RTÉ stagnates with the same auld presenters, Pat would still be in RTÉ on a lower wage if he had chosen so, as it seems was likely for Ray D'Arcy (from his interviews).

The changes at RTÉ were caused by the sad deaths of Gerry Ryan and Marian Finucane, Pat's Exit and some retirements. (Oh and D4bes, Moya Doherty and the former executive board and all that stuff … prob would have been better just to sweep it under the carpet).

And as for risk….

As he starts a new chapter, he says his new show “is not a new show….It’s only moving. It will have all the familiar voices…... We want to try and offer people something similar to the daytime show….

as for Joanne McNally …

“Cathy said, ‘She can have him’!”

Indeed.

Listened for a bit today. First thing I heard was some woman wishing Pat a happy mother's day and Pat saying happy mother's day to sisters and daughters as well because women needed a day of recognition.

They've already had Women's Christmas, International Woman's Day and Saint Bridget's Day so far and it's only March FFS.

It was part of his original contract with News UK, he got a 2 hour simulcast on Sunday across all Onic local radio stations, LMFM, Q102, Limerick LIVE, Cork 98/103 not sure which one in cork. Tubs well established as a weekend host after 2 or something years.

Pat won't be framing the JNLRs he doesn't believe in them.

Very easy being the hurler on the ditch, Holly.

She sounded like she was reading her answers off a list of prepared script. She sounds very uninspiring as a party leader.

Wish he'd do a proper newspaper panel for an hour on Sunday. Its a big miss with the weekend show.

Maybe competition with the Brendan O'Connor show for pundits culd be a factor?

Yes but the general public see through negative spin. Shinners have been doing it for a decade and we've become deaf to anti-politics. Offer solutions, be proactive