The RTÉ Megathread

RoTelly · 14-05-2026 10:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124469199#Comment_124469199

He could end up on CNN any day now, you just don't understand :) … he might appear on RTÉ any day now, now that would be one for the books.

deise man · 15-05-2026 11:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124469199#Comment_124469199

Spot on

squonk · 15-05-2026 11:42AM

Give over with other Ryan bashing. It’s verging old at this point. She’s likely working in other things in RTE behind the scenes and is maintaining an on air presence. I don’t know but I’d doubt anyone wise here does either.

Yes she got the job because of her dad but she doesn’t seem to be on social media all the tune or in the papers advertising her life. Plenty of people join organisations and stay there for life. I don’t agree with it personally but that’s only my view.

We also had Derek Mooney presenting a scant few items but working behind the scenes.

Dublin Calling · 15-05-2026 11:44AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124469988#Comment_124469988

I voted for him and am still annoyed that he wasted my vote by packing in the TD job after a few months. The story doing the rounds was his wife was not happy living on a TD's salary.

Brian Scan · 15-05-2026 12:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124470092#Comment_124470092

"The story doing the rounds….."

Always one of the most reliable sources of information.

RoTelly · 15-05-2026 12:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124470086#Comment_124470086

Mooney's goes wild has been a regular Monday Night show since he left mid-afternoons, it had been a weekly part of his Mooney show, while it used to air on Saturday mornings before that.

He could be classified as a presenter/producer. He had a number of nature shows on RTÉ, he hosted a Eurovision type programme that I think got 2 seasons. I think Dee Frobes highlighted it at one point.

It would be interesting to know what else he has produced in the last 10 years at RTÉ.

I used to like it until the panel start being coming unbearable, one of them would have questions that would just go on and on and on and on, leaving no room for the guest to talk.

As for Lottie, I don't know, she could easily be, but do you think Staffer Daithi O'Se will be in the office during the summer months?

GSF · 15-05-2026 12:35PM

he does the annual Dawn Chorus 7 hour live overnight programme that aired at the start of May. Presumably he does both producer and presenter duties

RoTelly · 15-05-2026 12:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124470242#Comment_124470242

He first presented the dawn chorus in 1995, he'd have been a regular on Echo Island and children's TV during this period. He had a short series of nature programmes for children in the late 1990s AFAIR, followed by T/X saturday morning show and then he hosted Girdlock … That's Numberwang

tradfan1 · 15-05-2026 01:19PM

The radio producer salary is seemingly around €90,000. What presenter jobs does Derek Mooney do to justify the remainder of what is really quite an enormous salary.

Arghus · 15-05-2026 01:27PM

"We tried to make contact with Ray D'Arcy, but we haven't heard from him"

lol

GSF · 15-05-2026 01:36PM

I do quite like Derek as a presenter and he could easily have done the 11-1 slot and saved Rte some money

Brendan Bendar · 15-05-2026 02:12PM

Fair play to the Minister, Podger O’Donovan who didn’t hold back on the News at One today.

Podger laid it on the line he didn’t mince words, looks like the ‘lads’ will be up before the committee

on Tuesday and Podger wants answers as he said, he needs the whole caboosh.

Interesting times ahead and the Montrose Mafia are slowly being dismantled.

zell12 · 15-05-2026 03:00PM

meanwhile - new audio head Patricia Monahan being successful

bureau2009 · 15-05-2026 03:12PM

I would particularly like to see an external investigation into work practices in RTE.

Brendan O'Connor is on air for a total of 160 hours per YEAR!

How does the newsroom operate? Several newsreaders seem to work 3 day weeks. What about the reporters? Hard to fathom.

And what exactly does Derek Mooney do all week?

Licence payers and taxpayers are entitled to know!

GSF · 15-05-2026 03:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124470697#Comment_124470697

I’ve noticed newsreaders who also do some reporting. Unless you follow people around how are you going to know what they are doing? Do you expect everyone to appear on air every day?

squonk · 15-05-2026 03:42PM

I think that’s fair. Like most jobs you amount of your day doing what you could consider your actual job and the rest of the time doing admin, sitting in meetings, other general rubbish that comes with the role actually your job really but it’s all

zell12 · 15-05-2026 04:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124470697#Comment_124470697

If there was a taxdollar value for money audit carried out, well RTÉ would be shut down pronto

RoTelly · 15-05-2026 04:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124470785#Comment_124470785

going on boards.ie …. wait what :)

I think you could have said that about Gay Byrne but even he admit that he was never in RTÉ between May and August.

RTÉ is showing more and more that most of their presenters are just there to present. 2FM shows this with the 4 hour long radio show, they've 3 hours to prepare for that show! The hosts of the Today show, seem to simply arrive, their Friday show is prerecorded on Thursday, that's 4 hours of TV, that you produce in normal 7 to 8 hour day! Are you saying that they are in the office on Friday?

zell12 · 15-05-2026 05:18PM

Minister O'Donovan on NT talking sense on the issue 😯 . Methinks there is more to come out on RTE story, given a Minister is making a big deal about it

"make sure we turn the cupboard upside down, make sure there is nothing behind it as well" he threatens!

hotmail.com · 15-05-2026 06:40PM

Can RTE be trusted with money?

Arghus · 15-05-2026 06:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124471043#Comment_124471043

I don't know, Minister O'Donovan is fond of coming out talking tough about lots of things, but he's put his foot in his mouth a few times in his rush to deliver a juicy quote.

Guy is fond of the sound of his own voice.

zell12 · 15-05-2026 06:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124471241#Comment_124471241

NT's Shane & Ciara stealing that for Monday's topic 😄

Expunge · 15-05-2026 06:46PM

No rural politician ever lost a vote giving RTE a good kicking in recent years.

RTE makes it easy for them.

Dublin Calling · 15-05-2026 07:01PM

I think it is more of a question of what the other 1,800 - 2,000 staff actually do. We are only talking about the on-air talent, we know. Could RTE be run with 500 staff, and the public not see a drop in output/content? Probably. The transmission system is already spun off, many programs already contracted in, extra stations already dropped, childrens programming already cancelled.

tradfan1 · 15-05-2026 07:09PM

There appear to be more and more repeat programmes on RTÉ television throughout the year also, which wasn't the case a few years ago.

hotmail.com · 15-05-2026 07:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124471301#Comment_124471301

No idea what Emma O'Kelly is doing. She's been Education Correspondent for more than 20 years.

It does show a lack of ambition within RTE that she never decided to take on a new role.

Another lifer going through the motions, existing in a boring job at the expense of us.

squonk · 15-05-2026 07:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124471346#Comment_124471346

Emma O’Kelly is a union rep so is well aware of her rights and entitlements id say. I don’t blame her. If she likes the job she’s doing and it fits with her life then why rock the boat. Success in life looks different to different people.

hotmail.com · 15-05-2026 07:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124471380#Comment_124471380

Is this what journalism is in RTE - good terms and conditions?

RoTelly · 15-05-2026 08:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124471380#Comment_124471380

But you have to agree a lot of the "correspondents" seem like the do very little. I understand that news reports on Education will be thin during the year and only appear when major changes are happening, exam time, first day of school and college students accommodation.

Well done to her for getting the job, but do you need a full time journalist in that field? And its not just her.

George Lee since he left and then came back has become this Climate Change correspondent, he's very rarely on any of the platforms. (33 v 62, reports on the website from Lee V O'Kelly, thats what 60 - 80 a year v 120 - 130), but is written form the right thing for RTÉ? never understood how Newspapers didn't argue against this use of RTÉ online, many reports veer into columns / opinion pieces, often with need of a sub-editor something RTÉ doesn't have as a mainly broadcast organization.

Do they write other copy, much of their copy, even for some Irish stories, are from AP.

As for their Washington correspondents.

In fairness not everything is going to make it to the news nor are you going to be writing massive amounts as you are research a topic or story, that is part of the work towards a report.

I'd also ask why correspondents stay in the same area, why not move them to another area after a few years, something they only do for their foreign staff (well London and Washington).

zell12 · 19-05-2026 06:13PM

something something https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2026/0519/1574038-politics-rte-ireland/

Seán Rock's partner, Catherine Bailey, told Minister O'Donovan that the Radio1 presenter was primarily classified as a producer with the station, even though his role was as presenter
Ms Bailey said this has had implications for her and family since his death in July

The RTÉ Megathread

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