Observations on Tracy and Cormac is that although they are presenting their shows live - it sounds like they are not.
With Tracy, there are flat gaps and quiet moments when the songs fade out and into the next song or a jingle - no slick or even basic mixing between songs. Also her coming from daytime 2FM, I thought she would have more interaction with the listeners through messages and maybe even have a listener come on-air for some feature or competition.
Cormac goes through his links talking about himself or his own thoughts / recollections on the artists/songs he is playing. He does not invite texts or requests to come in and he does not read out messages that obviously people are sending in (if they know he is live). He is ignoring messages.
RTE have gone and put 2 known presenters on air for 6 hours live each day, a huge plus for the station - the least they could do is encourage them to interact more with the listeners. It is clear that there are more people listening to RTE Gold because of these additions and new DAB availability.
Rick I felt encouraged and had much more listener interaction than these 2.
apparently they have some sort of technical problems today which may well explain the lack of links and features today and the general impression that it was voice tracked
I requested a song last week with cirmac and read my msg and played song requested. Tracy does encourage txts etc but there was playout issue today
my post above is not just referring to technical problems today, but overall lack of listener interaction since they both started a few weeks ago.
but back to today I think Cormac was using CDs as he mis-announced Tracy Ullman 'They dont as know', as being from Will Powers…..but he then corrected himself. I was thinking how did he get these 2 artists mixed up then I remembered both songs are next to each other on the same disc on "Now that's what I call music 1". He didnt play Will Powers by the way.
In addition to this example, he also played New Edition's Candy Girl from the same Now 1 album:
Now That's What I Call Music – 2 x Vinyl (EMI Pressing, LP, Album, Compilation), 1983 [r763070] | Discogs
Tracy having some gremlins again today. Breakdown tape kicked in.
Man in the mirror and Mrs Robinson the most played songs on Rte gold
I recall that they used to have Runaway by Del Shannon on the breakdown tape a good while back.
Can you imagine what it would be like if Ray D’Arcy had taken the job offer on Gold with his technical skills!
They really crash the 10am handover now. China Crisis Black Man Ray cut off mid song
anyone able to read the Rick O’Shea article in the Irish Times? Something about him being on the bring of quitting a couple of years ago?
and back to same emergency tape today at 1PM
I didn't see it but I assume this was his period between being moved from 2FM and joining RTE Gold where he was off the radio for at least a few months. Sure why would he give up a permanent job in state broadcasting, presenting a straightforward music show on a digital station and really nothing else..no jnlr or shareholders breathing down his neck.. He knew he had it easy, so he stayed put.
It gave him more headspace and time to focus on his books passion…
Yeah, getting tired of the formula of the 5 day show and wanted to move away from music shows more generally. Was on verge of quitting two years ago until he got the offer of doing some cover work on Arena and decided to hang on in the hope of something else would crop up on Radio 1.
Article online now.
Arena host Rick O’Shea: ‘I’m going to say it out loud. I have no self-esteem of any kind’ – The Irish Times
"He is open about the fact that a couple of years ago he seriously considered leaving his staff job at RTÉ, unhappy on RTÉ Gold and depressed about his future at the broadcaster.
He had been trying to get a foothold in arts coverage for years, a decade ago fronting two seasons of a poetry show on RTÉ Radio 1. But nothing stuck. “I was at a point where I got no joy at all from my job. I was tired of it.”
Two years ago, after some serious conversations with his wife, he decided he didn’t want to do radio any more.
“I’d been a music-radio presenter for 33 years. It was the same job over and over again. And it’s a very lonely job. It’s just you … With a music show your choices are limited. It’s ‘Am I starting with David Bowie today?’ That was it, five days a week, and I looked at my life and I wondered is that what I wanted to do with the rest of it.”
It was around this time that he got the initial call about standing in for Seán Rocks. Was Arena a job he coveted? “Oh look, 100 per cent, forever. But the person who was presenting it was so good at what they did. Still, I thought it would be nice to fill in every now and then.”
So when that opportunity came along, he put any plans of leaving RTÉ on hold for a while. “I thought, I’ll see how this couple of weeks in the summer goes, maybe see if it leads to some sort of inroads into a Radio 1 show.”
O’Shea now has what he describes as “the single greatest job I’ve ever had … There is rarely a day that I come out of my job without looking back at what I’ve just done and thinking, that was great – that was enjoyable, and I think it was really good.”
I don't understand why he didn't try to "rebrand" himself as Paul Crossan, (his real name) and put a line under that pop DJ era of his career.
I thought that myself, he acknowledged his name in the interview:
"I got the name with a job when I turned up at Atlantic 252 … I went in on the very first day and was told, ‘There is your desk, and your name is on top of the desk, and we’ll see you later.’ I could have kicked up a fuss, but I was 20, and I really wanted the job. The older you get, the weirder it is. You’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t understand it’s a fun pun."
I’m sure Cormac Battle loved these comments about “. It was the same job over and over again.”
. It was the same job over and over again.”
he’s coming across as a bit arty farty!
for a guy who got his name from a label on a box 😂
2nd week in July Cormac is away and it’s a mix of Michael Cahill and Al Dunne
I think that would be career suicide for him, he has built up a strong personality brand and reputation out of this jokey DJ name inside and outside of the radio.
He slags it off and seems to loathe Atlantic 252 for giving him it in interviews, though I have never heard him thanking or acknowledging those that gave him the name. If he wasn't "Rick O'Shea" would he have successfully lasted as long in prime time national radio as he has since 2001 ??
Al Dunne is a careful set of hands to have as a stand in…
Who else have they?
Micky Mac or John Connolly or Eric Moore?
I heard a DAB ad on Gold where they said "literally any DAB radio", which is not true as we all know. None of their promos mention DAB+ at all.
Wouldn't be John Connolly, the ABC to XTC stuff is just a side project for him from his novels (eg the Charlie Parker series).
michael cahill in for cormac this afternoon for the next few days - sounds voicetracked so no surprise there.
Wonder will al dunne be the same mid week?
Will leahy seems to have a specific taste in request readouts. Either you have to be a far flung area of the world or new listener on DAB.
maybe that’s who is texting in. There are a lot of Irish based texters too - maybe less so now that the school are off
He read mine out this morning.... and I mentioned the town I'm from
I heard the same promo this morning and thought exactly the same thing. My DAB radio in the bedroom does not pick up DAB+. Also, all of the promos say now on DAB, instead of 'back on' DAB (+) to be precise. It's like they have erased their memory of being on DAB before.
Maybe they mean regular DAB?
