The Pat Kenny Show

alaimacerc · 03-09-2013 05:30PM

thomas.frink wrote: »

Whether the content appealed to you or not is really not the point.

It goes to the point of whether there's any meaningful content of programming. If a show is only defensible on the basis of "well, some people seemed to like it, lord knows why, and it kept the ad money rolling in", it's not exactly the summit of ambition for a public sector broadcaster, is it? And devotional cult of personality hasn't been a very good model for managing the pay bill, either.

thomas.frink · 03-09-2013 05:36PM

alaimacerc wrote: »

It goes to the point of whether there's any meaningful content of programming. If a show is only defensible on the basis of "well, some people seemed to like it, lord knows why, and it kept the ad money rolling in", it's not exactly the summit of ambition for a public sector broadcaster, is it? And devotional cult of personality hasn't been a very good model for managing the pay bill, either.

So are you proposing you are the arbiter of good taste, and if you judge a show to be not good, it should be axed?

A public service broadcaster, funded by the public, should have some regard for serving those public. i don't happen to share your apparent view that popular = bad, or that something of which I personally find not to my taste = bad.

I think Joe Duffy's program is gutter journalism and at times actually disgusting, and is not to my taste, but that doesn't mean I dont recognise it is a popular program. So I dont listen to it. I dont buy the Sun newspaper on the same grounds, and don't watch tv news on the same grounds.

alaimacerc · 03-09-2013 05:39PM

thomas.frink wrote: »

I remember the vitriol on threads here some years ago regarding gerry ryan, and it never ceases to amaze me how some get really exercised about radio presenters.

As someone else commented, it's a rare person that listens to the radio in concentrated meditation. The first objective is to be "not annoying", and on that, Kenny fails badly, and at several distinct stages. Threads like this are handy for purposes of venting, and much-delayed vindication and triumph at getting his nose out of the public service trough at long last. (Sadly, ad revenue isn't so easily ringfenced, so I'll be cross-subsidising others' terrible taste for some time to come.)

What is important is his ability to deliver an audience, and not our individual guesses as to what personality flaws he has.

My comments on which you've entirely ignored. Follow your own advice, no?

Incidentally, he's been working in the "private sector" for all of three days now. His RTE career was supposed to be about a little more than "delivering an audience".

alaimacerc · 03-09-2013 05:44PM

thomas.frink wrote: »

So are you proposing you are the arbiter of good taste, and if you judge a show to be not good, it should be axed?

Straw man much? I'm simply stating that "some idiots chose to listen in" is not the beginning and end of debate on the merits of a radio programme, as you appear to advancing as a proposition (or at least, as a debating tactic).

alaimacerc · 03-09-2013 06:02PM

Was just trying to google whether RTE had ever actually defined PK as a "current affairs presenter" or not -- I guess officially, as the fees were being paid to "PK, Inc", it was actually being accounted for as some sort of "bought in" programming, or whatever the official creative accountancy for that is.

Anyhoo, I came across this article, which I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere (pardon me if it was, and I'm inadvertantly forking off). http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/media/kenny-rejects-rt%C3%A9-claim-presenters-fees-over-inflated-1.1511301 This would be breathtaking stuff in its sheer arrogance and departure from the facts... were it not simply confirming everything we already knew about Kenny's monstrous self-regard. He seems to regard receipt of "rate for the top man" as axiomatic. Pat, no-one died and made you Gay Byrne. (Gay Byrne was no friend of mine, but you, Pat Kenny, are no Gay Byrne.) Especially when you weren't doing the Gay Byrne job any more, and still expecting the same pay packet, regardless of how many days you fancied turning up at work. Idiotically disses PrimeTime, and continues his deep psychological denial about the utter failure of the Ceausescu-like monument to his own vanity that was the Frontline.

BuilderPlumber · 03-09-2013 06:14PM

alaimacerc wrote: »

Was just trying to google whether RTE had ever actually defined PK as a "current affairs presenter" or not -- I guess officially, as the fees were being paid to "PK, Inc", it was actually being accounted for as some sort of "bought in" programming, or whatever the official creative accountancy for that is.

Anyhoo, I came across this article, which I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere (pardon me if it was, and I'm inadvertantly forking off). http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/media/kenny-rejects-rt%C3%A9-claim-presenters-fees-over-inflated-1.1511301 This would be breathtaking stuff in its sheer arrogance and departure from the facts... were it not simply confirming everything we already knew about Kenny's monstrous self-regard. He seems to regard receipt of "rate for the top man" as axiomatic. Pat, no-one died and made you Gay Byrne. (Gay Byrne was no friend of mine, but you, Pat Kenny, are no Gay Byrne.) Especially when you weren't doing the Gay Byrne job any more, and still expecting the same pay packet, regardless of how many days you fancied turning up at work. Idiotically disses PrimeTime, and continues his deep psychological denial about the utter failure of the Ceausescu-like monument to his own vanity that was the Frontline.

Pat Kenny has had his good and bad moments across a career that spans over 40 years. Some people love him, some hate him but I always said of him he can be good when he has the right material. Stuff like The Frontline is hardly the right material for Kenny or anyone!

Primetime v Frontline: this contest's winner is Primetime hands down. Primetime gave reported analysis on events both here and abroad and was intelligent, informed and ultimately very broad. Frontline was narrow, noisy, negative and focused on the one topic. Bank TV I called it!

The Frontline failed because it was not broad enough and was negative. Plus Kenny could not control the shouting matches between his guests (which is something Miriam for example always could do). It was political debate negativity at its absolute worst and was not Kenny's finest moment. Kenny seems to be in denial that this very poor show was somehow his career highlight. The fact he associates himself with liking it does no good for his career and reputation imho.

BuilderPlumber · 03-09-2013 08:34PM

I have respect for Kenny but one thing that does annoy me about him and the others is that they think they cannot be done without or that everything they do is automatically excellent because they do it! This is where The Frontline failed. The topic was mediocre and repetitive but once Kenny was on it, what else mattered!

This is the attitude of RTE regarding programmes like this: Just have Pat Kenny show up and he will turn even the poorest of programmes into gold! Well, Kenny is talented but he cannot make a silk purse out of the sow's ear that The Frontline was! Give me The Big Bow Wow instead anytime!!

Callan57 · 03-09-2013 09:22PM

Just listened to the interview with Mickey Harte - sounds like it was also pre-recorded? I thought this was supposed to be a live show!

Busted Flat. · 03-09-2013 09:41PM

Callan57 wrote: »

Just listened to the interview with Mickey Harte - sounds like it was also pre-recorded? I thought this was supposed to be a live show!

As was reported, when PK decided or was pushed dinnyfm did not have the back up for live interviews. First cracks.

michael999999 · 03-09-2013 09:46PM

Callan57 wrote: »

Just listened to the interview with Mickey Harte - sounds like it was also pre-recorded? I thought this was supposed to be a live show!

It beats someone talking down a dodgy phone line for half an hour!

Callan57 · 03-09-2013 09:51PM

Busted Flat. wrote: »

As was reported, when PK decided or was pushed dinnyfm did not have the back up for live interviews. First cracks.

So if the interviews are all pre-recorded then ... nothing is live! I'm shocked

alaimacerc · 03-09-2013 11:38PM

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Kenny seems to be in denial that this very poor show was somehow his career highlight. The fact he associates himself with liking it does no good for his career and reputation imho.

If RTE management thought that Kenny could do not wrong, perhaps it was in part because they'd been listening to PK, who seems to very much have that evaluation.

In part, he might be saying this in justification of his switch from RTE to New Stalk. I had a brilliant show in the FL, and the nasty managers folded it into some little-known "Prime Time" yoke, which on the one hand, diluted his brilliance by making him share screentime with some other people who are, necessarily and by definition, not "top man" (indeed, not even men at all -- imagine!), and what's worse, disrupting his schedule on the golf course and throwing "extravagant buffet events" by making him work another (small fraction of a) day.

I'm not sure if it's us he's trying to convince, mind, or himself.

Onthe3rdDay · 04-09-2013 03:51AM

Callan57 wrote: »

So if the interviews are all pre-recorded then ... nothing is live! I'm shocked

Pat has always been fond of the pre-recorded interview. The old show on RTE always had loads of pre-recorded stuff. This has always been the case but at some point RTE decided to stop presenters saying....Earlier I talked to... Obviously you can get away with it if you have the interview lined up to play on cue and the sound levels correctly set.

Question is will Newstalk be able to do the basic tech stuff day after day?

LordSutch · 04-09-2013 04:06AM

What has always annoyed me about Kenny (and Marian Finucane) is the way they take on the mantle of being not only the interviewer, but also the expert on any and all subjects! Pat Kenny could have on the world leader in Micro biology (for example) and yet Kenny himself will talk for at least 50% of the time (as if he has all the knowledge on the subject), while the poor old guest (in this case, the World leader on the subject) will only get in a short sentence in here and there, to be constantly interrupted by Kenny/Finnucane who love the sound of their own voices . . . .

Kenny should talk less, and let the interviewee speak more.

LeakyGee · 04-09-2013 06:33AM

It's amazing the difference experience brings to 10 am.

Kenny goes straight in with a big menu delivered with energy and gusto big guests and an urgent agenda

Tom Dunne would have fluffed into the show sheepishly with a story about his coffee going cold ' text me now if you had a cold coffee today'

He was never gonna work in that slot.

fred funk }{ · 04-09-2013 07:34AM

LeakyGee wrote: »

It's amazing the difference experience brings to 10 am.

Kenny goes straight in with a big menu delivered with energy and gusto big guests and an urgent agenda

Tom Dunne would have fluffed into the show sheepishly with a story about his coffee going cold ' text me now if you had a cold coffee today'

He was never gonna work in that slot.

Two completely different shows, not comparable.

mike65 · 04-09-2013 09:15AM

Why aren't UPC/Horizon giving away a Horizon package as the prize?

Bits_n_Bobs · 04-09-2013 09:51AM

Drunks in Eyre Square shocker!!!!

Is this PK's first attempt to muscle in on Joe Duffys audience?

Fred Swanson · 04-09-2013 09:58AM

This post has been deleted.

dulpit · 04-09-2013 10:00AM

mike65 wrote: »

Why aren't UPC/Horizon giving away a Horizon package as the prize?

I thought the same thing...

Harry Angstrom · 04-09-2013 10:00AM

Bits_n_Bobs wrote: »

Drunks in Eyre Square shocker!!!!

Is this PK's first attempt to muscle in on Joe Duffys audience?

In the old days he would have sent Paddy and his dog to investigate.

artful_codger · 04-09-2013 10:02AM

We need to be more like Milwauke now?! It's in the top ten most dangerous large Cities in the US...but shure he was there for a day or two so knows everything.

Technocentral · 04-09-2013 10:11AM

First chance I've had to Listen to Pat on Newstalk from the beginning and I like it better than RTE so far, number one reason: no Des Cahill and boring sports talk at 11! Great, I always suspected that it was imposed on Pat and that like me he isn't much of sports fan and would prefer to stick to current affairs, also please tell me that there are no almost daily interviews outside social welfare clinics and that he didn't bring MLOD with him from RTE? If so it has the potential to be 100% better than Pat's RTE show.

Roger_007 · 04-09-2013 10:14AM

Technocentral wrote: »

First chance I've had to Listen to Pat on Newstalk from the beginning and I like it better than RTE so far, number one reason: no Des Cahill and boring sports talk at 11! Great, I always suspected that it was imposed on Pat and that like me he isn't much of sports fan and would prefer to stick to current affairs, also please tell me that there are no almost daily interviews outside social welfare clinics and that he didn't bring MLOD with him from RTE? If so it has the potential to be 100% better than Pat's RTE show.

Do you not miss Paddy and his dog?:(

Technocentral · 04-09-2013 10:17AM

Roger_007 wrote: »

Do you not miss Paddy and his dog?:(

The dog was slightly more tolerable than Paddy.

Lapin · 04-09-2013 10:51AM

Technocentral wrote: »

......I always suspected that it was imposed on Pat and that like me he isn't much of sports fan and would prefer to stick to current affairs......

Pat is big sports fan and a regular matchgoer. I reckon he enjoyed those chats after the 11 o clock news.

I know I did and I'm surprised Newstalk didn't continue with them.

They only lasted a couple of minutes an it was interesting to get a different perspective on a sports related item rather just a simple report tacked on to the end of the news.

Amirani · 04-09-2013 10:56AM

Really enjoyed that interview on chemical and biological weapons. I think it's been one of Pat's best pieces so far.

Seems Luke O'Neill will be on every Wednesday, good to hear - he's a good interviewee.

Lapin · 04-09-2013 11:00AM

Yep, he knows his stuff and it was good to hear them tie in the science slot with a current news topic.

Technocentral · 04-09-2013 11:02AM

NiallSparky wrote: »

Really enjoyed that interview on chemical and biological weapons. I think it's been one of Pat's best pieces so far.

Seems Luke O'Neill will be on every Wednesday, good to hear - he's a good interviewee.

Me to, again I think it reflects more of Kenny's interests, a regular science slot as opposed to a regular O Gorman with junkies one, Kenny must have been completely sick of that.

Bellerstring · 04-09-2013 11:02AM

Technocentral wrote: »

First chance I've had to Listen to Pat on Newstalk from the beginning and I like it better than RTE so far, number one reason: no Des Cahill and boring sports talk at 11! Great, I always suspected that it was imposed on Pat and that like me he isn't much of sports fan and would prefer to stick to current affairs, also please tell me that there are no almost daily interviews outside social welfare clinics and that he didn't bring MLOD with him from RTE? If so it has the potential to be 100% better than Pat's RTE show.

Not only is he a big sports fan Techno, but he knew more about practically ALL sports than any of the sports reporters.
I think he had a great rapport with Des Cahill, but not really the other sports guys who just seemed to be reading their bullitins from a page and couldn't really deal with any discourse or conversation.

The Pat Kenny Show

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