Charlie Bird and his slagging on The Last Word today

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RMCF

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Did anyone hear the slagging poor Charlie got today?

He has a show about his year in the US as RTEs correspondent, and it was basically decided that this is something that we shouldn't care about. He should be focusing on issues in the country, and not issues directly affecting him, as its his job after all, he's getting well paid and he shouldn't be telling us all about it.

Well I don't mind him too much, but the consensus was that he is now basically considered a 'celeb' and cos he's getting a big wage from RTE, he has to make a programme to appeal to those that care about what others are doing in life.

I can see where some of the criticism is coming from, but thats the way the media has gone. I mean I have always wondered why Michael McMullan and the like feel the need to tell us who they are before reading the news. They didn't do this in the 70/80s (and maybe 90s). I don't care who he is, just read the sports news !! You're not famous, despite the fact you obviously want to be.
 
Just saw the programme on RTE - Charlie Bird's year in America. It was an interesting programme, well made. Nonetheless, i can't understand his whining about being lonely and wondering what possessed him to take the job. Cripes, I'd kill for a job like that!
 
The slagging he gets in the sketches on the last work on Today FM are excellent. He strikes me as someone with a very high opinion of himself (but I could be wrong).
 
He came to see us in secondary school, when I was in 6th year. The very first thing he said was not to worry about the Leaving Cert, it wasnt the be all and end all and it didnt matter if you didnt get it.

The teachers couldnt get him off fast enough :)
 
Give me a brake, he reports news.... (Usual script.. I'm standing here out side Government Buildings .... que the obligatory rain falling and gale force winds...never real of course :) ) thats not especailly original or Celeb status. Some times people need a reality check. He has a Job, he is in public domain, and so you leave your self open to good bad or indifferent.
 
Purple said:
The slagging he gets in the sketches on the last work on Today FM are excellent. He strikes me as someone with a very high opinion of himself (but I could be wrong).
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By all accounts he does have an extremely high opinion of himself.

But the slagging is harmless. It's no more excessive than something like Apre Match to me.
 
Slash said:
Just saw the programme on RTE - Charlie Bird's year in America. It was an interesting programme ..
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I watched most of it. I was staggered that he wanted to interview Dan Rooney, yet hadn't a clue what the man looked like, nor had he lined up the interview in advance. The scene with him hob-nobbing with Brian Cowen and Michael Martin, saying "Is this Dan Rooney, is that Dan Rooney", was cringeworthy.

What's the avian equivalent of 'a fish out of water' :D ?
 
I have always thought that RTE should save money by replacing their Chief News Reporter with Kermit the Frog from Sesame Street News. When we 'go over to our Chief News Reporter' he usually just repeats whatever the news reader has just said, and most often from a rather safe distance; I think that during the last Iraq war he was bravely reporting from Kuwait meanwhile Richard Downes was in Baghdad.
 
I know someone who works with him and describes him as the most professional journalist he has ever worked with. My mate has only ever had positive things to say about Charlie.
 
shopgirl said:
I know someone who works with him and describes him as the most professional journalist he has ever worked with. My mate has only ever had positive things to say about Charlie.
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I'm not sure if panting staccato-like, awkwardly gesticulating and wincing into the sunlight/flash passes for journalism in this day and age but if so, this latter day Kate Adie just about passes. His OTT stream-of-consciousness/dramatic monologue vignettes can get a trifle boring when repeated. And as another poster remarked, he merely repeats what the newsreader had already said. A waste of time and licence money. Plus, it's no good for his skin ;)
 
slightly off-topic, but every year when the leaving cert results come out, Charlie always gets a mention that he failed/didn't do his leaving cert or something like this.

It sounds like he is making decent money, so good luck to him.
 
PyritePete said:
slightly off-topic, but every year when the leaving cert results come out, Charlie always gets a mention that he failed/didn't do his leaving cert or something like this.

It sounds like he is making decent money, so good luck to him.
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Maybe he was in the right place at the right time.

Perhaps now someone with no leaving cert would have any hope of getting a job in RTE and making piles of money like Charlie?
 
RMCF said:
Maybe he was in the right place at the right time.

Perhaps now someone with no leaving cert would have any hope of getting a job in RTE and making piles of money like Charlie?
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Obviously we are talking about different times - when did Charlie start in RTE ?

As you say maybe he was lucky
 
Have the people of Haiti not got enough problems of their own without this irritant descending on them. He should go back to school, repeat the Leaving Cert and, if successful, get a proper job. :) Occasionally he looks like a younger version of Godfrey (Dad's Army). :D
 
Once the initial scenes of Haiti were shown on the days following the quake there was no need for Charlie Bird to pop up and turn the carnage into car-crash viewing. If he feels lonely,overwhelmed and,many would say, out of his depth then his wish should be granted. Bring him back to good old Dublin. What did we do in the pre CB days? RTE is getting like SKY with the constant padding. But there must be a market as they have the viewing figures and act accordingly.
 
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